HK Style Milk Tea
The origins of Hong Kong-style milk tea can be traced back to the roadside tea stalls of the 1950s and 1960s. During this period, these stalls adopted the use of black tea, brewing it with cloth bags to produce the flavorful and smooth "silk stocking milk tea." Even at this early stage, Tsit Wing provided various types of black tea to the tea stalls.
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The attention to the selection, procurement, quality, and monitoring of tea leaves had become highly prioritized. Through the dedication of both suppliers and tea stall operators, Hong Kong-style milk tea thrived and developed vigorously.
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Silk Stocking Milk Tea
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The preparation of Hong Kong-style milk tea is an art form in itself. Skilled tea masters pour boiling water back and forth between two vessels to create a frothy texture while infusing the tea leaves with robust flavor. The tea is then strained through the silk stocking, a technique that ensures a silky-smooth consistency.
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It takes years of practice and expertise to master the delicate balance of tea leaves, water temperature, and brewing time that results in the perfect cup of milk tea. Each sip is a testament to the dedication and craftsmanship of these tea artisans.
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Blend of Tea
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The presence of Hong Kong style milk tea can be found in restaurants of various tiers, customers are across different social classes and age groups too. People from diverse backgrounds each have their preferred tea shop, and the reason why a particular shop's milk tea is especially appealing lies in the tea leaf blend.
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Every restaurant possesses its own unique and secretive tea leaf blend for brewing milk tea.
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The coarse or fine of tea leaves plays a crucial role - the more intact the leaves, the more aromatic the tea, while the more fragmented the leaves, the stronger the tea flavor (including bitterness). Therefore, the "tearistas" needs to adjust the proportions of various tea leaves to craft a distinctive flavor, which demands significant expertise and effort.
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Ceylon Tea
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