My project is a recipe video that explores the cultural contrast between traditional Chinese tea and modern milk tea trends through a drink inspired by the pina colada smoothie I used to get at the milk tea shop outside my high school. This drink represents more than just flavor; it’s a blend of personal memory, generational difference, and cultural remixing.
Growing up in a traditional Chinese household, our refrigerator was always stocked with large glass jugs of brewed green, white, and oolong teas, especially made by my dad. He brought his tea to work every day in a thermos, and the scent of roasted oolong – warm and floral – often lingered in the air. For him, tea is about tradition, and he often said tea shouldn’t be masked by other flavors.
In contrast, my mom and I leaned more toward the sweet milk teas that are popular among younger generations. We’d often go out together to try new boba flavors or order fruit tea topped with creamy cheese foam. While my dad said they weren’t “real tea,” my mom liked how they fused traditional tea bases with new ingredients. For me, milk tea became not just a drink but a way of expressing my own preferences and communicating with others. It also became part of how I connected with friends and experienced the weekend.
This difference in taste preferences became a symbol of our generational and cultural tension. My dad saw tea as something to preserve; I saw it as something to experiment with. So for this project, I decided to create a drink that remixes both values: a clarified oolong-based mocktail with the flavor of a pina colada and the creamy topping of modern milk tea.
To achieve this, I used a technique called milk washing, which helps clarify drinks while harmonizing flavors. This method involves mixing milk with an acid, like lemon juice, which causes the milk to curdle. The milk solids bind with particles and oils in the drink, and after straining, the remaining liquid is smoother and visually clearer. This clarification technique allowed me to preserve the flavors of oolong, pineapple, and coconut while giving the drink a tea-like appearance.
For the base of the drink, I combined six ingredients:
- Oolong Tea – 8 oz
- Pineapple Juice – 16 oz
- Coconut Milk – 10 oz
- Whole Milk – 8 oz
- Cane Syrup – 8 oz
- Lemon Juice – 4 oz
All the liquids were mixed thoroughly. The lemon juice acts as an acid that curdles the milk, separating it into solid curds and clear whey. This chemical reaction is essential to the milk-washing process. Once the curdling was complete, I used a coffee filter to strain the liquid. The result is a clarified, slightly golden beverage that keeps the tropical pineapple-coconut aroma.
To mimic the cheese foam topping that’s popular in modern milk tea shops, I created a coconut foam using:
- Whipped Cream – 16 oz
- Coconut Cream – 32 oz
These two ingredients were combined in a 1:2 ratio and whipped until airy. The whipped cream gives the foam structure, while the coconut cream maintains a dense, rich flavor. Because of its lower density, the foam floats on top of the clarified tea base, visually resembling a modern milk tea topping while offering a creamy contrast to the clarity of the liquid below.
The primary goal of my project is to reconcile the gap between generations through a shared drink that celebrates both tradition and creativity. By using traditional oolong tea as the foundation and remixing it with tropical flavors, I aimed to bridge cultural preferences and show how innovation and heritage can coexist. The drink also becomes a metaphor for connection between family members, generations, and evolving tastes.
The second goal is to explore how remixing can function as a form of critique. By choosing tea, a symbol of Chinese identity and generational authority, and blending it with playful Western flavors and a cocktail technique, I critique the idea that tradition must remain untouched or “pure.” I argue that tradition, like tea, can steep in new contexts and still retain its essence.
In this project, remixing is both a creative method and a critical tool. Remixing allows me to reframe a familiar object, and reimagine it in a context that includes my experiences and generational identity. Instead of rejecting traditional Chinese tea culture, I clarify it. I retain the oolong base while letting in pineapple, coconut, and a foam topping, flavors associated with my childhood.
Originality, in this case, doesn’t come from inventing something completely new, but from interweaving existing traditions with personal interpretation. My remix reflects my own cultural identity, someone who belongs to two different generations, who grew up in China but lives in America. It’s not about choosing between cultures, but allowing them to blend. Through food and drink, I question the idea of what’s considered “authentic” and instead celebrate mixing things together, trying new combinations, and being creative.
The milk-washing technique itself serves as a metaphor. The process of clarification – filtering out solids, retaining essence – mirrors the way I engage with tradition. I’m not erasing the past, but carefully processing it, straining out what’s not important to me, and keeping the essence. The result is something clearer, smoother, and unexpected.
This project challenged me to think beyond the flavor of a drink and consider how food can be a storyteller and cultural commentary. It pushed me to move beyond surface-level remixing and instead explore how technique, memory, and symbolism can come together. The drink became a kind of language, one that speaks across taste and tradition, and communicates more than flavor.
In remixing oolong tea with elements of the pina colada and milk tea culture, I am not erasing any tradition – I am making room for more. My drink respects the depth of Chinese tea history while acknowledging the identities of younger generations. It reflects a belief that tradition and change can share the same space. This clarified mocktail becomes a symbol of the possibility of the culture.