In recent years, Taiwanese Boba milk tea has stormed the world with massive popularity spikes in a variety of communities. It has become a life essential for many, especially among the young generation. However, many don't know that there is another type of milk tea with long history and rich traditions that is very similar yet distictive in many ways to Boba milk tea. Hong Kong-style milk tea is not just a delicious drink to enjoy every day, but also a cultural icon and even an Intagible Cultrual Heritage ackowledged by the Hong Kong government.

Chinese people in general has a history of drinking tea since ancient times, but the making of milk tea came from the British after Hong Kong became their colony. Hong Kong-style milk tea is also called the silk stocking milk tea because the white filtering cloth web would become brown after the filtration that it looks like silk stocking. Instead of the many famous types of Chinese traditional tea, the Cylon tea brought by the British, together with sugar and cream or milk is used to make milk tea. Initially the materials were often expensive and the milk tea was only enjoyed by those at high social classes at fancy restaurants.

After the Second World War, especially in the 1950s, Hong Kong's population saw a rapid increase. It as also a period when food stalls boomed to serve the local population. People started to make large tea bags full of cheaper black tea to filter the residue to make the tea thick, which was a much more popular taste welcomed by the local people. Condensed milk or evaporated milk was used to make the drink to give it a richer flavour. The sweetness and calories also helped the massive working labours and soon became popular.

It is estimated that 2.5 million cups of milk tea is consumed by the Hong Kong people every day. Now Hong Kong-style milk tea can be found across the world, and it remains a life essential for those far away from their beloved hometown.