Tea culture: bubble tea, Chinese tea & tea houses

Tea runs through Hong Kong food culture at several distinct levels — the milk tea already covered on our cafés page, traditional Chinese tea, and the bubble tea trend now found on nearly every commercial street.

Chinese tea houses

Beyond dim sum's accompanying pot of tea, dedicated Chinese tea houses treat tea more deliberately — pu-erh, oolong and other varieties served with attention to brewing temperature and steeping time, closer to a tasting than a quick drink. A smaller, more contemplative counterpoint to the city's fast-paced cha chaan teng culture.

Bubble tea

Though the trend originated in nearby Taiwan rather than Hong Kong itself, bubble tea (milk tea or fruit tea with chewy tapioca pearls) has become hugely popular locally, with both international chains and local operators found on almost every commercial street.

Herbal tea shops (leung cha)

A distinctly Hong Kong and southern Chinese institution: small shops selling bitter medicinal herbal teas believed to cool the body and address minor ailments, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. Worth trying at least once, with the understanding that the bitterness is the point, not a flaw.