Thai Iced Tea Recipe

Before you start

Thai iced tea, or cha yen, is strong spiced black tea brewed very dark, sweetened while hot and poured over crushed ice with milk. The bright orange color seen at most restaurants comes from food coloring in commercial Thai tea mixes, not from the tea itself. Plain strong black tea with a little star anise makes a good uncolored version.

The key choices are strength and sweetness. The tea must be brewed far stronger than usual, because ice and milk dilute it heavily. Sugar goes in while the tea is hot so it dissolves fully. The condensed milk adds sweetness and body, and the splash of evaporated milk on top gives the familiar two-tone pour.

Ingredients

• 25 g (about 1/3 cup) Thai tea mix — loose, with or without added color
• 500 ml (2 cups) water — boiling
• 50 g (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 60 ml (2 oz) sweetened condensed milk — 30 ml per drink
• 60 ml (2 oz) evaporated milk or half-and-half — 30 ml per drink, for topping
• 2 cups crushed ice

Method

1. Bring the water to a full boil and take it off the heat. Add the Thai tea mix and stir so all the leaves are wet.
2. Steep for 5 minutes. Thai tea mix is fine and dusty, so it brews fast and very dark.
3. Strain the tea through the tea sock or a cheesecloth-lined strainer. The fine particles pass through a plain sieve and make the drink gritty.
4. While the tea is hot, stir in the sugar until it dissolves completely.
5. Stir in the condensed milk until smooth, about 30 ml per drink. Let the tea cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes, or speed it up over an ice bath.
6. Fill the glasses with crushed ice and pour in the sweetened tea, leaving about 3 cm at the top.
7. Slowly pour 30 ml of evaporated milk over the top of each drink. It drifts down through the tea in pale clouds. Stir before drinking.

Tips for success

• Look for Thai tea mix sold in bags at Asian grocers. Some include vanilla, star anise or other spices; read the label if you want to avoid food coloring.
• Squeeze the tea sock gently at the end of straining to get the full yield, but not hard enough to push fine particles through.
• Crushed ice is traditional and chills the drink fast. If you only have cubes, use more and expect slightly more dilution.

Substitutions

Thai tea mix

Use 15 g of strong black tea, such as Ceylon or Assam, plus one star anise and a split vanilla bean. The color will be a natural reddish brown.

Sweetened condensed milk

Coconut condensed milk makes a dairy-free version with a coconut taste. Plain sugar plus milk gives a thinner drink.

Evaporated milk

Coconut milk or oat milk work as the top layer. Half-and-half is richer and floats just as well.

Variations

Thai tea with boba

Add 60 g of cooked tapioca pearls to each glass before the ice.

Thai iced tea float

Top the drink with a small scoop of vanilla or coconut ice cream instead of evaporated milk.

Troubleshooting

The drink is gritty

The tea was strained through a sieve that is too coarse. Use a cloth tea sock or double layer of cheesecloth.

It tastes thin and watery

The tea was not strong enough or was poured hot over ice. Brew at the full 25 g per 500 ml and cool it before serving.

It is too sweet

Reduce the sugar to 30 g; the condensed milk alone gives plenty of sweetness for many people.

Storage

Sweetened tea without milk keeps in a covered jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Once milk or condensed milk is added, keep it refrigerated and use it within 2 days. Do not leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Safety notes

Thai tea is made from black tea and contains caffeine; the FDA cites 400 mg a day as an amount not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults. Some mixes contain artificial colors; check the label if you avoid them.