Hey everyone! The full recipe is here hot-thai-kitchen.com/thai-iced-tea/ The post above also has additional info, so if you have further questions, please read the blog post first and see if your question is answered there. If not, leave your question on the website comments! Questions in UA-cam comments may not be seen due to large volume. Thank you 🙏🏼
Just a tip, any foreigner won't be able to understand those measures, we use grams and milliliters. I really don't know how much tea powder and how much water was added
Classic thai iced tea used to be my favorite, until I discovered thai green tea, where the tea base is changed to a jasmine green tea. The floral notes are sublime with the condensed milk!!
Had thai iced green tea with milk at a thai restaurant specializing in isan food. Not sure if it was the restaurant or the brand they were using but totally tasted disgusting and not like any normal general green tea you would find in most Asian food places. I gave it one sip and i was like wth is this. It had the floral notes as you mentioned but tasted very much chemical induced as well and not very natural tasting. I very much prefer Chinese or Japanese green teas over this.
@lowwastehighmelanin oh I know I've tasted jasmine green tea in many Chinese Japanese and Korean restaurants and food places. I think more the problem was that it tasted more like a chemical mixture rather then a natural green tea taste. But i see what your saying thanks anyways
2 Very kind women from Thailand used to make this daily for me for 2 years straight. They would sometimes add some coconut milk. Fricking delicious! Unfortunately, 1 year ago, their Hawaiian shop closed and they disappeared, but I'm still addicted. Thai tea....all day....everyday ❤. Mahalo so much for your time and effort.
That may be so. Not sure of the origin of adding other things. It was only sometimes that they'd add coconut milk just for extra flavor, and that idea came from one of the younger daughters. Most times, it was authentic. Still fricking delicious, though 😋
Uncle Roger is also mistaken for some authority on everything-authentic Asian cuisine (I mean cmon, why should people assume someone thoroughly knows not simply one country [like Chinese, Korean, Japanese,...] food, but *all* Asian food?)...
@@nickm.5931 I have the same thoughts!! Also, he’s a comedian, not a cook. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know anything, but it’s weird that people treat him as the be-all end-all on which food is authentic or not.
@@doveflyer1636 Not sure how to put this but she mentioned even the authentic version has dye and artificial vanilla. So you're asking for a fake version of the authentic version that's actually more pure? I dont disagree with you but any version other than the authentic is going to be a knock-off, isnt it? Knock-offs generally dont taste as good as the original.
I just got a job in a cafe run by a Thai couple, and we combine methods. We have a pitcher of Thai Tea with sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk added, and we serve it to the customer with half and half floated on top. Extra, extra rich and indulgent.
As you were adding the orange food coloring I was thinking this would be a good “fall” beverage for Americans in the south where it doesn’t cool down until December, if ever. Forget pumpkin spice lattes! Make Thai ice tea the south’s official fall drink!
i always keep sweetened condensed milk at home to add to hot drinks. i started doing it for viet style iced coffee, but it makes sense that's what makes thai tea so good, too! the hispanic grocery stores where i live tend to keep it in squeeze bottles, which i much prefer so i don't have to deal with a whole can just for a single cup.
The condensed milk is sooooooo essential to that caramelized addicting flavor! Even in the US, I'll never settle for half and half in my thai tea it's just not the same. I live in a small town in Colorado but we're lucky to have a Thai restaurant in town that makes it the right way!! Now I want to try myself:)
this is the recipe I have always used 4 cups (960 ml) water 4 organic black tea bags 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar 1 tsp vanila 2 anise stars 1 green cardamom pod , smashed 2 whole cloves
@@abididubidi7815 I agree, and I would use a little more cardamom than anise. But just adding vanilla to black tea already gives you a lot of Thai tea flavor. I'm going to try adding vanilla to several kinds of chai.
@AntiAntiAntiFa It’s probably worth the time to try this recipe with multiple dark teas as well. Earl Grey? Rooibos? Oolong? So many good tea types that could make the recipe shine. For those who want it absurdly strong, replace plain black with Earl Grey. You know? I just feel like this recipe isn't using the right tea type. For all we know, it could be excellent in orange pekoe.
