One of my favourite flavours of bubble tea is HK milk tea. Maybe it’s me becoming older, but I’ve shied away from the fruity teas in favour of more caffeinated versions.
I’ve covered how to make tapioca/boba pearls in this post, so this is just a post on how to make Hong Kong/ HK Milk Tea since I had a few people ask me for my recipe.
WHAT IS HONG KONG MILK TEA?
It’s a drink consisting of black tea and milk or evaporated, sweetened with condensed milk or sugar. Traditionally, it is made with pantyhose or silk stocking as a filter for the tea leaves. This method has been said to produce a smoother tea.
However, in the interest of simplicity, you don’t need to have a silk stocking or pantyhose on hand to make delicious HK milk tea.
INGREDIENTS IN HK MILK TEA
- black tea (I like using ceylon)
- sweetened condensed milk or evaporated milk
- sugar (if not using condensed milk)
I prefer to use finely ground ceylon black tea for my milk tea as it gives a strong, concentrated flavour. Condensed milk is already sweetened and has a richer, creamier feel. You can use evaporated milk and sugar and adjust to your liking instead if you don’t have condensed milk.
MAKE IT THE NIGHT BEFORE
I like to make the tea and mix in the condensed milk the night before so it has a chance to chill in the fridge overnight. I’ve found if you add the condensed milk to the cooled tea, it won’t be as homogeneous and smooth.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Place in the tapioca pearls at the bottom of the glass, add some ice, and pour in the chilled HK milk tea… then you’ll have your very own HK Milk Tea Bubble Tea.
Hope you’ll give the recipe a try and let me know what you think — tag me on Instagram @siftandsimmer ! You’ll realize how easy it is to make bubble tea, from the comfort of home! Add your own additions to the tea, such as coconut jellies, grass jelly, or even egg pudding (which I should do sometime)!
Hong Kong Milk Tea Bubble Tea
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp finely ground ceylon black tea
- 3 C hot boiling water
- 3 Tbsp sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ C tapioca/boba pearls
- grass jelly optional
Instructions
- Place the tea into a tea pot with a mesh strainer. Pour the boiled water over top of the tea. Let it steep for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the condensed milk into a clean heat-proof jar. Strain the tea into the jar with the condensed milk and give it a stir.
- Leave to cool and chill in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
- When ready to serve, add in the tapioca/boba pearls into a glass, add some ice cubes, and pour the HK milk tea over top. Stick in a wide straw and serve.
yum!! i love all kinds of milk tea (although when it’s hotter, i find that i want the more refreshing tart/bitterness of fruit tea!), but haven’t had an hk style in a while. will have to some time this week when i inevitably crave it!
Yea, that’s true — when it’s hot outside, fruity drinks definitely hit the spot! Thanks for stopping by, Heather!
I LOVE HK milk tea with bubbles! One of my favourite drinks in the world! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe with us! Now I’m totally craving it!
HK milk tea is such a classic, great tasting drink! Thanks Christie!
Iβm excited to try this recipe, Hong Kong Milk Tea is my favorite Do you have any recommendations of where to purchase finely ground ceylon black tea? Iβm seeing mostly the loose leaf form. Thanks!
I’m not sure where you’re located, but I got my finely ground black tea from a local tea supplier. If you can’t find it, you can just use regular black tea bags.