Dairy isn’t part of the traditional Hong Kong diet, yet most Hongkongers would consider local-style milk tea a staple, and even a symbol of the Hong Kong identity. A much stronger brew than the British original, nai cha, as Hong Kong-style milk tea is known, is made of Ceylon tea and unsweetened evaporated milk, which became widely available after the Second World War. 

These days, it’s found everywhere from fast food restaurants to cha chaan tengs (diners serving localized Western food). Despite being the default caffeine hit of the city’s denizens, surprisingly few places have made the drink their focus. 

My Cup of Tea isn’t devoid of food (there’s a small menu of cha chaan teng classics like fluffy white bread omelet sandwiches), but it’s first and foremost a tea bar, insisting on making their own blend of tea, and putting the brewing station front and center of the diminutive shop. They even host milk tea-making workshops, believing that the beverage isn’t just sustenance, but an important part of the city’s culture and history.