Sweet cup of love

Tea, though originating from Asian countries like China and India, has now become a common drink around the world. And milk, with its gentle and creamy taste, makes a drink milder and sweeter when mixed into tea.

Different places have their own special ways of making milk tea, such as Hong Kong style milk tea, Britain's Earl Grey and India's masala chai. Also depending on what type of tea you add your milk to will result in very different flavors.

Darjeeling, Ceylon tea, Assam, Earl Grey are the most commonly used teas when it comes to milk tea. Darjeeling has the lightest and most delicate flavor, with Ceylon being slightly stronger than Darjeeling. Assam is the strongest tasting tea of them all, while Earl Grey is a blend tea with distinctive citrus flavor.

It's always great to enjoy a hot cup of milk tea no matter if it's a sunny autumn afternoon or a chilly rainy day. A milk tea lover myself, I'd like to share some recipes here with you.

Mongolian milk tea

Milk tea is an indispensable beverage that is part of the daily lives of Mongolian herdsmen. However, different from most milk teas, which are sweet, Mongolian milk tea is a little salty.

Tea bricks are often used in making Mongolian milk tea. But there is no specific requirement when it comes to the type of brick you use. If you do not have any tea bricks on hand, don't worry, there's no need to purchase a large amount for the sake of a single cup, the very commonly used Assam tea bags can be used instead.

Ingredients:

Water 400ml

Milk 250ml

A 20g tea brick or 2 bags of Assam tea (about 20g)

A bit of butter

Salt (optional)

Steps:

1. Boil the water and then put the tea brick or tea bags into the water, heat for about 5 minutes.

2. Stir a little bit while heating, especially when using tea bricks.

3. At the same time, warm the milk but do not over heat it.

4. Remove the tea from heat and mix it with the milk.

5. Add butter and salt according to personal taste. Serve.

Earl Grey cocoa

Earl Grey tea is believed to be named after the 2nd Earl Grey, who was the British Prime Minister in the 1830s. There is also a legendary story that the tea was presented to the earl as a gift by a Chinese official for saving his son.

Apocryphal as the story may be, Earl Grey is one of the most commonly enjoyed teas in the UK, and for those who have a sweet tooth, Earl Grey cocoa can be a very good choice.

Ingredients

Water 400ml

Milk 250ml

2 bags of Earl Grey tea

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

Sugar (optional)

Steps:

1. Boil the water and place the tea bags and heat for about 1 minute. Put the tea into a teapot.

2. Warm the milk for a little bit.

3. Combine the tea and milk, add in cocoa power and stir.

4. Add sugar according to personal taste. Serve.