Thai Iced Milk Tea, also known as Cha Yen is a sweet, vibrant tea made with Thai tea mix, sugar,sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk. Strong tea is brewed using special Thai tea leaves and poured over ice. The Tea has a unique bright orange colour to it which comes from the special Thai tea mix (Cha Tra Mue). You can easily make Best Thai iced tea recipe at home with my recipe for perfect fool proof recipe.
Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen Recipe)
The first time we visited Thailand is during hot and humid summer season. I remember having multiple cups of this Thai ice tea during our visit. This and fresh coconut water was our only saviour. There is something about this vibrant coloured tall glass of Iced Thai tea and refreshing fresh coconut water that instantly feels refreshing.
When I first came across Thai iced tea, I thought its beautiful orange colour came from some special flowers or spices. It never crossed my mind that such a popular traditional drink could get its signature colour from food dye.
I started reading more about it and discovered that most commercial Thai tea mixes contain added colouring along with black tea and spices. It was definitely surprising! So now I treat it as an occasional indulgence rather than something I make regularly.
About Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)
Thai Iced Tea is also known as Cha Yen in Thailand. "Cha" means tea in Thai, "Yen" translates to cold or iced. It is a creamy, bright orange colour drink made with Thai tea leaves, sugar, condensed milk and evaporated milk.
The tea is brewed strong, mixed with sugar, condensed milk and poured over a tall cup of ice. Finally it gets a drizzle of evaporated milk to get the iconic swirl.
Now what makes Thai tea bright and vibrant orange colour. Traditionally this tea is made using Assam or Ceylon black tea leaves. It has hint of spices like star anise, turmeric, tamarind seeds, vanilla. Thai tea mix is called as Cha Tra Mue in Thailand. In olden days Thai tea has added flowers which gives the iconic orange colour.
But in modern days, it is just dyed with artificial food colour to give the signature orange colour. Some brands use annatto extract for a natural alternative to food colour.
But most of the brand still stick to food colouring, so remember Thai tea gets its orange tint from food dye and not spices. So it is always better to consume it in moderation.
Related Recipes
Thai iced tea is served all over Thailand. From street vendors to iconic restaurants and cafes. It is specially popular during hot summer days which makes it a refreshing Thai summer drink recipe.
Now that you have learned about the making and process of this tea. Are you thinking about its origin. Originally tea was introduced to Thailand through trade with China. Over time, Thai tea vendors developed milk tea by mixing condensed milk, sugar and evaporated milk with brewed black tea.
If you enjoy this recipe, you will love these other Thai drinks like Thai iced coffee boba, ube milk tea, and coconut coffee.
The use of condensed milk began because milk was scarce in Thailand. So street vendors started serving sweet black tea over ice with a drizzle of condensed milk. Today, Cha Yen is considered one of Thailand's most iconic beverages.
You can serve restaurant style cha yen variety of ways. Serve it warm as milk tea. You can replace sweetened condensed milk with coconut condensed milk and coconut cream for vegan dairy free version.
Ingredients
- Thai Tea mix (Cha Tra Mue)- I used Thai tea bags for this recipe, you can use loose tea leaves which is known as Cha Tra Mue.
- Sugar - Thai tea is super sweet, so you can adjust the sugar accordingly.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk - this makes the drink super creamy, thick and sweet. You can use sweetened coconut condensed milk for dairy free version.
- Water - water is used to brew Thai tea.
- Cream or Evaporated Milk - a drizzle of evaporated milk is added at the time of serving to create iconic swirl.
- Ice cubes - Make sure to fill the cup with plenty of ice, because you need to dilute the strong sweet tea with ice.
Step by Step Pictures
1)Take water in a sauce pan. Bring it to a full boil. Add in the tea bags and let it boil for 1 minutes.
2)Now remove it from heat and let the tea bags steep in the hot water for 5 minutes.
3)Now remove the tea bags and press between 2 spoons to remove the extra tea. Discard the tea bags.
4) The brewed tea will be red in colour.
5)Now to the hot tea, add in sugar to taste.
6)Add in sweetened condensed milk.
7)The sugar will melt in the hot brewed tea and the tea will get orange in colour. Set aside so it cools just enough. You can even keep it in fridge for 10 minutes.
8)Now fill 2 serving cups with ice cubes.
9)pour the orange Thai tea over the ice cubes.
10)Now take your cream and just drizzle 2 tablespoon into each cup just before serving.
11)Serve Immediately.
Expert Tips
- Don't over boil or steep the tea, else it may get bitter.
- You can adjust the sweetness of the tea by adding less sugar and condensed milk.
- Instead of cream, you can use evaporated milk which is more authentic. Since I couldn't source evaporated milk, I used cream.
- For coconut version, use coconut milk or coconut cream.
- Make sure to fill the cup with plenty of ice, because you need to dilute the strong sweet tea with ice.
FAQ
Q: Why is Thai Tea orange in colour? Does Thai tea have food coloring in it?
Thai tea mixes usually contain orange food colour. Some brands use annatto extract for a natural alternative to food colour.
Q: Can I make it without Thai tea mix?
You can make Thai tea without tea mix. But you will miss on the unique orange colour and taste which you get from the original mix.
Q: Can I make Thai tea ahead of time?
Yes you can brew Thai tea and store in fridge for a week before serving. I usually make a big batch of brewed tea and store in fridge. I pour it over ice cubes for refreshing Thai tea.
Q: Is Thai iced tea caffeinated?
Yes. Since it is made from black tea, it naturally contains caffeine.
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Thai Iced Tea Recipe (Cha Yen Recipe) | Creamy Thai Milk Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
For Brewing Thai Tea
- 6 tea bags Thai Tea Mix | ChaTraMue use ⅓ cup of loose tea
- 2 cups Water
To Mix in brewed tea
- ¼ cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 4 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
To Serve
- 2 cups Ice Cubes
- 4 tablespoon Cream
Instructions
- Take water in a sauce pan. Bring it to a full boil. Add in the tea bags and let it boil for 1 minutes. Now remove it from heat and let the tea bags steep in the hot water for 5 minutes. Now remove the tea bags and press between 2 spoons to remove the extra tea. Discard the tea bags. The brewed tea will be red in colour.
- Now to the hot tea, add in sugar, condensed milk and mix well. The sugar will melt in the hot brewed tea and the tea will get orange in colour. Set aside so it cools just enough. You can even keep it in fridge for 10 minutes.
- Now fill 2 serving cups with ice cubes, pour the orange Thai tea over the ice cubes. Now take your cream and just drizzle 2 tablespoon into each cup just before serving. Enjoy.
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