Hong Kong-style milk tea, also known as stockings milk tea, has been included in the list of Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage, and has gradually evolved from the English afternoon tea in the colonial era to the present, becoming the favorite milk tea of the general public in Hong Kong, and Vita Hong Kong-style milk tea is the most common Hong Kong-style milk tea in cartons on the market, produced by the Hong Kong Vitasoy Group, its authentic flavor and slightly bitter tea taste is stronger than ordinary milk tea, and has always been the best substitute for freshly made Hong Kong-style milk tea, and it is also the favorite Hong Kong-style tea brand of consumers.
Founded by Lo Kwee-cheung, the Vitasoy Group was born in 1940 at a time when Hong Kong was suffering from war and the people were undernourished. Initially, the Vitasoy Group aimed to develop high-protein soy milk that could replace cow's milk and sell it at a relatively affordable price, but later the company enriched its products and launched Hong Kong-style milk tea and Vita lemon tea according to the eating habits of Hong Kong people, and then became a well-known beverage brand in Hong Kong. At present, the company produces 1.3 billion units of products worldwide annually and exports to 40 overseas markets.
Focusing on the beverage market, Vitasoy Group can be broadly divided into soy milk and tea drinks, both of which are leaders in the Hong Kong market, with market research firm Euromonitor International estimating that the group is worth 9 billion yuan (US$1.3 billion). Ready-to-drink Vita milk tea, specifically the authentic Hong Kong-style milk tea, has long been integrated into the daily life of Hong Kong people, and in recent years, the influence of Hong Kong-style milk tea has radiated from the central and eastern markets in South China.
The influence of Hong Kong-style milk tea has spread from Hong Kong to the whole of China because in 1975, Vitasoy Group was the first to adopt aseptic packaging technology and ultra-high temperature (UHT) production of beverages in Hong Kong, which facilitated the distribution of boxed milk tea throughout the country without the need for cold chain transportation.
Although Vita Hong Kong-style milk tea has a single flavor and simple carton packaging, it is far less abundant than unified milk tea, but the signature tea astringency and milk alcohol are unmatched by other ready-to-drink milk teas. There is only one Hong Kong-style milk tea in the mainland market, and the gold design is more novel than the Hong Kong version, but the latter has a clear label of sugar content on the nutrition information sheet, with a content of 6.4 grams to 6.5 grams per 100 ml, so that consumers can have a clearer understanding of their nutritional intake.
From the perspective of formula, the Hong Kong version and the mainland version are basically the same, and the same milk powder, evaporated milk (evaporated milk), mixed with a small amount of non-dairy creamer to add milk flavor and improve the astringency taste of milk tea, and Ceylon tea and black tea to bring out the rich tea flavor. In addition, the Hong Kong version of Vita milk tea also has an extra strong tea flavor, does not contain creamer, and the tea content is slightly increased, which has a good refreshing effect, and is suitable for staying up late to drink overtime. The price of the 250ml carton is 4.5 yuan, and the purchase channel of the Hong Kong version is not as smooth as the mainland version.
