With DIY Hong Kong-style milk tea kits, Canadian pair share their love of a special drink

In Vancouver, Pep So and Stanley Tsui could not find good Hong Kong-style milk tea, so they devised a kit to make it at home. It’s taken off

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Published: 7:15am, 7 Oct 2024Updated: 9:57am, 7 Oct 2024

Pep So Shun-wah is very particular about his Hong Kong-style milk tea. He even learned how to make the steaming hot drink of black tea, evaporated milk and sugar in a cha chaan teng – a traditional Hong Kong cafe.

The 38-year-old, who moved to Vancouver two years ago, had been told by his friends on a prior visit that the milk tea in the city was not very good. He was determined to do something about it.

“I worked in Mon Kee Cafe in Wan Chai [in Hong Kong] for a week because I wanted to learn how to make milk tea. I can tell you it’s not systematic,” So says.

“The cha chaan teng master can’t teach you exactly how to make it, so it’s hard to replicate. It’s like cooking. It’s not like they don’t want to tell you, it’s from experience, so they can’t explain it,” he adds.

A cup of Kong Tea’s Hong Kong-style milk tea. Photo: Kong Tea

So, formerly an equity analyst in Hong Kong, also wondered why Taiwanese bubble tea is so popular around the world while Hong Kong-style milk tea is drunk mostly by Hongkongers.

“If you’re in Hong Kong you’re really lucky because you can easily get good milk tea, food and drinks. But it’s a pity that you can’t drink good milk tea outside of Hong Kong,” he says.