(Xue Meining is awarded the queen of Hong Kong-style milk tea on August，2017)

A Shanghainese girl named Xue Meining apparently knows the secret to making a great cup of Hong Kong-style milk tea, as she won the championship at the 2017 International Kam Cha Competition in Hong Kong on Aug. 19, beating six other contestants from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Melbourne.

Hong Kong-style milk tea, also called “Kam Cha,” is a tangy, deep-tan drink made from different blends of black tea, which are strained repeatedly for strength, and then mixed with milk for thickness and creaminess. The high sugar content makes the tea flavor much stronger than your normal cup of tea.

Points were given for aroma, color (reddish-orange is ideal), temperature, body, smoothness, tea flavor, milk taste, balance, and aftertaste. According to vice chairman of the Association of Coffee and Tea of Hong Kong, the winning milk tea should be “bold, strong, and aromatic with full body.”

Xue used to be a waitress at a tea-diner that serves “Kam Cha” with local favorite dishes, such as fried egg sandwiches, buttery French toast, and noodle soups. She was surprised at the result, as she has only learned the brewing methods for 21 months, while previous winners were Hong Kong locals with decades of experience in making milk tea. “I have a lot to learn from them,” she said.

While some cities are fueled by coffee, it is “Kam Cha” that keeps Hong Kong running. Data shows that the city gulps down around 2.5 million cups of milk tea a day. As a local product with global influence, “Kam Cha” was listed as an “intangible cultural heritage” of Hong Kong.