Why Is Thai Iced Tea Orange: Thailand Vs Western Cultures
The Traditional Thai tea contains black tea, crushed ice, and condensed milk. If so, then why is the drink orange? And what’s up with all those spices?;
The short answer is food coloring and marketing. The orange color and spices were added when Thai tea became prevalent in Westernized cultures. The intention was to differentiate it from other regular, plain black tea, hence marketing.;
In the early years, chefs added orange food coloring to give the westernized iced Thai tea a bright orange color. Nowadays, you’ll find both the westernized and traditional versions in Thailand.;
Keep in mind that when you brew the Thai tea mix, it becomes dark red. However, you get the signature bright orange color when you add milk. It turns orange because there’s food coloring in the Thai tea mix.;
Tips For Making The Best Thai Iced Tea
- Lots of sugar. Thai iced tea is super sweet, just like Southern sweet tea, and you can use whichever sweetener you prefer. Adding quite a bit of sugar may seem odd, but this is key for making the best-tasting Thai tea.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk. This super thick milk mixture does add even more sweetness but also brings an extra-smooth creaminess to the beverage. It is also responsible for creating the beautiful ombre look of deep orange to a creamier colored orange.
- Whole Spices. Since this recipe doesnt use the Thai tea mix youll need to add some additional spices. These spices will be in their whole form to achieve that delicious flavor. I would even suggest using these spices in the tea mix too though. You need a cinnamon stick, star anise, whole cardamom, ground turmeric, and a piece of vanilla bean although the last is optional.
How Is Thai Tea Different From Plain Black Tea
Unlike regular black tea,Thai Tea is infused with star anise and cloves and sweetened with sugar or sweetened condensed milk.
Thai tea can be made in two ways:
The recipe I am sharing here today is using a pre-made tea mix. After all, Im American and this is what I know best.
But its pretty darn good. And it brings back ALL the memories of scooting from one side of Koh Tao to the other on the back of a teeny tiny little motorbikewithout a helmet.
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Easy Thai Tea Recipe Like Restaurants
You guys, if you like thai tea, then you can make it at home! No need to head out to your Thai restaurant for thai iced tea when its easy;and you can make gallons of it.
Our ;recipe really is that delicious, just like the restaurants. It starts with the thai tea mix that is commonly used. Anyone who has tasted our recipe;always say how its exactly like the restaurant versions. Only difference is that our version has less sugar. So if you like it more sweet you can definitely add the sugar to taste.
There are several brands of thai tea mix and the one that our test kitchen used was;Pantai Thai Tea Mix. These mixes are;what many;Thai restaurants use. The mixes are dyed with yellow food coloring and thats what gives it its bright orange color. Also, Thai tea has a vanilla aroma to it. So if you want to have the brilliant orange color and flavors like most of the Thai restaurants, then this is one of the;brands of thai tea to buy : Panthai.
Theres probably other brands of Thai tea mixes to buy, but this is the one we first tried it with and it was a success. Some readers enjoyed using this other brand called; The Original Thai Iced Tea Mix.
How To Get The Perfect Orange Thai Iced Tea Coloring Without Food Dye
Turmeric! Believe it or not, this spice commonly used in Southeast Asian cuisines such a curry works equally well in Thai tea. Sprinkling the potent powder into your recipe will naturally dye the tea the delicious beautiful burnt orange color without the potential health consequences.
While turmeric does have a strong flavor it doesnt overpower this Thai tea mixture. It blends perfectly with the other flavorings.
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What Is Boba Made Of
Boba is simply black tapioca pearls that are at the bottom of the tea drink. The balls are formed from tapioca sweetened with black sugar and then boiled. For many, the flavorless aspect of the boba is the perfect compliment to the milk tea or Thai tea. For others, adding flavors to the boba adds to the flavor profile of the drink and helps create a unique contrast that is very good.
Thai Milk Tea Pudding With Boba
Source: TikTok
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How To Make Thai Boba Tea At Home
There are two ways that you can make Thai boba tea at home. One is using a pre-made mix for this type of tea and the other is to start with a strong black tea and mix it yourself. Making the tea with a mix will obviously be easier and will take less time to prepare but will not be as authentic as making it from scratch.
How To Make The Real Thai Iced Tea From Scratch
Iced tea is an excellent beverage to drink on steamy days, but;Thai iced tea;is the perfect antidote for spicy meals. It’s the ideal pair for popular Thai dishes like pad prik king and tom yum.;
This deliciously creamy, lightly caffeinated, mildly spiced, and delightful drink with its popular burnt orange color is great to behold. Thai iced tea is simple to make at home, and it’s what you’ll find at your favorite Thai restaurant or on the Bangkok streets.;
You don’t need any fancy or expensive equipment. All you need is a tea kettle or a saucepan to make this delicious beverage. But before we show you how to do it, here are a few essential things to know about Thai iced tea.;
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How To Make Thai Milk Tea
This recipe is super simple to make and has all healthy ingredients with no artificial flavoring or dye. For specific healthy ingredient options follow the links in this ingredient list. There are only three main steps to prepare the tea, mix the sweetened milk, and put it all together.
- Place the tea, water, vanilla, and spices into a medium pot to simmer.
- Mix the sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk.
- Strain the tea.
- Pour the tea over ice.
