Toronto man wins Milk Tea King title
Doughnut shop owner prevails in Hong Kong
Toronto resident Harvey Lin turned the Chinese gastronomic world upside down, stealing the coveted title of Milk Tea King at the annual International Milk Tea Competition held in Hong Kong.
“It’s kind of like being told that the best Italian pizza comes from Scarborough,” said a jubilant Aaron Liu, sipping milk tea Tuesday at the crowded Marathon Donuts & Coffee Shop on Midland Ave. north of Finch Ave. E. in Scarborough.
Lin, 31, co-owner of Marathon, has been brewing milk tea for only five years, making him a novice.
“This is the biggest competition, so we’re really happy,” said Lin’s wife, Tracy Chiu, 28, who was busy fielding congratulations and pouring tea in the standing-room only shop.
Lin won the contest on Saturday, but his pregnant wife had to wait till 4 a.m. Sunday morning (4 p.m. Hong Kong time) to hear the news.
“It’s really great that Canadians can take the title because it makes the world realize that our standards are very high. We have had a lot of immigration over the years and a lot of skilled people coming here,” Chiu said.
Chiu runs the shop with Lin and her brother and co-owner, Tony Chiu, who won the Canadian milk tea (or kam cha as it’s popularly known) competition in 2011. More than 350 people from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Melbourne, Shanghai and Guangzhou participated in the annual milk tea competition. Lin, who was raised in Canada but is originally from Taiwan, was one of six finalists. The premise of the tournament is simple: brewers are given 20 minutes to make the perfect milk tea. Brewers begin by boiling the tea leaves in scalding hot water, then carefully swing the pot to allow the leaves to mix and soak in the water. The tea then brews for 10 minutes. Once the tea leaves turn a darker colour, they are separated from the water with a sackcloth bag. With deft movements, contestants filter the tea several times to extract the full flavour. They then add condensed milk either before or after pouring the tea into cups. The contest, organized by the Association of Coffee and Tea of Hong Kong, is in its third year. Winners from outside Hong Kong were flown in by sponsors for the weekend competition. There is no cash prize. The winner is crowned Milk Tea King, and goes home with a medal, trophy and a teacup made of gold.