Thai tea (, , ) is a Thai drink made from Ceylon black tea, milk, and sugar. Thai tea as consumed in Thailand is not typically brewed with spices, though many English language recipes inspired by Thai tea include ingredients such as

star anise ''Illicium verum'' (star anise or badian, Chinese star anise, star anise seed, star aniseed and star of anise) is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to South China and northeast Vietnam. Its star-shaped pericarps harvested just before ripen ...

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genus (biology), genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indon ...

to enhance the flavor. It is served either hot or cold. Thai tea is popular in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

and is served in many restaurants that serve Thai food. When served cold it is known as Thai iced tea (, , ; ). Although Thai tea normally refers to Thai iced tea, there are also other kinds of tea which can be referred to as Thai tea. For instance, the Thai traditional herbal tea which is formulated based on Thai traditional medicine can also be called Thai tea. Thai Oolong tea, which is oolong tea steamed with ginger ('' Zingiber officinale''), lemongrass (''

Cymbopogon citratus ''Cymbopogon citratus'', commonly known as West Indian lemon grass or simply lemon grass, is a tropical plant native to South Asia and Maritime Southeast Asia and introduced to many tropical regions. ''Cymbopogon citratus'' is often sold in stem ...

''), and celery, can also be referred to as Thai tea.

Ingredients

The drink is made from strongly brewed

Ceylon tea Ceylon tea is both the brand of tea which is produced in Sri Lanka and a historic term describing tea from that land. Ceylon tea has been described as not only a geographical descriptor but also a pillar of Culture of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan cultur ...

, or a locally grown

landrace A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...

(traditional or semi-wild) version of

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

known as ''bai miang'' (). The tea is sweetened with

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

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 ...

and served chilled.

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 ...

, or

whole milk The fat content of milk is the proportion of milk, by weight, made up by butterfat. The fat content, particularly of cow's milk, is modified to make a variety of products. The fat content of milk is usually stated on the container, and the color ...

is poured over the tea and ice before serving to add taste and creamy appearance. In Thai restaurants, it is served in a tall glass, but when sold from street and market stalls in Thailand it may be poured over crushed ice in a plastic bag or tall plastic cups. It may also be made into a frappé at some vendors.

Tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the tubers of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North Region, Brazil, North and Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast regions of Brazil, but which has ...

pearls can be added to Thai tea to make

bubble tea Bubble tea (also known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, tapioca milk tea, boba tea, or boba; zh, t=珍珠奶茶, p=zhēnzhū nǎichá, zh, t=波霸奶茶, p=bōbà nǎichá, labels=no) is a tea-based drink most often containing chewy tapio ...

Variations of Thai tea

Cold

* ''Dark Thai iced tea'' (, , ) – Thai tea served chilled without milk, sweetened with sugar only. The concept is based on traditional Indian tea, which is used as a main ingredient. * ''Lime Thai tea'' (, , ) – Similar to dark Thai iced tea, but flavored with lime and sweetened with sugar. Mint may also be added.

Hot

In Thailand, Thai hot tea is often drunk in the morning, frequently with '' pathongko'' (, long strips of

fried dough Fried dough is a North American food associated with outdoor food stands in carnivals, amusement parks, fairs, rodeos, and seaside resorts. "Fried dough" is the specific name for a particular variety of fried bread made of a yeast dough; s ...

): * ''Thai hot tea'' (, , ) – Thai tea with sugar and milk content, served hot. * ''Dark Thai hot tea'' (, , ) – Thai tea served hot without milk, sweetened with sugar only.

References

External links

* {{Teas Tea varieties Tea culture Thai cuisine Tea by country Milk tea Thai drinks

Ingredients

Variations of Thai tea

Cold

Hot

See also

References

External links