How To Make Thai Iced Tea
We’ll show you two ways to make Iced Thai tea: real Thai;iced tea;and regular Thai tea.;
Most of the regular iced Thai tea mixes usually contain syrup or low-grade powder. But the real iced Thai tea gets its flavor from high-quality spices and black tea, excluding any artificial ingredient. That means your drink won’t become bright orange since the color comes from a dye added to the Thai tea mixes.;
If you love;masala chai;and other milky or spiced black teas, then you’ll also love this beverage. If you don’t have all the spices listed in this recipe, that’s fine; you can leave out one or two.;
But if you want to get the full flavor, you can get tamarind powder at your local Indian or Southeast Asian market.;
Even though you can use tea bags, we recommend using loose-leaf tea; it tastes better because the loose-leaf flavor is richer and more complex.;
Let’s start with the real Iced Thai tea.;
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What Is The Difference Between Thai Tea And Milk Tea
Milk tea is a popular drink iced or hot and is traditionally made using black tea. The “milk” can range from sweetened condensed milk to evaporated milk to whole milk to non-dairy milk. Thai tea is a type of milk tea that contains a more specific mixture of black tea, spices, sugar, and evaporated and/or condensed milk.
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Thai Iced Tea In Thailand Vs Western Cultures
If traditional Thai tea consists of black tea, condensed milk, and crushed ice, then why is it orange? And what about all those spices?
The orange color and spices were added when Thai tea became more and more popular in Westernized cultures in order to set it apart from regular, plain black tea In fact, in the early years of westernized Thai iced tea, chefs would add orange food coloringto really give it a bright orange hue.
Nowadays, youll find both versions of Thai iced tea in Thailand- the traditional and the westernized version.
The following recipe is a less traditional version of the original Thai tea recipe.;
- The ice isnt crushed.
- I used a tea mix rather than black tea with optional spices.
- I made it at home rather than buy it off the street.
- Rather than serving it in a plastic bag with a straw poking out, Im drinking it out of a shiny clean glass.
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How To Make Restaurant Thai Iced Tea At Home
The only difference in our Thai tea recipe when compared to most restaurant versions is that were using a little less sugar. But really, once you get the basics down on making Thai iced tea you can customize the flavors and concentration the way you like. Its one of those recipes that is great no matter how you make it because its just so decadent and satisfying.
One of the key factors in making it like the restaurants is using authentic Thai tea mixes. These Thai tea mixes are normally dyed with yellow food coloring and thats what gives it its bright orange color. Also, Thai tea has a vanilla aroma to it. So if you want to have the brilliant orange color and flavors like most of the Thai restaurants, then this is one of the brands of Thai tea to buy : Pantai.
Theres probably other brands of Thai tea mixes to buy, but this is the one we first tried it with and it was a success. Some readers enjoyed using this brand of Thai tea mix called The Original Thai Iced Tea Mix.
Heres a;re-usable cloth tea filter;that can also be helpful as well. We usually make large batches, so we just simmer the tea leaves in the hot water.
Is Bubble Tea Healthy
You can make your bubble tea as healthy or indulgent as youd like, just like coffee! Adding sweeteners or fruit juices will increase the amount of sugar consumed. The tapioca pearls are made from cassava, which contains no fat or cholesterol, though theyre high in calories and carbs. For a healthy tea beverage, check out Thai tea.
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How To Make Thai Tea
For the full list and amounts of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Viola! Thats it! Learning how to make Thai Iced tea is super simple, right?
Delicious, creamy, mildly spiced, slightly caffeinated, and definitely sweet, Thai Iced Tea.
Ingredients In Thai Bubble Tea
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How Do I Keep Boba Soft And Chewy
Just as you dont overcook pasta, you want to keep an eye on your boba as it cooks to make sure it maintains that nice chew. Once they float to the top, let them cook 1 minute more and then strain immediately. Give them a rinse with cool water, and immediately transfer them to a bowl or jar with simple syrup. Adding them to the simple syrup keeps them soft and chewy while also adding a nice sweetness.
Thai Milk Tea Ice Cream
- 1 1/2 cup of whipping cream
- 2 bags of teabags
- 1/2 can of condensed milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Evaporated milk as toppings
Preparations:
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How To Make Homemade Evaporated Milk
Since this recipe only makes two drinks you wont need very much evaporated milk. You can store the remaining homemade milk in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for your next batch of tea.
What Is Thai Tea Made Of
Thai tea is made with strong black tea, hot water, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk and sugar. It can be served hot or iced. Thai tea can be made in different ways, from different ingredients. Traditionally, its made with spices such as star anise, cardamom and cinnamon, but you can make it with pure black tea leaves as well. Tea used for making Thai tea is a special Thai tea mix made with black tea leaves, vanilla flavoring and yellow food coloring. But rest assured, even if you dont have the mix or want to make a 100% natural Thai tea, it will still taste delicious and refreshing.
The base of Thai tea is a cup of strongly brewed black tea. You will usually need to use about 2 teaspoons of black tea leaves per cup and steep them for at least 10-30 minutes. Since Thai tea is made with a lot of sugar, any potential bitterness from over-steeping the tea leaves will not be noticeable at all. Choose broken or CTC tea leaves to get the best flavor. Lighter black teas wont be suitable for making Thai tea.
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