Introduction:The Yuanyang Milk Tea is one of the most iconic creative drinks in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs, blending the rich taste of traditional Chinese milk tea with the bold aroma of Western-style coffee to create a uniquely contrasting flavor profile. But do you know what the coffee ratio in Yuanyang Milk Tea is? And how can you recreate a classic cup similar to those found in tea restaurants at home? This article will delve into the origins, ingredient selection, brewing techniques of Yuanyang Milk Tea, and provide detailed step-by-step visuals to help you master this East-meets-West classic.

Yuanyang Milk Tea is an indispensable part of Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng culture. This beverage perfectly fuses Chinese milk tea with Western coffee, offering a double texture that is both smooth and rich. Many people wonder: does Yuanyang actually contain coffee? The answer is yes — Yuanyang is made by blending milk tea and coffee in specific proportions, resulting in its distinctive aroma and layered taste.

The term “Yuanyang” symbolizes a harmonious pairing, much like coffee and milk tea — one Western, one Chinese; one bitter, one sweet — just like the paired birds. This drink is not only a fusion of flavors but also a meeting of cultures, beloved by locals and visitors alike.

A traditional Yuanyang Milk Tea is typically made by blending a Hong Kong-style milk tea base with black coffee. The tea base often uses Ceylon black tea, processed through traditional steps such as “tea collision” and “tea baking” to produce a strong yet slightly astringent brew; while the coffee part is usually based on dark-roasted espresso beans or commercial black coffee, emphasizing its toasty and deep flavors. These two components are then mixed with full-fat evaporated milk and sugar to create a Yuanyang Milk Tea that is rich, layered, and complex.

If you want to recreate an authentic Yuanyang at home, ingredient selection is especially important.For the tea, it’s recommended to blend three types of Ceylon black tea: coarse, medium, and fine.A general ratio would be around 50% coarse tea, 30% medium tea, and 20% fine tea. This ensures the tea has a rich aroma, moderate strength, and controlled astringency.For the coffee, if you’re aiming for higher quality, you can use a dark-roasted espresso blend and extract it as espresso.As for the evaporated milk, choose full-fat evaporated milk for a smoother and richer mouthfeel; for sugar, you can go with white granulated sugar or condensed milk according to your preference — the latter adds extra milky sweetness.

Making a standard cup of Yuanyang Milk Tea mainly involves four steps. The first is brewing the tea: place the blended Ceylon black tea in a tea bag and steep it in water heated to about 95°C for approximately 8–10 minutes, followed by 3–4 rounds of “tea collision” to make the tea smoother and reduce excessive bitterness.The second step is extracting the coffee.You can either extract 30 ml of espresso, or use 15 grams of dark-roasted coffee grounds brewed with 150 ml of hot water and then filtered for later use.The third step is mixing.Start by pouring 120 ml of hot tea into a cup, then add 60 ml of coffee, followed by 30 ml of evaporated milk, and finally add sugar or condensed milk to taste and stir well.To make an iced Yuanyang, you can add ice cubes and shake well for a more refreshing taste.。

As for the common ingredient ratios, the industry’s popular “golden ratio” is tea : coffee : evaporated milk = 4 : 2 : 1. Of course, adjustments can be made according to personal taste — those who prefer a stronger tea flavor can increase the tea proportion, while those who favor coffee can raise the coffee liquid ratio. Sugar is generally recommended to be around 8–12 grams per cup, though you can also use condensed milk instead of sugar for added aroma and sweetness.

Iced Yuanyang is also very popular in summer. To prepare it, cool the tea and coffee liquids beforehand, then mix them with evaporated milk and syrup, and pour the mixture into a glass filled with ice cubes and gently stir. For a creamier texture, all ingredients can be shaken together in a cocktail shaker, similar to bartending techniques, which creates fine foam and enhances the drinking experience.

If you don’t have professional coffee equipment at home, instant coffee is also a viable alternative, although its flavor profile will be less complex than freshly brewed coffee. Instant coffee has a more straightforward bitterness and toastiness, whereas freshly brewed espresso offers richer crema and deeper aromatic layers. If you don’t have a coffee machine, you might consider using a moka pot or AeroPress to brew your own coffee, which can also yield good results.

The key to a successful Yuanyang Milk Tea lies in the balance among the tea, coffee, evaporated milk, and sugar.The tea base shouldn’t be too astringent, the coffee shouldn’t be too sour, the evaporated milk should be fresh, and the sugar amount should be moderate.These are all factors that influence the overall flavor. Bartenders in Hong Kong’s cha chaan tengs often fine-tune the ratios based on experience, while home brewers can experiment multiple times to find the combination that best suits their personal taste.

Additionally, Yuanyang Milk Tea contains a relatively high level of caffeine, and a single cup often has a noticeable energizing effect. Those sensitive to caffeine are advised to avoid drinking it after the afternoon or to reduce the coffee proportion to lower the stimulation. For a more traditional taste, it’s recommended to use full-fat evaporated milk; if unavailable, you can temporarily substitute with a mix of whole milk and a small amount of light cream, though the overall flavor will still differ from that of genuine evaporated milk.

Learning to make Yuanyang Milk Tea not only helps you understand the essence of Hong Kong-style beverages but also allows you to enjoy the fun of hands-on preparation. Whether hot or iced, as long as you get the extraction ratio between tea and coffee, as well as the pairing of evaporated milk and sugar right, you can make a Yuanyang close to the standard of tea restaurant quality. With continuous experimentation and adjustments, you’ll be able to enjoy this classic drink full of Hong Kong flair right at home.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.