Hong Kong Milk Tea with Evaporated Milk
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Black tea simmered strong and dark, strained a few times for a silky body, then finished with evaporated milk and a little sugar, served hot.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Simmer. Bring the water to the boil, drop in the tea bags and turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 6 minutes, until very dark and fragrant. The long simmer gives the strong, slightly bitter base the milk needs.
- 2
Squeeze. Lift the bags out, pressing them against the side of the pan to get every drop back in.
- 3
Smooth. Pour the tea through a fine sieve into a jug and back into the pan 2-3 times. This aerates it and gives the silky body that cafés get from a cotton tea sock.
- 4
Finish. Off the heat, stir in the evaporated milk and sugar. Taste and add more of either; it should be the colour of milky caramel. Serve hot.
Storage
Keep unsweetened tea in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat it or serve it over ice. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3.3 g protein per 100 kcal, about 13% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low fat: 1.2 g fat per 100 ml (limit ≤ 1.5 g)
- Low salt: 0.05 g salt per 100 ml (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 ml of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 288 ml a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Caffeine · Free sugars
- Per serving: at least 72 mg caffeine (serving: 1 cup (about 360 ml tea)). Source: about 360 ml brewed per serving × USDA FDC SR Legacy #173227 (brewed black tea, 20 mg/100 g) This brew uses more tea per ml than standard brewed tea, so the real amount is likely higher..
- Scaling: making more servings does not change the caffeine in each serving; what counts is how many servings you drink in a day. 1 serving: 72 mg · 2 servings: 144 mg · 3 servings: 216 mg (above EFSA 200 mg at once) · 4 servings: 288 mg (above EFSA 200 mg at once).
- General guideline: EFSA Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine (2015): for healthy adults, up to 200 mg in a single dose and up to 400 mg per day do not raise safety concerns. 1 serving = 18 % of 400 mg. EFSA
8 g per serving
16 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 32 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- small saucepan
- fine-mesh sieve or cotton tea sock
- heatproof jug
- spoon
- 2 mugs
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 97 kcal |
| Protein | 3.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.5 g |
| of which sugars | 8 g |
| of which free sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 3.6 g |
| of which saturates | 2.2 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
| Salt | 0.14 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
