Milk Tea: Everything You Need to Know
Whether you prefer it as the spiced masala chai or the silky texture of Hong Kong-style milk tea, every sip of milk tea promises a pleasing experience of flavors and experience.
If you’re eager to dive into the fascinating world of milk tea, we’ve got you covered.
What is milk tea?
Milk tea is one of the tea recipes, prepared by adding milk. Usually, this drink is mainly brewed by using the black tea. However, as per the taste and preference, you may make it in matcha or oolong tea too. The recipes and the milk tea type may vary from region to region.
What does milk tea taste like?
Usually, milk tea has a balanced flavor of creamy and sweet taste, blending with the robust black tea. But, again, the taste could differ according to the ingredients you put in your tea. Some may use salt, while others could put sweeteners and spices in it.
Popular Types of Milk Tea
British Milk Tea
British Milk tea is steeped strong black tea, blended with milk. This classic tea has a creamy texture and gives off a sweet taste if you add sugar to it.
People often use the robust English breakfast black tea to get the most flavors. When you brew this tea, try to avoid adding a large serving of milk as it could water down the taste.
Hong Kong Milk Tea
Hong Kong Milk tea is a trendy drink widely sold in restaurants, bakeries, and cafes in Hong Kong.
What makes this tea flavorful is the use of evaporated and sweetened condensed milk. While in the mouth, you may get a creamy, sweet, smooth, and bold flavor of black tea.
Usually, in this tea, the steeping time of black tea is around 15-30 minutes to draw out a strong taste. They often use the strongest black tea brands like Golden Tips Assam tea, Raw Puerh tea cake, Ceylon black tea, etc.
Masala Chai
Masala Chai, “Chai Latte,” or simply “Chai” is one of the milk tea types. It is brewed by combining milk and special spices into black tea.
Originating from India, this drink offers a sweet and creamy taste, with a touch of spicy aroma and flavor. You could get the flavor notes of spices like cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, clove, etc.
If you wish to explore the history and benefits of this intriguing masala chai, we have another article covering “Everything about the Masala Chai.”
Nepali Milk Tea
Nepali Milk tea, similar to the Masala Chai, is prepared by mixing milk, sugar, and aromatic spices into the boiling black tea.
But, the local spices and black tea used in this tea add a twist, offering a unique flavor experience. People mostly choose high-quality black tea brands like Danfe tea, Nepal tea, etc for strong and robust flavors.
In Nepalese households, people call this traditional beverage “Chiya,” referring to tea in English.
Hokkaido Milk Tea
Hokkaido milk tea is a popular Japanese tea known for its creamy, sweet, and rich texture. This tea is made with black tea, sweetener, and a special milk from Hokkaido.
Nutritional Facts of Milk Tea
Well, unlike other teas, the nutritional content of milk tea is subject to change with the ingredients used. You may expect the following estimated nutrients in 1 cup of sweetened milk tea.
- Calories: 70 - 100 kcal
- Protein: 2- 3 grams
- Fat: 3-4 grams
- Carbohydrates: 9-15 grams
- Sugar: 8- 12 grams
- Calcium: 8-10%
- Caffeine: 30-50 mg
How to brew milk tea?
There are no strict instructions for brewing your milk tea. You could personalize your drink by using your own preferred ingredients.
Below, we have compiled the classic way to brew a cup (8 ounces) of black milk tea. We strongly encourage you to add a twist to the procedure and experience an exciting tea flavor.
Ingredients
- 1-2 teaspoons of loose black tea leaves. Or, 1-2 black tea bags.
- 1 cup water (8-ounce)
- 1/2 cup of milk (4 ounces) or 1-2 milk powder
- Sugar, honey, or sweetener (Optional)
- Spices like cardamom, clove, and cinnamon (Optional)
Instructions
- First, boil the water in a saucepan or kettle.
- Add black tea leaves or black tea bags into the hot water. Steep the tea for 3-5 minutes to bring the flavors. (Adjust accordingly)
- After that, strain the tea leaves and pour the drink into your cup.
- In a separate utensil, heat the milk. But, do not boil it.
- Now, pour the warm milk into a teacup. Then, add the other ingredients too if you want.
- Stir the mixture to blend everything together. Your tea is ready!
Milk Tea Flavors
Apart from the plain milk tea, we encourage you to explore other exciting and flavorful recipes as well. Try out the vanilla milk tea recipe, green milk tea recipe, HK milk tea recipe, royal milk tea recipe, strawberry milk tea recipe, etc.
Besides, if you don’t want to prepare these recipes from scratch, you could check out these milk tea flavors.
