Yuanyang (Hong Kong Coffee Milk Tea)

Before you start

Yuanyang is a Hong Kong cha chaan teng staple that pours strong milk tea and coffee into the same cup. The name is the word for a pair of mandarin ducks, an image often used for a well-matched couple, which suits a drink built from two very different partners. Served hot or over ice, it is creamy, bitter and sweet, with the tea's tannic grip and the coffee's roast both present.

Balance is the main decision. A commonly cited starting point is about 7 parts milk tea to 3 parts coffee, which keeps the tea in front with the coffee as a deep base note. That only works if each part is strong: the tea needs a long, hot steep of a robust black tea blend, and the coffee should be brewed strong. Evaporated milk gives the characteristic rich, slightly cooked taste; regular milk makes a thinner drink.

Ingredients

• Milk tea12 g (about 4 tbsp) strong black tea — broken-leaf Ceylon or a Hong Kong milk tea blend
• 400 ml (13½ oz) water
• 120 ml (4 oz) evaporated milk
• Coffee150 ml (5 oz) strong brewed coffee — French press at about 1:10, or 2 espresso shots plus 90 ml hot water
• To finish2 to 4 tsp sugar — or 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

Method

1. Bring 400 ml of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the tea, lower the heat, and simmer gently for 4 to 5 minutes. The liquid should be very dark, nearly opaque.
2. Strain the tea through a fine strainer or tea sock into a heatproof pitcher. For a smoother texture, pour it back and forth between the pitcher and the pan three or four times through the strainer.
3. Return about 350 ml of strained tea to the pitcher and stir in the evaporated milk. You now have about 470 ml of milk tea.
4. While the tea simmers, brew 150 ml of strong coffee. It should be noticeably more concentrated than a normal mug.
5. Combine about 350 ml of the milk tea with the 150 ml of coffee, roughly 7 parts to 3. Stir in sugar or condensed milk to taste while everything is hot.
6. Taste. If the coffee dominates, add more milk tea; if the tea is too astringent, add a splash more evaporated milk.
7. Divide between two warmed cups and serve hot, or cool for 10 minutes and pour over ice in tall glasses.

Tips for success

• Simmer the tea rather than steeping it off the heat. The extra strength is what keeps it from disappearing under coffee and milk.
• Sweeten while hot. Sugar does not dissolve well once the drink is over ice.
• Make the iced version with a little less ice than you think; melting dilutes a drink that relies on strength.

Substitutions

Evaporated milk

Whole milk makes a lighter drink without the caramel note. Sweetened condensed milk replaces both milk and sugar but makes a much sweeter cup.

Ceylon tea

Assam gives a maltier, heavier tea; English breakfast bags, about 6 bags, are a reasonable shortcut.

Brewed coffee

Instant coffee dissolved at about 2 tsp in 150 ml hot water is common in some home versions; the taste is flatter but serviceable.

Variations

Iced yuanyang

Chill the sweetened mixture for 20 minutes, then pour over ice. Using ice made from milk tea keeps it from turning watery.

Stronger coffee yuanyang

Shift the balance to 6 parts tea and 4 parts coffee if you prefer the coffee to lead.

Troubleshooting

The drink tastes like weak coffee with milk

The tea was under-brewed. Simmer it longer or use more leaves, and stick to roughly 7 parts tea to 3 parts coffee.

It is very bitter and drying

The tea simmered too long or too hard. Keep it to a gentle 4 to 5 minutes, and add more evaporated milk or sugar to round it out.

Bits of tea leaf in the cup

Use a finer strainer or a cloth tea sock, and pour through it twice.

Storage

Serve fresh. The mixed drink can be refrigerated in a covered jar and drunk within a day; it tastes most balanced cold over ice rather than reheated. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

This drink contains caffeine from both tea and coffee. The FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults; people sensitive to caffeine may want a smaller cup.