Hong Kong milk tea, also known as nai cha, pantyhose or silk stocking tea, is black tea mixed with sweetened condensed or evaporated milk. Nai cha is a rich and fragrant drink with a strong malty base followed by a slight floral aftertaste. However, its smooth, silky mouthfeel makes Hong Kong milk tea unique from other milk teas.
Our Hong Kong milk tea recipe will show you how to create the same texture and creamy taste at home. We'll also show you tips for "pulling" tea to aerate it.
It's high in caffeine and a must-order drink in Hong Kong cafes (cha chaan teng).
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Hong Kong Milk Tea Ingredients
To make Hong Kong Milk Tea, you'll need the following ingredients.
- Tea leaves or instant powder
- Eggshells
- Condensed milk
- Evaporated milk (optional)
Tea
The base used in Hong Kong milk tea is a blend of red and black tea types. Therefore, for our recipe, we're using a similar blend with Assam, Ceylon, and Pu Erh leaves.
Red tea, or hong cha in Hong Kong, is equivalent to black tea in the UK and the US. This is mainly due to the colour, once brewed, being reddish brown. Loose-leaf blends like Ceylon and Assam may be called red tea in Hong Kong.
Instead, black tea in Hong Kong refers to leaves that have undergone an ageing process. A common example is Pu Erh, which is almost black and darker.
Similar to boba drinks in Taiwan, each restaurant and cafe in Hong Kong uses its own blend of loose leaves to make nai-cha, and the exact ratio they use is a trade secret. We used 3:2:1 for the respective leaves.
For 1 cup, we brewed 3g (1.5 tsp) of Assam, 2g (1 tsp) of Ceylon and 1g (½ tsp) of Pu Erh leaves. This ratio got us the closest to the taste from our favourite cafe in Hong Kong.
If you can't find these loose leaves, you can also make them using premixed-style loose leaves.
Alternatively, use a Hong Kong milk tea instant powder mix. Most of the time, you won't need to add anything else. However, these will likely not give you the same results as a freshly made silk stocking tea like our recipe will. Typically, other ingredients such as sugar, citric acid or unique flavours are added to preserve and market the product.
Eggshells
To achieve the smoothness of silk stocking tea, Hong Kong cafes brew their loose leaves with egg shells. The egg shells help reduce the acidity in Hong Kong milk tea and bitterness from oversteeping.
For our pantyhose tea recipe, you will only need 1 egg shell. Don't worry about any bacteria on the eggshells; they will be removed when you brew the loose leaves in boiling water.
Evaporated and condensed milk
For our recipe, we use condensed milk as the creamer and sweetener. This is for convenience and to keep our drink less calorific.
However, you can add evaporated milk to our smoother and creamier Hong Kong milk tea recipe.
Evaporated milk adds creaminess without adding sweetness. Although other recipes might recommend only using one or the other, we feel the version with both is superior.
Hong Kong Milk Tea Recipe | Chinese Silky Nai Cha
Ingredients
- 1.5 teaspoon Assam 3g loose leaves
- 1 teaspoon Ceylon 2g loose leaves
- ½ teaspoon Pu Erh 1g loose leaves
- 250 ml water
- 1 eggshell
- 2-3 teaspoon condensed milk
- 2 teaspoon evaporated milk optional
Cooking Instructions
- First, measure out and mix the tea leaves to create your loose leaf blend. For 1 cup, we use 3g (1.5 tsp) of Assam, 2g (1 tsp) of Ceylon and 1g (½ tsp) of Pu Erh leaves.
- Next, prepare your eggshells. Crack open a fresh egg and set aside the yolk and white. We will only be using the eggshells. Crush the eggshells into smaller pieces.
- Then, bring 1 cup of water (about 250 ml) to a boil in a pot over the stove under medium heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the water to continue simmering. Add the measured-out loose leaf blend and the egg shells to the simmering water, close the lid to the pot and let it brew for 10 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into a large cup while straining out the leaves and egg shells using a fine mesh sieve. Prepare another large cup to aerate it.
- Pour the mixture into a teacup or a pot (if you're making a bigger batch). Finally, stir in the condensed milk and evaporated milk (optional) until well mixed. Serve your Hong Kong milk tea hot, or let it cool to room temperature and pour it over some ice to serve it cold.
Recipe Notes
- To compensate for water evaporation, we use a little over 1 cup of water for our drink.
- If you prefer your drink less sweet and have fewer calories, you can reduce the amount of condensed milk added.
- When you brew the egg in boiling water, the bacteria on the eggshells, if any, will be removed.
- If you want a creamier drink, we recommend adding 2 tsps of evaporated milk to 1 cup of milk tea. If you add evaporated milk, you may want to reduce the amount of condensed milk, as it does contain sugar, too.
Nutrition
Calories have been calculated using an online calculator. Nutritional information offered on Honest Food Talks is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimate.
Cooking Tips
Our recipe above is the best and most straightforward way to prepare this comforting beverage. However, there are many ways to prepare this classic drink. Here are some quick tips for making a silky smooth Hong Kong Milk Tea.
Brewing
First, the water must be piping hot when steeping your leaves. This tip brings out the aroma of the leaves. Leave it for at least 10-15 minutes for a strong brew.
Don't skip the eggshell
Don't skip the eggshells. They help make the drink much smoother. The eggshells help neutralise the natural tannins from the loose leaves, which cause teas to have an astringent texture. Essentially, they remove what gives you a dry-mouth aftertaste.