REALLY appreciate how you present information and clarify between Thai-born LOL recipes and Thai-American recipes. Kindly (but firmly!) re-educating us and paying respect to the cuisine, country, and food pathways. Meanwhile sliding in the Thai-thai Lime Tea at the end - which sounds amazing. I've learned something more than what I came to this video for - want to know more of the real deal! 🍋
The can opening trick isn't a Thai thing. It's just the right thing! My grandparents always kept evaporated milk and they used a traditional old can punch to open it and you're supposed to punch open both sides for an easy pour! Apparently Thai vendors have kept the know-how!
We did similar with canned juices. One hole made with a triangle punch to pour with. Another sometimes smaller hole on the opposite side to let the air in for easier pouring.
That is how I was taught. The concept isn't any different that the large jugs of drinking water with the dispenser built in. It require a person to poke a hole on the top to get rid of any vacuum pressure.
Of course I'm going to try it today with whatever I can find at home. As an Indian and a chai lover, I absolutely love Thai Iced tea here in the US. I knew from the color that there would be some food coloring, but the Vanilla flavoring was eye opening! Thanks Pailin for your videos
Today I went to a new local authentic Thai restaurant and tried their Thai tea. I actually found them because I was searching for Thai tea and accidentally did it in Google Maps. Happy accident, because they were just a mile from my house and also have Thai tea. Funny you mention the lime in the tea, because they made a special tea, butterfly pea flower tea, which I they added lime to and it was really great! They also made mine with oat milk and I was surprised how well it worked compared to classic dairy. Oh my gosh though, I’m so happy you shared this with us. I need to try making it for myself (part Thai) and more importantly, my wife who loves it even more. 🙏🏽
I have to say I've tried both versions many times and I've come to prefer a hybrid of both. I make a "milk sauce" mixing half&half and condensed milk together and pour that over the Thai tea omitting the extra sugar at the end. I prefer half&half over evaporated milk due to it being more richer but the best in taste, which I've had in some fine Thai restaurants, is heavy cream that's been sweetened by condensed milk. I've asked them point blank what they use and they told me heavy cream. That just makes the tea amazing...but no so healthy for regular drinking.
Viewer from Taiwan 👋 In my country, it is not common to find evaporated milk in the regular supermarket, it will usually appears in bakery suppliment shop, but only comes in one brand which is Carnation from Nestle. So to make things easier, I usually have a stronger tea base, without adding suger but use condensed milk only to reach the sweetness, then adding more of milk (compared to the traditional Thai style) to finialize it.
This is strange since you live in close proximity to SEA nations which use these substitutions a lot. Speaking of which, as a Filipino, we have sub-variants of those, which is "condensada" and "evaporada", where cream is mixed in with the evaporated/condensed milk to make it cheaper and since most of the people making our local desserts would do it anyway (and even add more cream to dilute what's remaining of evap/condensed milk). Unfortunately, our economy isn't doing so well and prices had shot up significantly, so it's more than the price of where the original versions where previously, and I think the original versions will no longer sell.
@@triadwarfare Taiwan doesn't really have a milk tea tradition like Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar so it makes sense that they don't use evaporated milk. Speaking of milk tea, their boba tea base tastes very fake from my POV as a HKer because their tea doesn't use milk but milk powder.
Yup, I use sugar and vanilla to get the flavor along with Assam tea leaves. I found using oat milk works really well. I have all the ingredients in my pantry so I don't bother with the packaged ones found here or in the grocery stores.
I prefer evaporated milk in any tea or coffee, I found out by accident when I had leftovers and didn't know what to use it in lol Thank you for sharing.
Same here! For many years, I drank my coffee and tea with evaporated milk, exclusively. Until I realized fairly recently (after going through stomach issues every day) that I'm lactose-intolerant. So I've switched to oat milk. It's not the same, though, not as creamy, and I don't think it'd work for Thai tea. Although apparently sweetened condensed oat milk (and evaporated oat milk!?) is a thing...
