每天3:15,这是连裤袜的茶时间。
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Hong Kong Pantyhose Tea
Credit: © ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images

仅凭这个名字,很明显,连裤袜茶不仅仅是另一种牛奶茶。这要归功于其非常独特的准备方法,该方法涉及通过连裤袜般的网(因此名称)来拉紧茶叶。一个世纪前,饮料甚至都不存在。现在,在香港,您会在每家便利店找到连裤袜网,急切的顾客在每家面包店和teashop上排队等候他们的每日下午接我。

历史

连裤袜茶也被称为香港奶茶,在该国是相对较新的现象。它的起源故事反映了印度柴的故事。英国人从20世纪中叶到后期统治了香港,在此期间,他们引入了下午茶文化。经典的英国版本是红茶,牛奶和糖。但是在香港,新鲜牛奶并不容易获得 - 牛奶不是中国美食的重要组成部分,而母牛也不像西方那样普遍。因此,在殖民化期间,将浓缩或蒸发的牛奶换成,诞生了甜,奶油的连裤袜茶。

How to Make It

According to Sarah Scarborough, founder of Firepot Nomadic Teas in Nashville, Pantyhose Tea is an everyday, universal type of tea, so the base variety used is usually a Ceylon from a brand like Fanning's, which is widespread and affordable. Ceylon is the best base for Pantyhose Tea, she says, because "it's known for being robust and full in body, but also flavorful and aromatic," essentially strong enough to stand up to the rich flavor of the condensed milk (evaporated is also used, but condensed is more traditional).

The preparation process — as you may have guessed — is centered around the filter, which is not actually pantyhose, but more of a long, polyester sock set on a metal ring with a handle. To make the tea, dried tea leaves are placed in the net, and then the net is then placed in a large percolator. The water is boiled with the net of tea sitting inside, and the tea constantly being agitated to ensure it steeps properly. To serve the tea, glasses — not mugs or teacups — are filled partway with condensed milk and sugar, the pantyhose is pulled out of the percolator, and hot tea is poured into each glass. "Because you are putting the tea on top of the milk and sugar, it dissolves more easily," explains Roy Fong, founder of Imperial Tea Court in San Francisco. "You don't necessarily have to stir it."

Scarborough says the end result is a strong, smooth, velvety tea that tastes like "a creamier version of black tea." One of the tea's signature characteristics, she adds, is "the white foamy layer on top from the fat in the milk, and that is desirable. You'll never find fat-free Pantyhose Tea — you want a certain amount of that fat content to create the thick, strong tea."

连裤袜茶的标准配对是经典的香港糕点,即蛋t,这是一种易碎的奶油蛋卷,很可能也是英国人的影响力。方说,人们将在下午长时间等待,以获取连裤袜茶和伴随蛋art。

In Hong Kong Culture

Pantyhose Tea is a very democratic beverage — regardless of class, age, or background, it's something that most everyone in Hong Kong consumes as part of their midday ritual. Scarborough notes that in a place like Hong Kong, where class divisions are quite sharp, the tea holds a very special place in the culture. "It's not like an exquisite tea that only emperors can afford," she says. "It's the everyman's break." In fact, former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten became very popular when he, like every other worker in the country, would regularly get in line with the rest of the citizenry for his tea and custard tart.

方说,香港有一句话,就像“在3:15,现在是牛奶茶的时候”,因为那是每个人都站在排队等待牛奶茶和蛋t的标准时间。他补充说,有些面包店甚至会在3:15准备好烤箱准备就绪,确保蛋art蛋的新鲜。

"Hong Kong is a fast-paced society," Scarborough says. "Pantyhose Tea offers a chance to take a break, relax, and have a conversation with somebody. And most importantly, it's available to everybody."