Our Story
From Mong Kok
to Marylebone.
Silk Steep began with a cup poured by hand on a Hong Kong street corner in 1978 — and a promise, decades later, to bring that exact cup to London.
1978 — Mong Kok
The first pour
Master Lau opened a single counter on Sai Yeung Choi Street with one kettle, one cloth sleeve, and a recipe written down by no one. Locals queued before sunrise. By 1985, he was supplying half the cha chaan tengs in Kowloon.
2019 — London
A cup, crossed continents
Master Lau's apprentice, Elias, moved to London and could not find a cup of milk tea worthy of his teacher. So he built one. He spent two years sourcing Ceylon, designing the cotton sleeve, and tuning the kettle to a single, stubborn temperature. Silk Steep opened its doors in 2024.
Our Principles
What we will not compromise
— 01
Origin
Every leaf is single-source from estates we visit annually. No blends of unknown provenance.
— 02
Method
Hand-pulled, minimum six passes, cloth-strained. Never machine-pressed, never rushed.
— 03
Hospitality
A cha chaan teng is a neighbourhood living room. We serve everyone the same — quickly, warmly, properly.