Thai tea is a symphony of flavors - a dance between the earthy Assam tea leaves, the sweetness of condensed milk, and the surprise tang of lime. 🍹 Each sip transports you to vibrant Bangkok streets, where vendors craft this magical elixir. 🌆 I've tried it in various forms, but nothing quite compares to the authenticity of Thai tea made from scratch. 🙌 Now, I'm excited to recreate that experience in my own kitchen, embracing the art of Thai tea-making. Thanks for unraveling the secrets, Pailin! 💖👩🍳
I’ve been searching for a deep dive into Thai tea like this for what feels months bc I’ve become obsessed with the flavor, but nothing hit the mark. Thank you!!
They add the food coloring to the tea for good reason: You can differentiate good milk tea by its color. And it takes just the right amount of condensed milk and just the right strength of tea to get the color and taste right. A beautiful orange is what it should be. And if it's pale - it's too weak or dilute. If it's darker - it's just too strong. I would do it with additive free tea, playing around with tea steeping times and condensed milk amounts to get the recipe just right. And try it hot, it's very nice as well!
In the US I've always loved the moment you get to stir the American style Thai tea, mixing the light into the dark & seeing all the swirls. I think I would split the difference between American & Thai styles by dissolving white sugar into the hot tea base then topping it with the canned evaporated milk instead of the half & half
Have you tried Hong Kong-style lemon tea and milk tea? They're my favourite drinks, and I believe in Vancouver there are a few great cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style diners), where you can give them a go, as the Hong Kong community is not exactly small there. I like them unsweetened, but the beauty of HK-style drinks is that you can order them at any sweetness level you like. To digress, since Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong are all known for their milk tea (and, sadly, political struggles), netizens started to call these places collectively the "Milk Tea Alliance" several years ago.
@@PailinsKitchen Oh you went to Taiwan? It's food heaven! Would you consider teaching us how to cook some famous Taiwanese dishes like beef noodle soup, fried chicken or oyster pancake?
Use 3 Tetley and 2 Lipton yellow label tea bags, possibly with same amount of hot water, skip the condense milk, add evaporate milk only, preferably black and white label, that’s how I make my HK style milk tea in Australia. You can add sugar or syrup for iced tea, but I like mine unsweetened
@@assenav1028 That's a knock off version of it. I tried that and didn't really work. If you want it to taste exactly like what you get from Hong Kong, use Loose Leafs and a Strainer. Normally a HK tea house uses Ceylon leaf (large) and Indian Leaf (fine leaf) mix and pour water from the top of the strainer back and forth 3 times, and then let it sit for 2 minutes inside the water. Do it too much or let it sit too long in water the tea come out bitter.
I bought a tea sock and ChaTraMue tea in Thailand and I make my tea with condensed and evaporated milk, I don't add sugar. I have been siping one today 😊 Thanks from France
One thing I learned when I was in Thailand was that Thais have absolutely no problem with artificial additives, so I already assumed that those tea drinks had them too. I really noticed it when I returned to Germany with a tin of Cha Tra Mue Thai tea and compared it with the Thai tea (of the same brand) that I got in Germany. It tasted completely different and didn't have nearly as much colour.
Many years ago, I visited my local Thai grocer. I bought a box of tea leaves with the idea of making iced tea. It said I should use 4 tablespoons of the leaves and it never explained WHY I needed as much. Finally got the answer! Thanks!
I still remember my first trip to Bangkok, buying Thai tea made this way from food carts for about $1 every day. Between that and the food, my tastebuds were in heaven 🤤
When they visited me in Thailand, my parents would always bring back Thai tea to France. I like cha nom ron because it has no ice so it has a stronger taste. At 5 am, at the market, with kay luak and pa tonko.
