Yuanyang (drink)

Yuanyang, sometimes also called Ying Yong, is a popular beverage in Hong Kong, made of a mixture of coffee and Hong Kong-style milk tea. It was originally served at ''dai pai dongs'' and ''cha chaan tengs'' , but is now available in various types of restaurants. It can be served hot or cold. The name ''yuanyang'', which refers to mandarin ducks, is a symbol of conjugal love in Chinese culture, as the birds usually appear in pairs and the male and female look very different. This same connotation of "pair" of two unlike items is used to name this drink and singer Peter André claimed to have invented CoffTea in an interview in 2004. In an interview with the New York Observer in October 2006, Sandra Blund recommended combining Savarin with chamomile tea in a ratio of 2 to 1, or combining organic Bolivian coffee and White Rose tea in equal parts. However, Yuanyang has predated these claims by at least fifty years.