Thai Iced Tea
Quick answer
- Total time
- 20 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 3 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Thai iced tea is a boldly flavored, sweet milk tea made by steeping black tea leaves with cardamom over low heat for five minutes to produce a deeply concentrated brew.
Read more
The intentionally strong extraction is necessary because the ice slowly dilutes the drink as it sits, and a weak brew would taste watery long before the last sip. Sugar is dissolved while the tea is still hot, then the liquid is cooled fully before being poured over a glass packed with ice. Milk and condensed milk are poured gently on top without stirring to create a visual gradient of white layered over amber, and the drink is mixed at the table before drinking. Once combined, the cardamom's floral spice and gentle bitterness weave through the sweetened black tea base to produce a complex flavor that goes beyond simple sweetness. Adjusting the amount of condensed milk is the easiest way to control how sweet the finished drink turns out.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Bring 500 milliliters of water to a rolling boil in a pot, then turn off the heat and add 12 grams of black tea leaves and 0.25 teaspoons of cardamom.
- 2Control
Cover the pot and simmer on very low heat for 5 minutes until the tea becomes a deep dark orange color and the spicy cardamom aroma is fully extracted.
- 3Season
Stir in 1 tablespoon of sugar until the granules are completely dissolved into the hot tea, then remove from heat, ensuring the brew does not become overly bitter.
- 4Step
Strain the brewed tea through a fine mesh sieve to remove the leaves and cardamom, let it cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until it is thoroughly chilled.
- 5Step
Fill a tall glass with 1 cup of fresh ice cubes and slowly pour the chilled Thai tea base until it fills about two-thirds of the serving glass.
- 6Prep
Combine 200 milliliters of milk with 3 tablespoons of condensed milk and pour over the tea to create layers, then stir with a straw before drinking to blend.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Thai iced tea uses a concentrated black tea and cardamom base to maintain flavor against melting ice.
- Finish cue
- Combine 200 milliliters of milk with 3 tablespoons of condensed milk and pour over the tea to create layers, then stir with a straw before drinking to blend.
- Storage and reheating
- Strain the brewed tea through a fine mesh sieve to remove the leaves and cardamom, let it cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until it is thoroughly chilled.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
20min, 7 ingredients
Category median
20min, 6 ingredients
Based on 118 recipes
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