It's great to see you finally do this video Pai. It's very thorough and helps solidify the information and little nuances of making Thai Thai. I had to learn how to make this using Google Translate to replicate it about 12 years ago. I use ⅔ Cup of Police Dog Thai Tea Powder to 1.3 Litres of Thai Tea in the Plunger (French Press). Pour in hot then plunge after 30 minutes extract maximum flavour. This brand was the one that tasted most authentic to what I was served everywhere in Thailand. The flavour is great and it has added dye which makes the colour a really nice orange hue and stains your hands while preparing it. When I use the Cha Tra Mue Brand, I use only ½ cup as this one turns out too bitter if strong. It also has a more floral taste that I don't like.
I’ve known how Thai tea powder is made for years, but always assumed to the artificial vanilla flavor was too different for your hack to work. I’m definitely trying that. Thank you.
I think yellow food coloring makes it more orangey, but since they’re both bad for you - there’s a version you can buy made with annatto for coloring. Great recipe, love the info :)
FYI if you're someone looking for a vegan milk and you've landed on oat milk as your choice, oats are one of the foods where buying organic makes a real difference. They tend to absorb a lot of pesticides.
My husband is Thai and I made him this tea and he loved it! Thank you for sharing these great tea recipes. Now that the warmer weather is here, I'll be able to keep this tea on hand to serve to my family whenever they need to cool down. Much love from PA
I was once in a fancy restaurant that had really, really good unsweet iced tea, it definitely wasn't a Thai tea but it tasted like it had some of the same flavors. I was loving it and wanted to find out what it was but the waiter insisted it was just plain Lipton. You mean to tell me those clowns were probably just adding a little fake vanilla flavor 😂 thanks for doing an in-depth video on this!!! I love Thai tea so even if my try at the fancy guys tea doesn't work out, this is such a useful video for me
I took my internship as a server in a casual restaurant, we offered "Thai Iced-tea" in our menu and let me tell you. Our chef was laughing so hard at me when I learned that he only uses lipton for the said tea XD
My friend owned a restaurant in Dallas for 23 years and he said Lipton. It still tastes different to me at his restaurant than the Lipton I made at home.
Indonesian here. I must say Thai Tea is one of my favorite way to drink tea. I prefer a strong Thai Tea so I boiled the tea for 5-6 minutes and didn't put any sugar into it.
Debunking videos are always somewhat charming and unique in its own way, and your latest debunking videos look refreshing, knowledgeable while also being entertained. Still getting used to your new style of video editing but really great job, Pai and please create these kinds of videos more & more! ❤
So, food coloring and fake vanilla is the secret? Interesting. I usually make a giant pot of lightly sweetened black tea (one cup of turbinado sugar to 1.5 gallons of water and 30 tea bags) and keep it in the fridge. When I make a glass of iced tea I add a splash of pure vanilla and half & half and squeeze a quarter of a lime into the glass. I never knew how close to Thai tea my favorite beverage was until today.
In order to cut out some sugar from mine, I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to mine and top it off with whipping cream instead of half & half. Super good.
Thank you! I followed your recipe but I used condensed coconut milk and evaporated coconut milk instead and it’s YUMMY 😋 The coconut flavor isn’t strong at all so it tastes very similar to when you buy it ❤
@@franziskathiel4669 How it was done when I was growing up in the 80s before 7/11 was a thing in Thailand. Drinks sellers would pack a plastic bag with ice and pour drinks into it, and if the bad didn't already have handles, the seller would tie it off with a rubber band to make a handle leaving a small hole for a straw. Better than a cup imo, you got a drinks bag you can carry with one finger, or even handsfree and hang it up almost anywhere. Drinks carts still do that, though it's rarer to see in Bangkok these days.
You can buy cream in Thailand and mix it 50/50 with whole milk to get half & half. In Thailand evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are made from skim milk powder and have no milkfat and even Carnation uses palm oil as substitute for the milkfat.
One of my Thai tea hacks which I call it “Thai Tea Float” Just make ur Thai tea plain but for the dairy add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s not that bad.
The "real" Thai tea, that's the way I make it. Except instead of using a strainer, I make it in an espresso machine (as I saw people doing in Thailand). Works super well. Two tablespoons of tea in the basket, run the water till it starts to come out, wait 1 minute, then run the rest out (141g). Then condensed and evaporated milk. Delicious!!!
