Thai Tea: A Tea Lover’s Essential
Drinking tea daily has been linked to my heritage as a child and is most likely responsible for my obsessive-compulsive behavior towards organic teas and just about any unique tea I can get my hands on. In St. Lucia, I was exposed to steeping sun-dried bay leaves, cinnamon bark, and cloves, paired with ginger and turmeric root. Although it was amazing, it was expected that I got bored sooner or later.
Let’s fast-forward to present times. Now that I’m all grown up, I’ve been researching various types of tea along with their origin. I’m pumped and super excited to share my most memorable find yet; Thai iced tea! I stumbled upon this gem at a local Thai restaurant whilst restaurant hopping with a friend for dinner. She insisted that I try her new discovery and was thrilled to disclose all the delicious details about this drink. Being the foodie that I am, I indulged; and of course, I succumbed to its smooth and decadent texture. Yes, it sucks you into complete oblivion, a big distraction towards your upcoming courses. It soothes your palate and gives you a very refreshed feeling to calm down any spicy dish.
Served both hot or cold, Thai tea is most popular consumed over ice with milk; a bustling top seller in any Asian restaurant near you. It is a black aromatic tea with a very distinct orange color, that is added during processing. Consuming this tea also plays a vital role in heart health, packed with antioxidants that act as catechins that may help prevent cancer.
At $3.50 a glass, I prefer taking things into my own kitchen and saving myself the extra ice and watered-down version. This way, I’m able to whip up a glass of tea to my personal specifications. It can be topped off with any type of milk product you desire, ranging from regular milk, half and half, evaporated milk, to condensed milk or coconut milk; whichever you prefer. The Thai corner store in my neighborhood supplied me with Wang Derm Thai Tea at only $3.50 per 13-ounce bag. Insane right? I know.
You’ll be surprised how easy it is to make, not to mention the recipe’s yield compared to indulging at restaurants. Ultimately, you really have nothing to lose besides restaurant atmosphere.
I simply followed the directions on the packaging (30 grams of Thai tea powder, one liter of water, and 130 grams of sugar) which is really a walk through the park. Just imagine brewing any other tea just like you would with ground coffee. I threw the tea contents into a pot of boiling water on a slow simmer to extract the tea from the bark. Don’t be afraid to sample the tea during the process if you decide not to measure and adjust it to your preferences. I allowed mine to cool completely before attempting to strain it. Cheese cloth or tea filters will come in handy to remove the tea leaves, bark, and stems. Similarly, pour the tea powder into a fabric filter and place it into the boiling water to make this process a little easier. This step will help decrease the chances of staining your kitchen.
I prefer my tea to have a 50/50 percent ratio (tea-milk) simply because my tea was slightly concentrated. Put some ice into a glass, fill half way with the tea and top with milk. I used half condensed milk and evaporated milk to omit using granulated sugar. It added an extra level of creaminess and rich depth of flavor that I love.
Luckily, I took a picture of the tea I shared with my husband the last time we eat lunch at a Thai restaurant. It will help you compare the difference in color and enforce the benefits of having the tea at home. Making the tea is extremely easy and saves you a whole lot of money every time you have a glass.
My iced tea version is shown on the left, with the one we had at the restaurant on the right. Visually, you can see the evaporated and condensed milk sank to the bottom because of its density, whilst the whole milk version on the right surfaces to the top. Here, I was able to compare contrast in tea strength and color, as well as the ratio of ice-to-tea and tea-to-milk. I won obviously! (•◡•) haha! (•◡•)