- Masala milk tea
- Blueberry milk tea
- Cinnamon milk tea
- Jasmine tea milk
- Matcha tea with coconut milk
- Green tea recipes with milk
- Earl Gray tea milk
Benefits of Milk Tea
May Enhance Cognitive Function
Milk tea, especially prepared with black tea base, is rich in L-theanine and caffeine. These compounds might help to boost focus and alertness, leading to improved cognitive performance. So, this beverage could be good for mental clarity.
Could Promote Stronger Bones
The fresh milk in milk tea is a source of protein and calcium. These essential nutrients might contribute to strengthening the bones. It could be useful in protecting against osteoporosis in adults.
May Help with Weight Loss
Milk tea has polyphenols and caffeine. So, this beverage could support in enhancing metabolism and weight management. However, due to the potential high calorie content, further research is necessary to fully substantiate its weight loss benefits.
Might Boost Digestive Health
When blended with spices such as cardamom or ginger, milk tea could help to boost digestive health. Since these spices are known to possess an anti-inflammatory effect, it may help in soothing the digestive tract.
Could Relieve Stress
Milk’s tryptophan content could have a calming effect. So, a cup of hot milk tea may offer a soothing experience, helping to relieve stress and improve your mood.
Milk Tea FAQs?
What does matcha milk tea taste like?
Matcha milk tea has a unique blend of creamy and grassy flavors. When added sweeteners, this tea gives off a sweet and earthy taste.
How long does it take to steep black tea for milk tea?
Well, it all depends on how strong you want your milk tea to be. But, generally, in milk tea, the black tea is steeped for 3 to 5 minutes. Besides, you may avoid over-steeping or under-infusing your black tea.
How many calories are in black tea with milk?
In a cup of sweetened milk tea, you’ll find about 53-99 calories. But, the calorie level could change based on the ingredients you put in. For Instance, low-fat or whole-fat milk, sugar or sugar-free sweeteners, and so on.
How much milk to add to black tea?
Well, the milk quantity depends on serving size, chosen milk product, preferred creaminess, and the type of milk tea you’re brewing. However, don’t put the higher quantity of milk at once as it could ruin the taste. It’s better to start with a small quantity and increase the serving as per your need.
Is black milk tea good?
It relies on each individual's taste to conclude whether the black milk tea is good or not. Although, you may find most of the milk tea is prepared by steeping the black tea. A sweetened black milk tea offers a strong, rich, and creamy flavor profile.
Is black tea better than milk tea?
It is debatable when it comes to deciding whether black tea is better than milk tea. Each tea has its own unique taste, aroma, and health benefits. Some of you may prefer milk for its flavor, while others could choose black tea for its nutritional benefits.
Is black tea with milk bad for you?
There is no evidence that justifies that black tea with milk is bad for you. While black tea alone may provide extensive health benefits, it also contains caffeine. So, excessively drinking black tea with milk might trigger sleep disturbances. Besides, since some milk has high calories, it could result in weight gain.
Is milk tea black tea?
Normally, black tea does have milk. But, when brewed with milk, we get milk tea.
Is milk tea made with black tea?
Yes, commonly, milk tea is made using black tea as it gives a strong flavor. For example, bubble tea, masala chai, Hong Kong milk tea, etc uses black tea. But, you could also use other tea types like matcha or oolong tea to brew this drink.
What black tea to use for milk tea?
Usually, people use strong black tea like Assam, Ceylon, English breakfast, Danfe tea, etc to make milk tea. It makes sure the flavor of the milk doesn't overshadow the black tea.
Do you put milk in green tea?
Traditionally, people do not use milk in green tea. It is rather enjoyed solely by steeping it in warm water. However, if you’re trying out recipes like matcha latte or hojicha latte, you may put milk in this green tea.
How to make green milk tea?
To make green milk tea, firstly, prepare green tea by steeping the tea leaves in warm water. Strain the tea leaves. Then, pour heated milk, sweeteners, and other preferred flavors into that green tea. Finally, stir to mix all the ingredients and enjoy.
Can you put milk in chamomile tea?
Every tea is customizable and can be prepared as per your choice. So, if you want, you may add milk to chamomile tea. For reference, you could look up the chamomile tea latte recipe too.
How to make jasmine milk tea?
When you add milk to your brewed Jasmine tea, it becomes Jasmine milk tea. So, first, infuse the jasmine tea into hot water for 3-4 minutes and strain the tea. Then, pour milk and other ingredients into the tea. Mix well and serve it.
Conclusion
Tea lovers savor the taste of milk tea for its rich, smooth, and sweet flavor, dissolving the bitter profile. You could notice a warming sensation and a creamy mouthfeel with every sip.
So, why don’t you try out this delightful milk tea offering several intriguing flavors?
To make a rich and delicious cup of milk tea, try our Ilam loose black tea. The tea itself offers a subtle taste of lychee with a sweet finish. When added milk, it blends well with the sweetness of milk and enhances the flavor, offering you a comforting smooth beverage.
