# Yuanyang (Coffee With Milk Tea) Source: https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/yuanyang/ Last updated: 2026-10-21 > Yuanyang, or yuenyeung, is a Hong Kong drink of coffee mixed with Hong Kong-style milk tea: strong black tea with evaporated or condensed milk and sugar. The usual mix is three parts coffee to seven parts milk tea, served hot or iced. It's named after mandarin ducks, a pair of two unlike birds. ## At a glance - Chapter: Milk coffees - Served: Hot - Origin: Hong Kong - Glass: Thick-walled diner mug, or a tall glass if iced - Also known as: yuenyeung, yuen yeung, yin yeung, coffee with milk tea, kopi cham ## Ingredients - 3 parts strong coffee or espresso - 7 parts Hong Kong-style milk tea (strong black tea with evaporated or condensed milk) - to taste sugar ## Steps 1. **Brew the tea strong**: Bring strong black tea and water to the boil, then simmer for about 3 minutes. 2. **Strain it**: Strain the tea through a fine strainer or a cotton tea bag. 3. **Add the milk**: Stir in evaporated milk and sugar, or condensed milk, to taste. 4. **Make the coffee**: Brew a strong cup of coffee or pull a shot of espresso. 5. **Combine**: Pour three parts coffee into seven parts milk tea, taste and adjust. Serve hot, or chilled over ice. **Yuanyang** (鴛鴦, *yuenyeung* in Cantonese) is Hong Kong's answer to "coffee or tea?": both, in one cup. It's coffee mixed with **Hong Kong-style milk tea**, the strong black tea made creamy with **evaporated or condensed milk**, usually in a ratio of about **three parts coffee to seven parts tea**. It began at Hong Kong's open-air food stalls and cafés, the *dai pai dong* and *cha chaan teng*, and it's served hot in a thick mug or iced in a tall glass. Here's how to make it and where the name comes from. ## The short version - **Coffee plus Hong Kong milk tea**, in one cup. - **About 3 parts coffee to 7 parts milk tea**; some prefer half and half. - **The milk is evaporated or condensed**, not fresh. - **Hot or iced.** - **Named after mandarin ducks**: a pair of two unlike things. ## What's in yuanyang? Two drinks. The coffee is simply strong brewed coffee or espresso; the character comes from the **milk tea**. Wikipedia says Hong Kong-style milk tea is made from **Ceylon black tea** and **evaporated milk** (or condensed milk), brewed stronger than British milk tea. Hong Kong's diners swapped fresh milk for evaporated milk because it was cheaper, easier to store and more concentrated, and Coffee Informer adds that it doesn't water the tea down. | | Yuanyang's milk tea | British milk tea | | --- | --- | --- | | Tea | A strong blend, usually built on Ceylon, traditionally strained through a cotton bag, the "silk stocking" | Lighter and more diluted | | Milk | Evaporated or condensed | Fresh | Sources: Wikipedia; Coffee Informer. ## How do you make yuanyang? Coffee Informer's method: 1. **Brew the tea strong.** Bring tea and water to the boil, then **simmer for about 3 minutes**. Any strong black tea works if you can't find a Hong Kong blend. 2. **Strain it** through a fine strainer or a cotton tea bag. 3. **Add the milk**: evaporated milk and sugar, or condensed milk, until it's as creamy and sweet as you like. 4. **Make the coffee**: a strong cup, or a shot of espresso. 5. **Combine**, starting at **three parts coffee to seven parts milk tea**, and taste. For iced yuanyang, Coffee Informer chills the milk tea in the fridge, then pours it over ice with a fresh espresso, so the ice doesn't dilute the drink. ## How much coffee goes in? Opinions differ a little: | Ratio, coffee to milk tea | Source | | --- | --- | | 3 : 7 | Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department, cited by Wikipedia | | 3 : 7 to start, though many prefer 1 : 1 | Coffee Informer | | Varies by vendor and region | Wikipedia | Coffee Informer says that in a good cup neither the coffee nor the tea takes over. ## Where does yuanyang come from? **Hong Kong**, from its dai pai dong street stalls and cha chaan teng cafés, Wikipedia says. Who first made it is unclear: - **Lan Fong Yuen**, a dai pai dong-style restaurant, claims its owner **Lum Muk-ho** invented both yuanyang and "silk-stocking" milk tea in **1952**. Wikipedia says its claim for the milk tea is generally supported, but its claim for yuanyang is **unverified**. - **Hong Kong-style milk tea** itself grew out of British colonial afternoon tea, adapted by local diners in the mid-20th century. The name **鴛鴦** means mandarin ducks, a Chinese symbol of conjugal love: the birds usually appear in pairs, and the male and female look very different. The drink borrows that idea of a pair of unlike things. In **2010**, Starbucks stores in Hong Kong and Macau even sold a Yuen Yeung Frappuccino. ## Yuanyang outside Hong Kong In **Malaysia and Singapore** it's called **kopi cham**, from the Malay for coffee and the Hokkien for "mix", Wikipedia says. There's also a caffeine-free **children's yuenyeung**, made with Horlicks and Ovaltine. ## Yuanyang vs other milk coffees - **[Kopi tarik](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/kopi-tarik/):** Malaysia's coffee with condensed milk, pulled until frothy. - **[Café au lait](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/cafe-au-lait/):** French coffee with hot milk. - **[Red eye](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/red-eye/):** filter coffee with a shot of espresso, coffee doubled rather than mixed with tea. - **[Caffè latte](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/caffe-latte/):** espresso with steamed milk. Explore every drink in the [milk coffees chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/drinks/milk-coffees/). ## FAQs ### What does yuanyang mean? Mandarin ducks. Wikipedia explains that the birds, a symbol of conjugal love, usually appear in pairs and the male and female look very different, so the name suits a pair of two unlike drinks. ### What is the ratio of coffee to tea in yuanyang? Three parts coffee to seven parts Hong Kong-style milk tea, according to the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department, as cited by Wikipedia. Coffee Informer says many people prefer half and half. ### Who invented yuanyang? Nobody knows for sure. Lan Fong Yuen, a dai pai dong-style restaurant, claims its owner Lum Muk-ho invented it in 1952, Wikipedia says, but that claim is unverified. ### Is yuanyang served hot or cold? Both. Wikipedia and Coffee Informer say it's served hot or iced; Coffee Informer suggests chilling the milk tea first, so the ice doesn't water it down. ### Is there a yuanyang without caffeine? Yes. Wikipedia describes a children's yuenyeung, made with Horlicks and Ovaltine, the malted milk drinks common in Hong Kong cafés. ## Sources - [Yuenyeung](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuenyeung) - [Hong Kong-style milk tea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong%E2%80%93style_milk_tea) - [Yuen yeung: Hong Kong coffee milk tea and how to make it](https://coffeeinformer.com/yuen-yeung/) - [Kopi (drink)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_(drink))