I want to share a recent discovery of mine: a recipe for a decadent, rich, and aromatic cup of Yin Yeung that glides smoothly down your throat. It contains notes of cocoa from the coffee blend used and mellow fragrance of Thai tea. It is relatively easy to brew and a great way to start the morning.

Introduction

What is Yin Yeung

Yin Yeung (鴛鴦) is a drink that combines tea and coffee served together with milk and sugar that originated in Hong Kong.¹ Do note that my recipe does not follow the traditional method, but it is the same drink in spirit. It can be ordered in any HK-style cafe (Cha Chaan Teng) or open air restaurants (Dai pai dong)

Story Behind This Recipe

Feel free to skip ahead if you don’t care

I never really liked coffee. Drinking it was reserved for days when I hadn’t slept enough, or when I felt particularly motivated to be productive. Whenever I wanted a caffeine fix, I would go to the office coffee machine or make instant coffee at home. Otherwise, I would usually brew my own milk tea at home using a Moka Pot.

However, last winter, my cousin gifted me and my sister a Nespresso machine. The novelty of the machine (and my mounting caffeine addiction) led me on a dive into the world of coffee. During my exploration, I learned that Nespresso coffees are typically regarded as “bad” coffee. Curious to know what “good” coffee is like, I went to look for some coffee in the local supermarket. There I was greeted with a wide variety of different coffees, from dark roast to light roast, South American to African origins, and many different blends that I have yet to learn to appreciate. What caught my eye was the ground coffee marketed specifically for Moka Pots because I already had one at home, and I thought it would be an easy way to try out different coffees. Needless to say, I picked one and bought it, then went home to try brewing it the next morning.

I carefully brewed it in my little Moka Pot and tried having the coffee by itself. I was immediately struck by the difference in taste. This coffee had much more depth and intensity, as well as hints of chocolate without being bitter. It was delicious. I then experimented with different combinations of sugar, condensed milk, whole milk, and evaporated milk. All turned out good in their own ways. Finally, I tried combining it with Thai milk tea… I took a couple sips and my mind was blown. Thus, this recipe was born.

What You’ll Need

Equipment:

1. Moka Pot - I use a 3-person Moka Pot (150 mL)
2. Stove

Ingredients:

1. Bialetti Perfetto Moka Cioccolato Coffee Grounds
2. Thai Cha Tra Mue Tea Leave Blend
3. Condensed Milk
4. Evaporated Milk
5. Water

Notes

Condensed milk can be replaced with plain ol’ sugar, evaporated milk can be replaced with normal whole milk. But I strongly recommend using evaporated milk for maximum creamy richness.

Steps

Brief high level overview of the steps:

1. Brew the coffee and tea separately using the Moka Pot.
2. Combine the coffee and tea together.
3. Add condensed milk and evaporated milk to taste.
4. Can be served hot, chilled, or over ice.

Detailed Steps:

Assuming you already know how to use a Moka Pot. Otherwise, I highly suggest this YouTube video by James Hoffmann that goes in-depth on Moka Pot techniques.

1. Begin by brewing the Thai tea in your Moka Pot - Fill funnel basket 2/3 of the way with tea leaves to allow it to expand.
2. While the tea is brewing, add two teaspoons of condensed milk to your mug. You can adjust quantity depending on how sweet you like your drink.
3. Once the tea is complete, pour it into your mug to dissolve the condensed milk.
4. Next, brewing the coffee. Empty the spent tea leaves from the funnel basket, then completely fill it with the coffee grounds. Gently tap to even it out, no need to press the grounds in. Brew.
5. Once done, pour it over to your mug and give it a gentle stir to completely dissolve the condensed milk.
6. Finally, add in roughly 100mL evaporated milk. I usually just eyeball this to be honest. Mainly looking out for the color to not turn out too milky.

Cost Breakdown

Total upfront cost of ingredients: HK$87, will report back cost per serving when I calculate it at some point.

Per cup

So the cost per cup comes down to roughly HK$5 ($4.77). I also like to cheat the recipe a bit by brewing the coffee and tea together in one go which saves me from having to reset the Moka Pot. Doing so saves me 10 mins and brings the cost down to around HK$3 per serving, at the price of having a smaller yield.