Yuanyang (Yuenyeung): Hong Kong Coffee Milk Tea Recipe

Yuanyang Recipe

Makes one hot serving, approximately 300 ml (10.1 US fl oz). Allow 10 minutes with the coffee already brewed. The 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz) water prepares the tea; only 150 ml (5.1 US fl oz) of the strained tea goes into the drink.

Hot Yuanyang with Evaporated Milk

Prepare the coffee portion with the drip-coffee method, then measure 100 ml (3.4 US fl oz) of the finished brew.

Twinings' black-tea guidance uses freshly boiled water and a three-to-five-minute steep. Our home method uses 4 g tea and a five-minute steep. Use a strainer fine enough to keep loose leaves out of the finished cup.

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What Is the Yuanyang Coffee-to-Tea Ratio?

Coffee to milk tea is different from coffee to plain tea. In this recipe, 100 ml (3.4 US fl oz) coffee meets 200 ml (6.8 US fl oz) unsweetened milk tea: 150 ml (5.1 US fl oz) tea plus 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) evaporated milk. That is 1:2 coffee to milk tea, before allowing for dissolved sugar. The coffee-to-plain-tea ratio is 100:150, or 2:3.

To adjust the balance without changing the milk or sugar, keep the combined brewed liquids at 250 ml (8.5 US fl oz):

Keep the 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar unchanged for the first comparison. These are our ingredient comparisons. Equal parts coffee and plain tea do not automatically make a creamier drink: the milk portion here stays the same.

What Does Yuanyang Taste Like?

I brew the black tea strongly enough that its tannic edge is still noticeable beside the coffee. Milk softens both, but I like being able to pick out tea as well as roast flavor; otherwise yuanyang starts tasting like an ordinary milk coffee.

Evaporated milk adds body and a cooked-milk note; sugar softens perceived bitterness. The particular coffee, tea blend and steeping determine the result.

Evaporated Milk or Condensed Milk?

This recipe uses unsweetened evaporated milk. Sweetened condensed milk changes two things at once: milk concentration and sweetness. It is not a like-for-like 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) substitute followed by the same 8 g (2 US tsp) sugar.

If you prefer condensed milk, omit the separate sugar initially and add the milk gradually to taste. Ordinary milk or a plant drink can make a useful home variation, but changes body, flavor and allergens. Kopi C provides another evaporated-milk coffee comparison; kopi susu explores a condensed-milk preparation.

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Iced Yuanyang

Make the hot mixture first so the sugar dissolves fully. Cool it, then refrigerate until cold before pouring it over 100 g (3.5 oz) ice in a glass of at least 450 ml (15.2 US fl oz) capacity. Allow chilling time in addition to the hot recipe’s 10 minutes, and leave room for ice below the rim.

Ice adds water as it melts, not caffeine, calories or sugar. It lowers concentration while the total nutrients and caffeine from the original mixture remain in the glass if you drink it all. Pouring the hot mixture straight over ice gives faster, less predictable dilution.

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Yuanyang Caffeine, Calories and Sugar

Both Brews Contribute Caffeine

The caffeine in this recipe is not measured. As a comparison only, Mayo Clinic's ordinary brewed-drink references give 96 mg per 237 ml coffee and 48 mg per 237 ml black tea. Applying those reference concentrations to 100 ml (3.4 US fl oz) coffee and 150 ml (5.1 US fl oz) tea gives about 41 mg from coffee plus 30 mg from tea: approximately 70 mg when rounded to the nearest 10 mg.

The 70 mg comparison uses ordinary brewed-coffee and black-tea reference concentrations. Hong Kong’s 2013 Centre for Food Safety survey found 73–220 mg in 30 local milk-tea servings of varying sizes. Those were milk teas, not yuanyang; the finding explains why concentrated tea cannot be assigned a generic caffeine value.

For a purchased drink, ask about its size and preparation or use the maker's published information. Replacing only the coffee with decaf leaves the tea's caffeine. Using both decaf coffee and decaf black tea can reduce it further, without establishing zero caffeine.

What the Calorie and Sugar Estimates Include

The hot serving is estimated at 100 kcal and 13 g total sugar, using 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) evaporated milk and 8 g added sugar.

The following is our label-based arithmetic for the same milk and brewed-liquid portions, changing only the separately added sugar:

No added granulated sugar does not mean sugar-free: the milk still contributes sugar. Check your own carton, because evaporated-milk products and regional labels differ. These estimates exclude condensed milk, syrups and additional toppings.

Fixing Yuanyang Balance and Texture

History and Culture

Yuanyang is part of Hong Kong's café culture, commonly encountered alongside its milk tea. The Hong Kong Tourism Board's Lan Fong Yuen guide identifies yuenyeung as coffee mixed with tea and describes the café's cloth-strained milk tea.

The spelling varies in English: yuanyang and yuenyeung refer to the drink discussed here. Ask whether the café serves it hot or iced and how it handles sweetness.

Common Questions

Editor's Take

Sources and Further Reading