Kitchen Recipe Collection
Hong Kong Iced Lemon Tea
Distinctly different from Southern sweet tea. This cha chaan teng staple uses an aggressively strong, dark, bitter black tea base, heavily sweetened, and demands you violently smash the fresh lemon slices yourself.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Total
- 15 min
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 2 servings
- 3 tbsp strong loose-leaf black tea (Lipton Yellow Label or Ceylon)
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water)
- 1 whole fresh lemon, scrubbed clean
- Lots of ice
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Tall glasses
- Long spoons for smashing
Instructions
- 1
Brew Strong Tea
Bring the 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the tea leaves. Boil vigorously for 3-5 minutes to extract maximum tannins.
- 2
Strain and Sweeten
Strain the dark, bitter tea. While it is still hot, stir in the simple syrup. It should be slightly sweeter than you want, as ice and lemon will dilute it.
- 3
Chill
Let the tea cool to room temperature, or chill it in the fridge.
- 4
Slice Lemon
Cut the ends off the lemon. Slice the rest of the lemon into thick rounds (about 1/4 inch thick). Remove any seeds.
- 5
Prepare Glasses
Fill tall glasses completely to the brim with ice cubes.
- 6
Add Lemon
Slide 3 to 4 thick lemon slices down the sides of each glass.
- 7
Pour Tea
Pour the cold, sweetened black tea over the ice and lemon.
- 8
Serve and Smash
Serve immediately with a long spoon. The drinker MUST use the spoon to aggressively jab and smash the lemon slices against the ice to release the fresh juice and peel oils.
Cooking Tips
- Do not muddle the lemons before serving! The interactive 'smashing' of the lemons at the table is the defining characteristic of this drink.
- The tea must be brewed uncomfortably strong and bitter to balance the massive amount of sugar and lemon juice.
Variations
- Hot Lemon Tea: Serve the freshly brewed hot tea with lemon slices, but smash them gently to avoid extracting too much bitter pith from the hot peel.
Nutrition Estimate
100 calories · 0g protein · 25g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber per serving