Yep, this is very common in Thailand. In Europe, I've found that a cheap Moka Pot is also a good alternative, and much better than the French Press option.
You have me chuckling at just a minute in with the food coloring line! I actually tried to make Thai tea once with a very nice black tea that I was gifted. I looked up a recipe and got all the other spices that are supposed to go into it and a nice sugar at a local Asian supermarket. They have Thai tea mixes, but I really wanted to try making it with the black tea I had. It was really good, but not exactly like how it tasted from restaurants. I was wondering about the color, but you've solved that mystery for me! Edit: this is so interesting. I never thought it was as simple as just vanilla flavoring. When I made mine with the leaves and the spices it was stuff like anise, cardamom and cloves. I'm excited to try making this again!
Hello, Pailin. I'm a big fan of Thai Tea. So, Thai Tea is popular in Indonesia recently and many street vendors sell Thai Tea in the specialized stores. The problem is even though most are selling in a Thai style, not North American style because we don't have Half and Half in Indonesia, for milk, they use either 2 dairy products (evaporated milk and condensed milk) or even condensed milk (I assumed that some vendors use condensed milk because they cut the cost for making more affordable). So, that's my explanation......
True, but sad thing in Indonesia is that the majority of brands of evaporated milk are not even "real" evaporated milk, they only use some milk powder and most of the fat comes from added vegetable oil (some even use palm oil). So we don't exactly have that same dairy richness for our thai tea.
I just discovered Thai tea about three weeks ago. I’m addicted. I think it’s a new fad in my area. So many restaurants are suddenly offering it. Now with your very deep dive into Thai tea, I will know what I am getting. I will try different restaurants and discreetly ask questions and I will discover who is making a version the most to my liking. Thanks for another great video, Pailin!
I've only had the genuine Thai style, both at home and local Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. It's one of my favorite drinks, but I'll definitely try the lime version.
I will definitely make this! We love Thai tea. Ordered this at Red ginger. I made your Thai version of dumplings and everyone loves it. I also made the sweet chili sauce and my sister back home( Phil.) wants the recipe, so I sent it. Thank you for sharing! 💜
After a bunch of very average nobicha red teas in Bangkok I had a red tea with no milk from a lady with a street vending truck and it was amazing. I think she used coco palm suger too.
Thai (Milk)Iced Tea is great for refreshing plus some energy kick after having an exhausting day. While the Thai Lemon/Lime Iced Tea is BEST for a refreshment during hot weather/summer time relax, which is also a good option to wake you up from afternoon sleepiness, too. Both are so enjoyable.
Pantai was the brand I was able to get a hold of at my local Asian grocer and oat milk "half and half" is what I had in the fridge. Used a mix of white granulated and maple syrup as the sweeteners, and also found pantai lacked vanilla so I added a tiny amount of trader Joe's vanilla bean paste. Totally hit the spot - thanks for providing the ratios and method to get me started! (The salt tip is genius!)
I would love to see your recipe for Thai coffee. I'm not sure if it's a real and specific drink for Thai people or a made up drink in some Thai-American restaurants but I like it.
I'm a bit of a tea snob, and prefer loose leaf tea. So I may make it at home with assam tea, and added vanille. It doesn't have to be the "right" color for me. But I'm fine with what the local thai restaurant serves. And maybe try it black with lime.
I make Thai iced tea all the time in my french press. My vegan version uses condensed oat milk, and instead of the evaporated milk, I use aroy-d coconut milk, or ripple half and half. So good 😋.
Many years ago, I went to a Thai American restaurant with my mother. We had Thai iced tea and it was sooo good. I asked how they made it and they said black tea (I think) and condensed milk. I love it!
