Hong Kong Style Yuanyang Coffee Tea Blend

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Yuanyang is Hong Kong's signature coffee-and-tea fusion drink, traditionally combining strong brewed black tea with robusta coffee and sweetened condensed milk. Served both hot and iced, it offers a uniquely balanced bitter-creamy profile that has fueled the city's dai pai dong culture for decades. This version highlights the classic 7:3 tea-to-coffee ratio with both evaporated and condensed milk for an extra-silky finish.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 165 kcalCalories
• 5 gFat
• 3 gSaturated Fat
• 22 gCarbs
• 0 gFiber
• 21 gSugar
• 4 gProtein
• 95 mgSodium
• 220 mgPotassium
• 150 mgCalcium
• 0.5 mgIron
• 1 mgVitamin C
• 95 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the strong tea base

• 4 cups water
• 3 tablespoons loose Ceylon black tea (or 4 black-tea bags)
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 strip dried tangerine peel (optional)

For the coffee component

• 1 1/2 cups hot water, just off the boil
• 4 tablespoons finely ground robusta coffee (or 2 shots fresh espresso)
• 1 tablespoon dark-roast instant coffee granules
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

For assembling the yuanyang

• 1/2 cup evaporated milk, chilled
• 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, plus more to taste
• Ice cubes
• 2 tablespoons simple sugar syrup (optional)

Directions

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan. Add the loose black tea, cloves, star anise, and tangerine peel, then reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes to extract a strong, fragrant tea concentrate.
2. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof jug, pressing gently on the leaves to release every drop of liquid. Discard the spices and leaves, then chill the tea in the refrigerator while you prepare the coffee.
3. Brew the coffee: pour the just-off-boil water over the ground robusta and salt in a French press or pour-over dripper. Let it steep for 4 minutes, then press or filter into a separate jug and stir in the instant coffee granules until fully dissolved to deepen the color and bitterness.
4. Fill four tall glasses with 3 to 4 large ice cubes each so the drink stays bracingly cold without diluting too quickly.
5. Pour the chilled tea and brewed coffee together at a 7:3 ratio, about 3/4 cup tea to 1/3 cup coffee per glass, and give a quick stir to combine the two bases.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of evaporated milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of condensed milk to each glass, then stir vigorously until the drink turns a uniform caramel-mahogany color with a creamy tan head.
7. Taste and adjust sweetness with more condensed milk or a splash of sugar syrup if desired. Serve immediately with a wide boba straw and a long-handled spoon for stirring.

Cook’s Notes

• For a deeper, earthier backbone closer to classic cha chaan teng style, replace 1 tablespoon of the Ceylon with loose Pu'er or aged black tea.
• Pre-chill both the tea concentrate and the brewed coffee for at least 20 minutes so the ice melts more slowly and the flavor stays bold.
• A pinch of salt in the coffee grounds before brewing tames harsh bitterness and amplifies the caramel notes of the condensed milk.
• For a hot version, skip the ice and gently warm the assembled drink in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until just steaming; do not boil or the milk will split.
• Yuanyang keeps in the fridge for up to 24 hours without ice; stir well before pouring over fresh ice as the tea and coffee will naturally separate.

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