Those who love both coffee and tea will rejoice with this coffee-milk tea recipe. A beverage allegedly hailing from Hong Kong, it contains both black tea and strongly brewed coffee that is mixed with milk and sugar to add creaminess and balance out the flavors. It can be served hot or iced, making it a perfect choice for any season.
The Scoop on Coffee Milk Tea
Coffee milk tea, otherwise known as yuenyeung, is a beverage that may have originated in Hong Kong and is still popular there today. It comprises both black tea and coffee, resulting in a caffeine-rich drink that has a delicious flavor and can help get you through your day if you are looking for something other than your usual cup of tea or coffee. The name yuenyeung translates to mandarin ducks and may refer to the relationship between male and female ducks. Similarly, the coffee and tea in this drink combine in a conjugal union that is rich and complex tasting.
What does it taste like
Coffee milk tea often includes either evaporated or condensed milk, which adds extra creaminess compared to other types of milk. If you use condensed milk in the recipe, the beverage will have more sweetness whereas evaporated milk will result in it being less sweet. The drink also includes sugar or even a simple syrup for sweetness. Brown sugar is particularly good as it has a molasses-like flavor that pairs beautifully with the bitterness of coffee and tea.
Ingredients
Coffee
Coffee is among the most essential ingredients in coffee milk tea as it a rich, aromatic flavor to the drink. You can feel free to use any brewed coffee or even espresso in this beverage. Feel free to use decaffeinated coffee as well if you prefer to limit caffeine in your diet.
Tea
Tea is another integral component of this recipe. Brewed loose-leaf black tea such as Darjeeling, Assam, or Ceylon are among the top choices. But you could even use tea bags from your favorite black tea blend. If you would like to go completely out of the box with this recipe, you could also use a flavored tea that has black tea as a base, such as blueberry black tea or even chai tea. The addition of flavored teas wouldn’t be authentic, but they would result in something unique and delicious nonetheless!
Sweetener
The most popular sweetener for coffee milk tea is sweetened condensed milk. sweetened condensed milk is very thick and creamy and sweetened, which adds richness to the beverage.
You can use sugar or syrup too. Personally, I love brown sugar because it has a deeper flavor than granulated white sugar, and as a result, pairs better with the brewed coffee and tea in this recipe. Liquid honey or maple syrup would also be delicious if you prefer a sweetener with a healthier halo as well.
Milk
For the milk, evaporated milk is often used but both add different properties to the coffee milk tea. The evaporated milk is a thin, unsweetened milk ideal for those who prefer their tea less sweet. You could also use whole milk in the recipe as it is higher in fat than other types of milk if evaporated milk is hard to find.
Coffee Milk tea- YuenYuang Milk tea
Ingredients
Tea base (Note 1)
- 2 bags black tea
- 1 cup ml hot water
Others
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 2 tbsp. condensed milk
- 70ml brewed coffee
- ice cubes
Instructions
Traditional Hong Kong way:
- Put the bag in a metal ring holder to hold it in a kettle. Add the black tea and pour the hot water (98 degrees C) overtop. Simmer the kettle on the stove for 10 minutes.
- Once it has simmered, start the process of tea pulling by placing the sackcloth bag on top of another kettle and pour the tea over top. Then, place the bag on top of the other kettle and pour the tea over top. Repeat these steps once. In total, the tea will be pulled four times.
- Return the tea to the stove and simmer it for 15 minutes or until rewarmed.
Shortcut way of using tea bags
- Bring water to a boiling and then mix the tea bag and water; reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer it for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the tea bag.
Assemble the coffee milk tea
- Add iced cubes, condensed milk, evaporated milk, black tea and coffee one by one. Combine well before drinking.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Variations
As with other recipes, you can go wild and create versions that go beyond the basic ingredients. Here are some ideas.
- Coffee Milk Tea with Vanilla Ice Cream In this version, make the recipe as usual but top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for some extra decadence. Feel free to try this with other types of ice cream as well.
- Coffee Milk Tea with Coffee Jelly Serves the brewed milk tea with cubes of coffee jelly stirred in for an extra coffee boost!
- Coffee Milk Tea with Boba Adds boba to the beverage for some fun bursts of texture!
Is Coffee Milk Tea Healthy?
As with many foods, whether coffee or milk tea is healthy or unhealthy is complex. If you are someone who needs to limit sugar, dairy, or caffeine intake, this beverage may not be for you. However, it can easily be adapted with dairy-free milk and decaffeinated tea and coffee. Additionally, you can either omit the sugar of replace it with an alternative sweetener such as monk fruit, maple syrup, or honey.
Black tea has considerable health benefits including the fact it contains antioxidants, which can help boost immunity, and flavonoids, which are beneficial for heart health. It may be able to reduce the chance of stroke, cancer, and cardiovascular issues as well.
Twists
While coffee milk tea is perfect as it is, you can get extra creative in the kitchen and make some changes to it. Here are some ideas for how you can vary coffee milk tea:
- Instead of using black tea, use brewed matcha tea for a matcha coffee milk tea.
- Make an affogato-inspired dessert with the coffee milk tea by scooping ice cream into a bowl and covering it with coffee milk tea.
- Stir some chocolate syrup or caramel sauce into the coffee milk tea for additional flavor.
FAQs
A: Black tea is commonly used in coffee milk tea such as Assam, Darjeeling, or Ceylon.
A: Yes, coffee milk tea is a delicious blend of sweet and bitter, and it has a rich, creaminess to it that makes it taste divine.
Yes, it does. Since coffee milk tea has both black tea and coffee in it, it contains caffeine. However, if the caffeine content is of concern to you, you may use decaffeinated black tea and coffee instead.