Oooo mines also. Very refreshing when chilled. Just find a bunch of lemon grass stalks at an asia or Hispanic market. Chop the stalks in 3 parts crush with a mortar and pestle. boil them for like 10 to 15 min or until the color changes to a dark greenish/yellow color. Let it sit to cool and serve with ice. I used to also make hibiscus iced drink which is also very good and refreshing. people in thailand also drink this but its not available in thai restaurants and not many supermarkets sell the dry leafs.
oh mood this is the tea i use at home when i make thai iced tea. i usually pour it through a fine mesh filter to get the big leaves, and then through a wet paper towel (in a mesh filter) to get out the remaining tea dust. i find that a coffee filter is a little too slow to pour through for my taste. i usually use heavy cream when i'm making it at home, but there are a couple of tea shops i go to that use sweetened condensed milk. i'm kind of blessed to live in a very diverse area i suppose, it's so easy to find good food here from a large variety of different places.
There used to be this really amazing Thai restaurant in Long Beach, CA when I lived there. They made their own cold tea, and it was authentic. Mostly. The only difference is that they added a bit of red tea to the black. These days I don't get out much so I cheat, I have the instant powder mix delivered 🤣
Cha Manao rules. Super refreshing on warm days. It ia almost as good as the coconut milkshakes. Thailand is obsessed with fancy coffee drinks and bubble tea. There are coffee shops everywhere, frequently little outdoor stands.
A couple tips I have for anyone (as someone who drinks milk tea & thai tea frequently, lol): 1. If you're making yourself a 8-12 oz thai tea at home, the best dairy (to me) is a 2-6 tablespoons combination of whole milk and half and half. (Whole milk is the best dairy for basic milk tea, IMO.) The best amount to add, I think, is 3 tablespoons whole milk, and 1 tablespoon half and half. But you can do 4-6 tablespoons just whole milk, 2-3 tablespoons just half and half, or 4 tablespoons whole milk plus 2 tablespoons half and half. (Edit - a side note I wanted to mention - Half and half is more often closer to 13-15% milk fat, and can be anywhere from 10-18% milk fat... "half and half" is technically supposed to be half whole milk (4% fat) and half heavy cream (30-35% fat).) 2. An easy way to make thai tea (the tea itself) here in the US (like from shopping at a Walmart), is to make your tea half cheap black tea bags (like red rose, tetley, or my favorite is Luzianne), plus half "Wangderm Authentic Thai Tea" bags (like I said, something you can find at Walmart). That brand of Thai Tea is not as cheap as a large bag (like what I usually buy that's Thai is by "Pantai," a popular Thai brand, something you can order online), and it also seems to have more of that "thai tea" unique flavor, and less of the actual tea/black tea flavor. So, if you do what I recommend and make it half cheap black tea and half that Wangderm brand, it tastes like standard thai tea (better than that Wangderm tea alone, anyways)!
I’ve heard from a guy in Chiang Mai who serves tea in a coffee shop that the coffee shop version is made even stronger by freeze distillation. They would chill the tea just below the tea fully freezes and remove the ice and the drippings would be collected as this tea syrup where fresh ice is then added to lengthen the drink.
While I am not crazy about Iced Tea in general, on a hot day it is refreshing. Once when I was in a coffee shop in Bangkok, I was chatting with a Thai man sitting next to me. He worked at a nearby restaurant. A tray full of Thai Iced Teas went past us headed for a table of tourists. The Thai man casually said, "Only tourists order Thai Iced Tea. I don't know any Thai people who drink it." I had to laugh. To be honest, I have never seen any of my American-Thai friends drink it. Was he just really not a fan of Thai Tea or is there something to his remark?
Hi Adam here - and good question! If you want to ask her that one directly though rather that put it out to the community (as she doesn't see the comments on here once the post is more than a week old as per her note above), you can check out all the options to get hold of her at hot-thai-kitchen.com/contact . (That said, maybe he means lime tea is more popular with Thais?) Cheers!
It's not just food coloring, artificial vanilla, and a hint of sugar that make Thai Tea different. It also includes a bit of star anise, cardamom, and maybe a few other spices (though a small amount)...
