Hong Kong–style milk tea

Hong Kong–style milk tea
Cup of Hong Kong–style milk tea by Lan Fong Yuen, a dai pai dong that invented the drink
CourseDrink
Place of originHong Kong
Serving temperatureHot or cold
Main ingredientsCeylon tea, evaporated milk or condensed milk, sugar
Similar dishes
Hong Kong–style milk tea
Chinese港式奶茶
Cantonese YaleGóngsīk náaihchà
Literal meaningHong Kong–style milk tea
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGǎng shì nǎichá
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationGóngsīk náaihchà
JyutpingGong2sik1 naai5caa4
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese香港奶茶
Cantonese YaleHēunggóng náaihchà
Literal meaningHong Kong milk tea
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinXiānggǎng nǎichá
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationHēunggóng náaihchà
JyutpingHoeng1gong2 naai5caa4
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese大排檔奶茶
Simplified Chinese大排档奶茶
Cantonese YaleDaaihpàaidong náaihchà
Literal meaningdai pai dong milk tea
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàpáidàng nǎichá
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationDaaihpàaidong náaihchà
JyutpingDaai6paai4dong3 naai5caa4

Hong Kong–style milk tea (Chinese: 港式奶茶), also known as "silk-stocking" milk tea (絲襪奶茶), is a tea drink made from Ceylon black tea and evaporated milk (or condensed milk). The drink originated in the mid-20th century during the British rule of Hong Kong, and was inspired by British afternoon tea.

The Hong Kong variant uses a stronger blend of tea leaves, which traditionally is brewed using a unique technique that features a stocking-like cotton bag. These, along with the use of evaporated milk instead of fresh milk, results in a more intense and creamy flavour, differing from the light and diluted taste of British milk tea.

The unique technique used to prepare Hong Kong–style milk tea is recognised by the Hong Kong government as an intangible cultural heritage of the city. Since the 1990s, the drink has increasingly become a symbol of the Hong Kong identity and the territory's culture, with industry estimates suggesting that Hongkongers consume an average of 2.5 millions cups of the drink every day. Amid the city's mass emigration wave in the early 2020s, this variant of milk tea can now also be found overseas in Hong Kong–style restaurants.