Authentic Hong Kong Lemon Tea

This authentic Hong Kong Lemon Tea is easy to make and requires only three ingredients. It's sweet, crisp, and refreshing - perfect for a hot summer's day.

Try my Hong Kong French Toast next for another Hong Kong-style cafe classic. Or, if you like Asian drinks, check out my Taiwanese Milk Tea and Durian Milkshake next!

There's nothing better than sipping on a tall glass of lemon tea amidst the hustle and bustle of a busy Hong Kong cafe. Hong Kong-style lemon tea can be served hot or cold, sweetened or unsweetened. It all depends on your preference.

For this recipe, I'll show you how to make a chilled version with the perfect amount of sweetness to balance the tanginess of the lemons. So sit back and relax as I spill all the secrets of making the most flavorful and refreshing Hong Kong-style iced lemon tea at home.

This lemon tea is going to spoil you forever.

Jump to:

• 🍹 What Is Hong Kong Lemon Tea?
• ☕ What Tea Should I Use?
• 🧂 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💭 Top Tips
• 👨🏻‍🍳 Variations
• 🥡 Storage & Leftovers
• 📖 Recipe FAQs
• 🍽 Looking for more recipes?
• 📋 Recipe

🍹 What Is Hong Kong Lemon Tea?

Hong Kong lemon tea is a popular beverage served in cha chaan tengs, or Hong Kong-style cafes. The drink dates back to the 1950s, during Hong Kong's British colonial era. Lemon tea was already popular in Western countries, and local cafes and restaurants began serving it to cater to the tastes of British residents of Hong Kong. The drink became a staple in Hong Kong's food culture over time and can now be found in nearly every cha chaan teng in the city.

If you've never had lemon tea from a Hong Kong-style cafe, it tastes pretty similar to Vita Lemon Tea, a popular brand of lemon tea made by Vita, a Hong Kong-based beverage company. However, when compared to the bottled version, the freshly brewed version has a fresher flavor and less sweetness.

Hong Kong-style lemon tea has only three ingredients: tea, lemons, and sugar. It can be served hot or cold, but most people prefer it cold, especially during Asia's hot and humid summer months.

☕ What Tea Should I Use?

The answer is Ceylon tea - it's what Chinese restaurants use. Ceylon tea has a strong, robust flavor and isn't as bitter as regular green or black teas.

I've experimented with many different teas recommended by other online recipes, but the flavor just isn't as good (I'm looking at you, Lipton Yellow label, and Orange Pekoe).

Ceylon tea is the best choice for making lemon tea. It's also my choice for making milk tea - I use it in my matcha milk tea tiramisu!

🧂 Ingredients

There are only three ingredients to make the perfect Hong Kong-style lemon tea!

• Ceylon tea - is a popular type of black tea from the Sri Lankan region. It has a robust and bold flavor with medium to full tannins (tannins are responsible for bitterness). It's known for its light citrus, spice, and floral notes. For this recipe, you can use either tea bags or leaves.
• Lemons - use fresh lemon juice. Choose lemons that are bright yellow with no wrinkling. The best lemons are moderately firm and give slightly when applying gentle pressure. They should have a pleasant lemony fragrance.
• Sweetener - white sugar or honey is the best. Use white sugar for the most authentic flavor; Hong Kong cafes can't afford to use honey in all their cheap drinks.

🔪 Instructions

Step 1. Prepare simple syrup

Sugar doesn't dissolve easily at cold temperatures, so we need to make a simple syrup. If you're using honey, you can skip this step.

Add ½ cup of water and ½ cup of sugar to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a small glass jar or storage container. Simple syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Step 2. Brew tea

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine Ceylon tea leaves (or bags) and water. Bring to a simmer (about 180°F), then remove from the heat and allow the mixture to steep for 5 minutes. Ensure you don't over-steep; otherwise, the tea will be cloudy and bitter.

Remove tea bags from the pot and allow the tea to cool to room temperature.

💭 Tip
You can put the tea in your refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes to speed things up. Or, if you really want to speed things up, place the saucepan in a sink of cold water. It'll cool down really fast.

Step 3. Assemble

In a tall glass, add a handful of ice cubes, three lemon slices, 1 cup of tea, and 3 tablespoons of simple syrup. Stir to combine and repeat for the remaining glasses. Enjoy!

💭 Top Tips

• Ensure the tea is chilled to room temperature; otherwise, it'll melt the ice cubes immediately, diluting the flavor.
• Use filtered water for the best flavor. I live in Vancouver, which has some of the world's best tap water, so I just use tap water.
• Use fresh lemon juice! Non-perishable or fake lemon juice doesn't come close to the real thing.
• Don't steep the tea for too long! Over-brewing can result in a bitter taste and cloudiness. I'd recommend setting a timer to strain the tea at the perfect time.
• Cooking for a crowd? This Hong Kong lemon tea recipe is easy to scale up. Use the scaling buttons in the recipe card to change the proportions.

👨🏻‍🍳 Variations

• Cold brew method - Instead of simmering the tea, you can cold brew it to get a clearer, smoother-tasting tea. Add ¼ cup of tea leaves (or ten tea bags) to 1 liter of room temperature water, and let it sit at room temperature for 8 hours. You can use it immediately or refrigerate it for later.
• Strawberry - To make strawberry-flavored lemon tea, add ¾ cup of sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen is fine) to the simple syrup and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Mash the strawberries, then strain the syrup into a container.
• Iced tea cubes - Instead of using regular ice cubes, which dilute the flavor of the tea when melted, you can make tea-flavored ice cubes! Simply brew some tea, allow it to cool, and then pour it into an ice cube tray for freezing.
• Hot - Pour freshly brewed tea into a mug or cup and omit the ice cubes.

🥡 Storage & Leftovers

Storing tea: Store Hong Kong lemon tea in an air-tight container or pitcher covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. An air-tight container is best so the tea doesn't absorb other flavors from the fridge.

Storing simple syrup: Plain simple syrup can be stored for up to one month, but if you’ve infused it with any fruit or herbs, then it'll only last up to one week.

📖 Recipe FAQs

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