Hong Kong-style milk tea is one of the most iconic beverages in the city, which is why Hong Kong Milk Tea Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of November every year. This month, evaporated milk brand Black & White is collaborating with 100 cha chaan tengs across the SAR to give away 10,000 free cups of milk tea on weekdays this November.
The participating cha chaan tengs — which include local favourites such as Wah Nam Sing Butt in Sham Shui Po and Kam Wah Café in Prince Edward — will give away steaming hot cuppas from Monday to Friday until November 30 at various times between 9.30am and 3pm on specific days.
Hong Kong milk tea is made by combining Ceylon black tea with either evaporated milk or condensed milk instead of traditional milk, and is usually had with breakfast or lunch at a diner called a cha chaan teng, or open-air stalls known as dai pai dongs. It is also called “silk-stocking milk tea” because the sack cloth bag used to filter the tea gradually becomes an intense brown after repeated use.
The technique of making Hong Kong milk tea — which involves several steps and specific equipment — is recognised as one of the intangible cultural heritages of Hong Kong. The tea can be served hot, with ice cubes, or in a cup nestled among ice cubes (called ice bath milk tea).
Local illustrator Bonnie Pang has teamed up with Black & White to create a limited-edition zodiac milk tea cup and saucer set with a Year of the Dragon theme. Order a cup of tea at any of the participating cha chaan tengs to receive a special stamp. Collect eight of these stamps, register via WhatsApp on +852 9842 3837, and then purchase the set for $88.
For more information about the giveaway, visit the Black & White Facebook page or check this schedule.
Header image credits: redonion1515 via Canva
