Burmese milk tea (, ) is a tea beverage from

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(Burma), traditionally made with strongly brewed

black tea Black tea (also literally translated as red tea from various East Asian languages) is a type of tea that is more tea processing, oxidized than oolong, yellow tea, yellow, white tea, white, and green tea, green teas. Black tea is generally st ...

and milk (typically

evaporated milk Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned cow’s milk product for which approximately 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. French inventor, Nicolas Appert, the "father of ...

and

condensed milk Condensed milk is Milk#Cow, cow's milk from which water has been removed (roughly 60% of it). It is most often found with sugar added, in the form of sweetened condensed milk, to the extent that the terms "condensed milk" and "sweetened condensed m ...

). Burmese milk tea is commonly consumed at

tea shop A teahouse or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only serve ...

s, as an accompaniment to bite-sized snacks like

Burmese fritters Burmese fritters, known in Burmese as ''a-kyaw'' ( ), are traditional fritters consisting of vegetables or seafood that have been battered and deep-fried. Assorted fritters are called ''a-kyaw-sone'' (). Burmese fritters are generally savory, an ...

and sweets called '' mont''.

History

Myanmar has a longstanding

tea culture Tea culture refers to how tea is made and consumed, how people interact with tea, and the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking. Tea plays an important role in some countries. It is commonly consumed at social events, and many cultures have cre ...

, stemming from a long history of tea cultivation in what is now

Upper Myanmar Upper Myanmar ( or , also called Upper Burma) is one of two geographic regions in Myanmar, the other being Lower Myanmar. Located in the country's centre and north stretches, Upper Myanmar encompasses six inland states and regions, including M ...

. In pre-colonial times, people primarily drank

green tea Green tea is a type of tea made from the leaves and buds of the '' Camellia sinensis'' that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process that creates oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China in the late 1st millenn ...

, which continues to be a mainstay at tea shops and traditional Burmese restaurants alike. During

British rule in Burma British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of ''Burma'' as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally i ...

, Burma became a part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. From the late 1800s onward, Indian migrants flocked to major cities where they established general stores called ''kaka hsaing'', which also offered milk tea and eventually evolved into tea shops. Milk tea was prepared using strongly brewed tea, steamed fresh milk, and sugar, similar to Indian milk tea.

Ingredients

Burmese milk tea is made using strongly brewed black tea, which is called ''akya yay'' () or ''aphan yay'' (), evaporated milk, and condensed milk, similar to

Hong Kong–style milk tea Hong Kong–style milk tea (), also known as "silk-stocking" milk tea (), is a tea drink made from Ceylon tea, Ceylon black tea and evaporated milk (or condensed milk). The drink originated in the mid-20th century during the British Hong K ...

. Fresh milk, cream (called ''malai'' in Burmese), and cane sugar are also optionally added or substituted as ingredients.

Preparation

The base of Burmese milk tea is strongly brewed using black tea leaves, which are simmered in water and a bit of salt, typically between 15 and 30 minutes. The tea base is then combined with evaporated and condensed milk, and 'pulled' in a manner similar to

teh tarik Teh tarik (; Jawi script, Jawi: ) is a popular hot milk tea beverage most commonly found in restaurants, outdoor stalls, Mamak stall, mamaks and kopitiams within the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thai ...

, in order to create a frothy layer and to cool the beverage.

Varieties

Burmese milk tea is traditionally made-to-order, based on a customised ratio of tea to milk based on individual preferences. There are over two dozen varieties, and drinkers customarily use shorthand abbreviations when making their order. The varieties of milk tea can be broadly categorised based on astringency, richness, and sweetness.

Standard

Standard varieties are called pon hman (), and hover close to the ratio of 5:1:1 for brewed tea, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Some common shorthand abbreviations include 'Ceylon tea' () and 'no zein ti' ().

Astringent

Astringent varieties are called a-phan () or kya kya (), which are typically strengthened by reducing the amount of evaporated and condensed milk and/or increasing the amount of black tea. Strongly brewed black tea without milk is called 'gate sone' (, ).

Rich

Rich varieties are called a-seint (), which are typically enriched with more evaporated milk, relative to the standard varieties. Common shorthands include 'kya seint,' 'paw seint,' and 'cho seint.'

Sweet

Sweet varieties are called a-cho (), which are typically sweetened with more condensed milk, relative to standard varieties. Common shorthands include 'cho kya,' 'cho pyit,' and 'cho paw.' Another common shorthand, '

Kyaukpadaung Kyaukpadaung ( ) is a town in Mandalay Region in Central Myanmar. It lies just south-west of Mount Popa. It is the administrative seat for Kyaukpadaung Township. History The name of Kyaukpadaung is derived from Kyauk (; Rock) + Pann (; Flower) ...

' () refers to a sweet but astringent brew of milk tea with reduced evaporated milk.

References

{{teas Blended tea Burmese cuisine Tea culture Milk tea