You will see it as Yuen Yeung, yuan yang, yinyong, or yin yeung. Don’t get yourself worked up. It’s the same thing. And it refers to a mixture of coffee and milk tea.

Sometimes you want coffee, and sometimes you want tea. Sometimes, you may not know whether you want coffee or tea. Both are unique in their taste and flavors, but you’ve always known that you can’t have both simultaneously. Not anymore.

Originally from Hong Kong, Yuenyeung is a masterful combination of coffee and tea, offering you the best of both worlds. It has become so popular that it is now served worldwide, even at popular coffee shops. However, it is very popular in Asia.

Although the ratio of the combination varies from place to place, the most common ratio is three parts of coffee to seven parts of milk tea. However, this drink, rather than creating a combination of the taste of the two drinks, produces an exciting hybrid and an entirely new flavor that has become a regular feature on many breakfast tables.

We’ll look at how to prepare this drink, the coffee, and tea type, and how best to serve yuen Yeung.

What is Yuen Yeung?

History of Yuen Yeung

Hong Kong was part of the British empire until 1997. That’s where they derived their milk tea culture. The milk tea culture of Hong Kong is so strong, and the yuen yeung was a variation of the drink. The significant difference between this milk tea and other types of tea is that it is made with condensed milk.

However, coffee has always been popular in Asia. If you’ve looked for the perfect opportunity to use the term the best of both worlds, now you have it. The combination of milk tea and coffee in specific ratios is what is known as Yuenyeung.

You’re right. The name suggests the drink originates from somewhere in Asia. The drink can be traced to Hong Kong. However, Yuenyeung doesn’t mean tea. In reality, the name refers to ducks. So, what have ducks got to do with it? Here’s the story. This species of mandarin ducks are believed to stick to one partner for the entirety of their lives.

The beautiful story of love these ducks teach is something that Asians cherish. The yuen yeung, therefore, connotes a couple, a marriage, or a unique combination of two partners that produce something special. The only reason why Asians refer to this drink with such a lovely theme is that it is believed to produce something great.

Yuen Yeung originated in Asia, Hong Kong to be specific, sometimes in the early 50s by a Hong Kong dai pai dong-style restaurant called Lan Fong Yuen. It is unknown whether the combination and subsequent discovery of this drink were deliberate or accidental. Still, the drink grew in popularity and soon spread around the country and then the world.

Around 2010, the drink became mainstream in major coffee shops with variations. Initially, it was sold at street food stands in Hong Kong, but it is now available in cafes. Yuen Yeung Frappuccino debuted in Starbucks locations in Hong Kong and Macau, and many more people are now enjoying this unique drink.

The ingredients of yuen yeung are brewed coffee and Hong Kong-style milk tea. Hong Kong’s milk tea combines black tea, condensed (or evaporated) milk, and sugar. We’ll talk about the type of coffee to use in a moment.

But we should emphasize that milk tea produced in Hong Kong differs from milk tea in most other parts of the world. You’ll likely have a different result if you combine American tea with coffee. That’s because Hong Kong-style milk tea is creamier and is made from black tea.

However, the drink is very easy to make at home since the ingredients are straightforward: coffee, tea, milk, and sugar. We’ll explain how to prepare it later. But, let’s take a closer look at the ingredients. What kind of coffee or tea should be used in this drink?

What kind of coffee should you use?

How to prepare Yuen Yeung

There are reasons to suspect that Hong Kong-style milk tea, rather than coffee, is the primary factor in producing Yuen yeung. This is because there is always no specific reference to the kind of coffee used. What is only specified is the ratio of coffee to tea, which is three to seven.

However, we have suggestions on the kind of coffee we believe will work best. A dark roast coffee, preferably espresso, Italian or French, will do a good job. Bolivian drip coffee is also known to produce a satisfactory result.

However, the coffee you use is down to your choice. Remember, a well-prepared Yuenyeung cup won’t reflect coffee or milk tea in the final taste. You’ll taste something new.

To ensure you get it right, getting the milk tea right is essential. Let’s look at how to do that.

What kind of tea should you use?

Cups of milk tea and ice cubes

Hong Kong milk tea. That’s the only tea to use.

To achieve the smooth taste of the drink, you shouldn’t just use any kind of tea. Making standard Yuenyeung begins with making authentic milk tea. It always starts with a very concentrated tea diluted with condensed milk.

Getting the exact tea used in Hong Kong may be difficult, but you can use any standard tea bag like Lipton. However, the authentic tea used is black tea, made by heating loose-leaf black tea in water.

The standard tea leaves used are Ceylon and Pu Lei tea leaves. The idea is to use black tea as the base. Not all kinds of tea form a perfect blend with condensed tea.

If you’re using a tea bag, diffuse it in hot water, but if you’re using tea leaves, boil it in water or use a bag to boil it in water. Before adding your milk, you should strain out the tea leaves if you didn’t bag them before boiling.

Once you’ve achieved an excellent concentration, remove your pot from the fire and cool it down for about three minutes before adding the milk. The best type of milk to use is condensed milk, but you can also use evaporated milk.

How to prepare yuen Yeung

So, we’ve highlighted the kind of tea to use and the kind of coffee to use. Preparing Yuenyeung is simply down to mixing the two drinks. Let’s assume you want to use an espresso shot; you should prepare your milk tea as described above. You then combine the two to produce your Yuenyeung.

The recommended mixing ratio is three to seven. For every three parts of coffee, you need seven parts of milk tea. You should beware, though, of the volume because that changes everything.

Neither the coffee nor the milk tea will overwhelm the other in taste if you get it right. The black tea blends perfectly with the condensed milk, and the coffee goes perfectly well with the combination to produce a delicious deep brown drink that can be served hot or chilled.

How to serve yuen Yeung

Yuen Yeung Breakfast

Yuenyeung is served in traditional thick coffee mugs and is enjoyed as a breakfast beverage, although it can be taken anytime.

Because the drink is enjoyed in sips, the thick mugs help preserve the beverage’s heat. The drink can be enjoyed with snacks, but it goes well with any meal.

To enjoy the chilled drink, it is best to first refrigerate the milk tea before adding shots of espresso. If you add ice to the drink, it ends up diluting the mixture.

Conclusion

If you enjoy coffee and tea, you’ll love Yuenyeung, a beverage made by mixing the two. It also has good caffeine content, which will give you the required boost for the day.

Preparing your beverage is easy, as you can use any coffee of your choice. The most crucial step is preparing your Hong Kong-styled milk tea.

The ratio for the mixture is three to seven, but both drinks combine perfectly to form a drink enjoyed all over the world.

Reference articles

Last Updated on July 20, 2022 by Ashok Parmar

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My name is Ashok Parmar, and for seven years, I worked as a warehouse manager that strictly dealt with coffee shops all around the United States.

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