iDrink Ming Heung Tea

Traditional tea house

For over 50 years, Ming Heung has been roasting tea leaves with passion and hard work. Michael Chan, the 3rd generation owner of Ming Heung, reveals the secret to their success in the tea business. "We insist on using traditional methods: we roast our tea with charcoal. It takes a lot of time but is the only way to balance the 'coolness' and bring out the flavours," he says with pride.

Our cup of tea

This is the go-to place to savour a classic cuppa. At Ming Heung's tearoom next door, you can choose your favourite tea leaves, and Mr Chan is happy to serve you a pot of freshly brewed tea to your liking. We especially like the charcoal-roasted tieguanyin (炭培鐵觀音), which is said to relax and refresh your mind. Take a sip and let the smooth and creamy texture stay on your tongue.

Tea is the key

There's a traditional saying that tea (茶), together with firewood (柴), rice (米), oil (油), salt (鹽), sauce (醬) and vinegar (醋), are the 'seven necessities' (開門七件事) to a man's daily life. Chinese people have great respect and demand for tea. Old neighbourhoods like Kowloon City are where you can find old-fashioned hand-roasted tea businesses.