Also known as 凍檸茶, Dung Ling Cha, Iced Lemon Tea, 檸茶, Cha Chaan Teng Lemon Tea.
Iced lemon tea is black tea over ice with three or four lemon slices you crush with a long spoon, sweetened with syrup. It is the most ordered cold drink in Hong Kong cha chaan tengs, about HK$18 to HK$22.
140kcal / 1 glass (iced, 300ml)
One 300ml glass of iced lemon tea at regular sweetness is about 140 calories, all from roughly 25g of sugar syrup. Order it less sweet (少甜) and it drops to around 90 calories. The hot version with half a teaspoon of sugar is only 36 calories.
Nutrition facts
Per 1 glass (iced, 300ml) (300g)
Amount
Per 100g
Calories
140 kcal
47 kcal
Protein
0 g
0 g
Carbs
35 g
12 g
Fat
0 g
0 g
Where the calories come from
Black tea250g
2 kcal
Sugar syrup33g
130 kcal
Lemon slices20g
5 kcal
The real talk
This drink has a health halo it does not deserve. No milk, has lemon, looks light. But the tea and lemon contribute almost nothing; CFS data shows the 140 calories come entirely from about 25g of sugar syrup, which is 6 teaspoons. That is more sugar than a glass of iced milk tea (22g). It just does not taste as sweet because the lemon masks it.
The gap between hot and iced is huge. Hot lemon tea at a cha chaan teng is 36 calories because they give you a small cup and half a teaspoon of sugar. Iced is a 300ml glass and the syrup goes in by the ladle. Same ingredients, nearly four times the calories. If you are drinking it for the lemon, the hot one gives you that for basically nothing.
Less sweet actually works here more than with milk drinks. Because there is no milk fat, the sugar is the only variable. CFS puts less-sweet iced lemon tea at 90 calories and 18g sugar. Ask for no sugar (走甜) and it is under 15 calories, and you can still crush the lemon in and have a drink that tastes like something.
How the portions compare
90 kcal
Iced, less sweet
140 kcal
Iced, regular (300ml)
230 kcal
Large takeaway cup (500ml)
Hong Kong Iced Lemon Tea variants, ranked by calories
Variant
Calories
Notes
Iced lemon tea, no sugar
15 kcal
走甜
Hot lemon tea
36 kcal
Half teaspoon sugar
Iced lemon tea, less sweet
90 kcal
少甜, 18g sugar
Iced lemon honey
100 kcal
Honey instead of syrup, still 21g sugar
Iced lemon tea, regular
140 kcal
25g sugar
How to eat it lighter
Order it 走甜 (no sugar). You get the same tea and lemon for under 15 calories.
If no sugar is too harsh, 少甜 (less sweet) brings it to 90 calories, saving 50.
Go hot instead of iced when you can. Hot lemon tea is 36 calories.
Crush the lemon slices hard and let the drink sit a minute. The stronger lemon flavour makes the reduced sugar version taste fine.
Common questions
How much sugar is in a Hong Kong iced lemon tea?
About 25g at regular sweetness, roughly 6 teaspoons. That is more than half the WHO daily suggestion of 40g, in one glass.
Is iced lemon tea healthier than milk tea?
Barely. Iced lemon tea is 140 calories and iced milk tea is 130. Lemon tea has no fat but more sugar. Order either one less sweet and the difference shrinks to nothing.
Does iced lemon tea help with weight loss?
Only the no-sugar version. At 140 calories a glass, the regular version is a small snack's worth of pure sugar. Order 走甜 and it becomes a near-zero calorie drink.
Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical cha chaan teng, dai pai dong or dim sum serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.
Calorie figure based on Centre for Food Safety Hong Kong, Nutrient Content of Non-Prepackaged Beverages (140 kcal regular, 90 kcal less sweet, 36 kcal hot). Macros estimated from the ingredients.