Hong Kong Iced Tea Recipe: Iced Lemon Tea and Iced Milk Tea with Instant Tea Powder

Walk into any cha chaan teng, Hong Kong's classic diner-style "tea restaurants," and you'll see it on nearly every table: a tall glass of iced lemon tea crowded with lemon slices, or a creamy iced milk tea sweating in the heat. Here's how to make both at home in about two minutes with Waka instant black tea.

Hong Kong-style tea is famous for being strong. Cafes brew a dark, concentrated black tea so the flavor doesn't wash out once it meets ice, lemon, or milk. Normally that's a slow process: steep, strain, cool, repeat. With instant tea powder, you skip all of it. You control the strength with a measuring spoon, it dissolves in seconds, and you never wait hours for hot tea to chill in the fridge.

Prefer your milk tea hot? Check out our original Hong Kong Style Milk Tea recipe. This post is all about the iced versions.

Which Waka Tea to Use

We recommend Waka Kenyan Black Instant Tea. Kenyan black tea is bold and full-bodied with a brisk, slightly fruity character, which is exactly what you want in a drink that gets diluted by ice and softened by milk. It's 100% tea with nothing else added, so you decide how sweet your drink gets.

One standard serving of Waka black tea is 1/4 teaspoon for 8 to 10 fl oz of water. For Hong Kong-style iced tea, we triple it.

Hong Kong Iced Lemon Tea (Dung Ning Cha)

Iced lemon tea is one of the most-ordered drinks in Hong Kong. It's tart, lightly sweet, and incredibly refreshing. The signature move is mashing the lemon slices right in the glass with a long spoon to release the juice and the aromatic oils from the peel.

Ingredients (makes one 16 oz glass)

• 3/4 tsp Waka Kenyan Black Instant Tea
• 2 fl oz hot water
• 6 fl oz cold water
• 4 to 5 thin lemon slices
• 1 to 2 tbsp simple syrup, or to taste
• Ice

Instructions

1. Dissolve the instant tea in the hot water and stir until fully combined.
2. Add the simple syrup and stir. Sweetening while the tea is still warm helps it blend evenly.
3. Pour in the cold water.
4. Fill a tall glass with ice, add the lemon slices, and pour the tea over the top.
5. Press the lemon slices with a spoon to release the juice. Taste and adjust with more syrup or another slice of lemon.

Tip: If you're sipping slowly, pull the lemon slices out after 10 to 15 minutes. The white pith can make the tea bitter the longer it sits.

Hong Kong Iced Milk Tea (Dung Naai Cha)

Hong Kong milk tea is sometimes called "silk stocking milk tea," a nickname that comes from the fine cloth filters cafes use to strain the tea. What sets it apart from other milk teas is evaporated milk, which gives it a rich, silky body without feeling heavy. Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and even more creaminess.

Ingredients (makes one 16 oz glass)

• 3/4 tsp Waka Kenyan Black Instant Tea (use 1 tsp for an extra-strong cup)
• 2 fl oz hot water
• 3 fl oz cold water
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 to 2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• Ice

Instructions

1. Dissolve the instant tea in the hot water.
2. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk until it fully melts into the tea.
3. Add the cold water and evaporated milk and stir well.
4. Pour over a glass full of ice and serve.

Tip: For a fluffier, cafe-style texture, blitz the tea and milks with a handheld frother for a few seconds before pouring over ice.

Bonus: Iced Yuenyeung (Coffee + Milk Tea)

Can't decide between coffee and tea? Hong Kong already solved that problem. Yuenyeung is a blend of coffee and milk tea, named after mandarin ducks, which are traditionally seen in pairs. Follow the iced milk tea recipe above, but dissolve one serving of Waka Medium Roast Instant Coffee into the hot water along with the tea. Start light on the coffee. Tea should lead, with coffee adding depth and a roasty finish.

Tips for Better Hong Kong Iced Tea

• Make tea ice cubes. Mix a batch of regular-strength Waka black tea and freeze it in an ice tray. Your drink stays strong to the last sip instead of watering down.
• Sweeten while it's warm. Syrup and condensed milk blend far more easily into the hot tea base than into cold water.
• Use simple syrup instead of granulated sugar. Heat equal parts sugar and water until dissolved, let it cool, and store it in the fridge for up to about a month.
• Dial in the strength. Because it's instant, you can adjust the strength exactly. Start with 3/4 tsp and go up or down by 1/4 tsp until it tastes right to you.

How to Make a Pitcher

Hosting or prepping for the week? For a 1-quart pitcher at the same strength as the single-glass recipes, dissolve 1 tablespoon (3 tsp) of Waka Kenyan Black Instant Tea in 1 cup of hot water, then add 3 cups of cold water. Keep it in the fridge and pour over ice with lemon and syrup, or with evaporated and condensed milk, whenever you want a glass.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Hong Kong iced tea?

Hong Kong-style iced tea usually refers to iced lemon tea or iced milk tea, both made with strong black tea. They're staples at cha chaan teng cafes across Hong Kong.

Does Waka instant tea dissolve in cold water?

It mostly dissolves in cold water, but for the smoothest result, dissolve it in a little hot water first and then add cold water and ice. If you only have cold water, stir vigorously or use a frother.

How much caffeine is in these recipes?

Each 1/4 tsp of Waka black tea contains approximately 35 mg of caffeine, so the 3/4 tsp used in these recipes contains about 105 mg, roughly what you'd get from a cup of drip coffee. The yuenyeung will have more because it includes coffee.

Can I make it sugar-free?

Yes. Waka tea is unsweetened, so the sweetness is entirely up to you. Skip the syrup for an unsweetened iced lemon tea, or use your favorite sugar-free sweetener. For milk tea, swap the condensed milk for a sweetener and a little extra evaporated milk.

Can I use a different Waka tea?

Kenyan black tea is our top pick because it holds up best to milk and ice. Our Classic Indian Black Instant Tea also works well if you prefer a cleaner, smoother finish. For a lighter twist on iced lemon tea, try our Lemon Flavored Green Instant Tea. Browse the full lineup in our instant tea collection.

Ready to make Hong Kong iced tea at home? Get Waka Kenyan Black Instant Tea here.