If you're making it in batches, 1 whole eggshell should be sufficient for 2 to 3 servings. So, adjust accordingly.
Adding sweetness
You can increase the amount of evaporated milk or condensed milk for added sweetness and creaminess. We recommend adding 2 teaspoon of evaporated milk to 1 cup of nai cha for a creamier taste. You may want to reduce the amount of condensed milk if you add evaporated milk, as it contains sugar, too.
We don't recommend adding too much condensed milk, as it can be cloyingly sweet. However, if you have a strong sweet tooth, then this is perfect.
Alternatively, you can add white or brown sugar. We don't recommend adding artificial sweeteners or honey, as these often change the taste of the drink.
Different blends
If you want to experiment with different blends, try a mix of black and red tea leaves to get a flavour similar to Hong Kong cafe-style nai cha.
Our loose leaf blend consists of Assam, Ceylon, and Pu Erh. Other red and black teas, such as Da Hong Pao and Orange Pekoe, are used in Hong Kong, but they are quite expensive and harder to get overseas.
When choosing loose leaves, look out for Sri Lanka as the country of origin. Some exporters still use its old name, Ceylon, for branding purposes. The country is well-known for its nutty and malty flavour, making your Hong Kong Milk Tea extra smooth and delicious.
Using a stocking
In the past, drink makers used silk stockings or pantyhoses as a filter for Hong Kong Milk Tea, which was supposed to make the drink taste better. This use gave rise to its "pantyhose" or "silk stocking" nickname.
While this is the traditional method, it's not necessary to make the drink. Nowadays, most Hong Kong cafes use a cloth filter.
In our opinion, if you have a fine mesh sieve or cloth filter to filter out the loose leaves, it would work just as well. A tea infuser works, too.
Pulling
The art of tea pulling or pouring tea from one container to another is essential and requires a filter to achieve a smooth texture.
We highly recommend pulling tea after brewing them. The process helps aerate the tea to make it taste smoother at the end.
This is the same process as making the Malaysian teh tarik, but instead, we only pull the plain base (without the milk and sugar) for Hong Kong milk tea, so it will not froth up as much.
History
The drink is a fusion of Hong Kong and British tea culture. It became popular during British colonial rule when the British started importing loose leaves. So, while Hongkongers were already colossal tea drinkers, the art of drinking became even more popular during colonial rule.
The Asian people put a twist to the British version by add creamy evaporated milk and sometimes sugar. It was a very clever move that resulted in the Asian beverage as we know it today. They also use a Chinese favourite, the Pu-erh, to make this sweet beverage.
Many speciality cafes use black and Sri Lankan red tea with a mixture of orange pekoe, orange fannings and dust. This floral combination makes the beverage stand out and lends it a slight floral aftertaste when you drink it.
Hong Kong Milk Tea Vs Milk Tea
The main difference between HK-style and regular milk tea is the dairy types. The British use fresh milk to make the drink creamy, while the HK version uses evaporated or condensed milk.
Some Hong Kong cafés prefer a filled skimmed version and soybean oil variant. This method gives the drink a slightly greasy texture and makes it extra smooth and drinkable.
Hong Kong Milk Tea Vs Thai Tea
Comparing this classical Hong Kong drink to its Thai counterpart, Thai tea is probably more well-known for its spice mix and coconut cream addition. The Thais use strongly brewed Ceylon or locally grown Assam leaves known as Bai Miang and mix orange blossom water, star anise, crushed tamarind seed and other spices.
Usually, they add condensed milk and sugar, then pour coconut milk to enhance its appearance. Then, they top the drink with ice and sometimes coconut shavings, with red or yellow food colouring drops. As a result, the drink is very sweet, high in caffeine, and looks extra colourful.
According to the 2016 Hong Kong Milk Tea champion brewer, the difference is that HK-style tea prioritises aroma, strength and smoothness. In addition, several different types of Sri Lankan red leaves brews a special flavour unique to nai-cha.
In recent years, boba fans have also used this traditional drink as a base for boba drinks. They add pearls and other toppings, such as grass jelly, creating a modern drink version.
How To Enjoy
Hong Kong milk tea is traditionally served warm or chilled with a slice of toast or wheat crackers, and butter spread generously on the inside. The Hongkongers also eat it alongside dim sum. The best dim sum options to eat alongside the drink include egg tarts and a polo bun.
We like having it with some pandan roll cakes we buy from Asian bakeries.
It is also the base for boba drinks. Add tapioca pearls to enhance the drink's sweetness. Modern bubble tea houses have introduced additional toppings such as jelly and custard pudding, and you can even add other syrup flavours such as strawberry, taro, honeydew, melon, or tapioca. This combination creates an exciting version of this sweet beverage. If you want to know how to make this drink, you can check out our boba tea recipe.
Since nai cha is a good base, creative chefs have even added it to desserts like tiramisu. In Hong Kong, you can even find it in cakes, ice cream, macaroons, and puddings.
We hope you have enjoyed making our creamy Hong Kong milk tea recipe. Whether you serve it warm or ice cold, it will taste great. It is one of our favourite drinks to sip and pass the time, and it reminds us of the 1980s era.
If you can purchase tin cups, your guests will be impressed. Seeing nai cha in tin cups conjures romantic scenes in Chinese movies where lovers look at each other while drinking their beverages. If you like more of our Asian drink recipes, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.
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