Honey rose milk tea 玫瑰奶茶

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You can buy several flavors of milk tea 奶茶 at a stand around the corner for a dollar or two. I'm not against that, but sometimes I make it at home so as to be more careful about what is actually in it: no artificial coloring, flavoring, preservatives or sweeteners. Plus I can make it as strong or as light as I'd like. Drink it hot or cold. 

 

It's not much trouble. Let me show you how. (Please click the photos to enlarge them.) 

 

Start with some rich-bodied black tea 红茶, 5 or 6 grams. That's about one heaping tablespoon if you don't have a scale. I use a good grade of Fengqing Yunnan Red 凤庆滇红。About the same amount of dried rose buds. These are available in supermarkets or pharmacies in addition to tea stores. They come in several sizes, the small ones delivering a bit more flavor. 

 

     

 

 

 

Bring about 3 cups of water to a boil and add a generous spoon of rose flowers. Rinse them beforehand because they may have collected dust in the bin. Simmer 5 or 6 minutes. You can smell their distinctive floral "rose" aroma. Turn off the heat and add the tea leaves. Let the tea and rose buds steep together for 5 or 6 minutes, no need to stir it. Leave it a bit longer if you prefer your tea strong. These Dian Hong Yunnan red teas are quite aromatic all by themselves, so now your pot of tea smells really

good all throughout the house. 

 

     

 

Pour in the milk, one container or package of 240 to 250 ml. Bring it back just barely to the simmer. When you see bubbles around the edge of the saucepan, turn off the fire. Don't boil it hard or it will form a "skin" on top. That isn't dangerous, but it's unattractive. 

 

     

 

 

Strain out the solids and then add a spoonful of honey. A teaspoon if you are feeling restrained; a tablespoon if you have a sweet tooth. I use an organic wild honey 野生蜂蜜 from Simao 思茅 where the bees feed on the flowers of Pu'er tea. It becomes crystalline pretty soon after I buy it. Sometimes I turn it back into a liquid by putting it into a hot water bath for a minute or two, but generally I just use it as it. (Don't microwave it.) 

 

     

 

This recipe makes two generous mugs of full-bodied honey rose milk tea. You can taste the rose and the honey and you can for sure taste the tea. The three flavors combine harmoniously and are perfectly balanced. Sometimes I make a double batch and save part in the fridge since it tastes just as good cold as it does hot.  

 

     

 

 

Hong Kong in particular has a huge crush on hot milk tea, albeit a different version, especially at breakfast and lunch. Not surprising that it's big anywhere Cantonese people have migrated over the years, from Southeast Asia to San Francisco's Chinatown. I hope you will try it and see what you think. 

[Luxi]

6 hours ago, abcdefg said:

wild honey 野生蜂蜜 from Simao 思茅 where the bees feed on the flowers of Pu'er tea.

 

Then I want to be reborn as a Simao bee...

 

Am I right to think this isn't a typical Yunnan brew?

 

 Lovely photos as usual and great explanation, but it doesn't tempt me.This is a rare case where I like all the individual ingredients but not the sound of all of them together in a tea.  The thought of cooked milk with a skin floating on top...urgh.

[Shelley]

I have to agree with Luxi in every way.

 

Great writing , lovely ingredients separately, but not in cup - hot. The thought of warm milk whatever it tastes of is slightly nauseating and reminds me of my mother trying to give me warm milk with a skin at bedtime, yuck. 

This in no way a reflection on what you have done abcdefg, just a personal dislike of mine.

 

You have as usual presented it beautifully with good explanations and pictures.

 

I am sure lots of people will love it.

Thank you.

 

[abcdefg]

1 hour ago, Luxi said:

Am I right to think this isn't a typical Yunnan brew?

 

You're right. Most Yunnan people just drink straight tea with nothing added. 

 

14 minutes ago, Shelley said:

The thought of warm milk whatever it tastes of is slightly nauseating...

 

What is popular here, more so than hot milk tea, is a glass of warm milk with sugar 热牛奶加糖。I've seen local people enjoy it morning, noon, or night. 

 

Quote

The thought of cooked milk with a skin floating on top...urgh.

 

No skin on top if you turn off the heat just as it barely begins to simmer. 

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@Ruben von Zwack -- Glad to see you are back. Welcome! 欢迎回来！

[Ruben von Zwack]

Aww that is so kind from you, thank you! ❤️  I took my Mom to China recently(ish), and she absolutely loved it, and had tea and dried flowers tea day and night! I'll forward her your recipe, I think she will love it. (And so will I)

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That would be great. Thanks!

[beckymarch]

I like milk tea , but never do it myself. Your post makes my mouth water.

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Thank you @beckymarch -- Maybe this will inspire you to take the plunge. If you don't have loose leaf tea at home, it's OK to use a couple of teabags. For best results, select something strong, such as "English Breakfast."

[ChTTay]

Looks good but a little too milky for me. You could try a similar method used for milk tea (made with black tea). First you need quite a concentrated tea. You can achieve this just by adjusting levels of tea or water. If it’s just one or two cups you’re making, then add more tea. You should also steep it for a longer time. In the case of black tea, it would look more “black” by the time it’s done. On the mainland at least, they prefer it sweet so it really doesn’t matter if the tea goes a little bitter. Of course it’s still not desirable. 

 

Once you've got the hot concentrated tea, you would add evaporated milk. You’d find condensed milk added also as standard. Again, it depends where and if they’re trying to be healthy conscious. The pulled tea in Malaysia usually uses condensed milk to give its sweetness. 

 

If made from fresh, the tea in milk tea is usually just a cheap black tea like Lipton. They do favour a few local brands in HK I think but it’s still nothing gourmet like 红茶 you can buy from tea stores. You’re going to dunk milk and sugar in it so it doesn’t have to be the best. 

 

For the above, maybe next time try the above method. Make the tea concentrate first (without milk it’s likely to keep longer also). Then once it’s done, add the milk. You could even make “rose milk” then add that to the tea to taste. That way you can also vary how much is added. 

[abcdefg]

Thanks @ChTTay -- Good suggestions. 

 

Hong Kong 奶茶 is a whole different beast. As you say, it's real strong; crude but delicious. 

[ChTTay]

Yes, I do use the above method for most “milk tea” (regardless what the tea or milk is) and also for iced tea. 

 

The ability to adjust the milk would be useful for your recipe I think. 

 

I think Rose tea and products seem to be popular with Chinese ladies. Supposed to be good for the skin or something. 

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Makes sense. I'll try it!

 

I usually have an open can of sweetened condensed milk in the fridge for use in making strong Vietnamese "phin" method drip coffee. (Just returned from 胡志明 with a fresh supply. Robusta beans; dark roast.) 

[MerlinStevens]

Thanks for the recipe. I like it a lot. But what can be added into the tea besides honey and milk?

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On 6/17/2019 at 10:35 PM, MerlinStevens said:

Thanks for the recipe. I like it a lot. But what can be added into the tea besides honey and milk?

 

One could use sugar instead of honey. One could use light cream ("half and half") instead of milk. 

 

And don't forget the rose buds. In order to release a good dose of their flavor, the unopened roses need to be boiled for several minutes, (5 or 6 minutes.) They won't release much of their flavor much if you just pour boiling water through them.  

 

If you are in Kunming, it's easy to find these rose buds. Look in any supermarket, such as WalMart or Carrefour. Ask for “泡茶的玫瑰。" They come in several sizes. The larger ones look nicer, but the small ones have more aroma and flavor.