As a native thai, i’d say we are too lazy to put those herbs in Thai tea. As Pai said, it’s not a gourmet thing, just simply a beverage to cure our thirstiness.
Yes. I was hoping Pailin might comment on this too. I've traveled several times in Thailand and all the times I got an iced milk tea such as this, I never noticed spices. However, some restaurants in America seem to add spices to the tea to make it fancy. Very possible I just didn't try enough places in Thailand and that spices are common there, but I also wonder if the restaurants outside Thailand are just trying to make it for customers who are expecting something more exotic. @@ps1251
@@ps1251 I wasn't saying people actually add those spices themselves, I'm saying the large bags of Thai Tea mix have those spices mixed in already. Some packages even specify that
Tea is called "cha" in my language, too (Bengali) and those of us who live in Canada use Carnation evaporated milk and Tetley orange pekoe almost exclusively to make our hot tea. Back home, condensed milk and roasted black tea leaves are usually used. We don't traditionally have cold or iced teas, but they are similar to the Thai iced tea. I started learning Thai cooking from you about 10 years ago. You made it SO easy to make my own curry pastes and of course, one of my top Thai dishes: khao soi...all from scratch! I'll have to make Thai tea now.
When I had it at the restaurant and how I learned to make it, it was only with sweet condensed milk, no evaporated, definitely not half-and-half. I'll have to try mixing in evaporated milk this summer when I make a big pitcher of it.
At various times over the years I've looked for a good answer on what Thai Tea actually is and have never found a clear answer, and then today the algorithm suggested this video to me. Thank you so much! Especially for the info on various versions, misconceptions, etc.
I’m suuuper happy to find your youtube channel. Used to work as flight attendant before the pandemic and I miss so much the thai food when travelling! Now that I have some holidays, I will definitely going to try your pad thai recipe and if I find the tea that you have here and I used to buy in Bangkok, I will also give it a go. Thank you and greetings from Spain!
Wow this is the best video I’ve ever seen on UA-cam on the subject. Thank you for using a lavalier microphone., and fantastic video/editing. Really made it worthwhile to watch and listen instead of just someone with a phone camera. I learned a lot and usually the American way is the way I usually make this iced tea. It’s just easy to buy a little bit of half-and-half from the store, but either way you did an excellent job and I love it…..! ❤
@@chrisel4349 The type of tea used in Thailand and the U.S. is the same according to the video. So those things are indeed found in real Thai tea as the package showed. The difference in the final drink is that in Thailand they used canned milks and in the U.S. they use fresh half-and-half.
I got Chatramue to make thai milk tea, but it's a lot and I was getting tired of the dairy/cream. Ironically this video introduced me to the lime iced tea and I went to check your other video. Thank you so much! The lime iced tea is so refreshing!
I love Thai milk tea and lime tea. ChaTraMue just opened their cafes near my area so I now have easy access to the tea packs. I also make it the same way. Now the problem, Nestle just discontinued their evaporated milk in my country and the other remaining brands just don't taste the same!
I wish I saw you add salt to your tea 30 minutes ago, when I was making my breakfast tea. I'd never heard of this concept, but I love the idea! I'll just have to wait till tomorrow to try it out ☺️
Hey everyone! The full recipe is here hot-thai-kitchen.com/thai-iced-tea/
The post above also has additional info, so if you have further questions, please read the blog post first and see if your question is answered there. If not, leave your question on the website comments! Questions in UA-cam comments may not be seen due to large volume. Thank you 🙏🏼
I'm pretty sure I have.
Black tea has a natural RED color, not orange.
In China, black tea is called RED tea.
Just a tip, any foreigner won't be able to understand those measures, we use grams and milliliters. I really don't know how much tea powder and how much water was added
@@rubenssz water is given in grams
teaspoon is 5ml tablespoon is 15ml
How much sugar 3 tablespoon or 4?
Classic thai iced tea used to be my favorite, until I discovered thai green tea, where the tea base is changed to a jasmine green tea. The floral notes are sublime with the condensed milk!!
Had thai iced green tea with milk at a thai restaurant specializing in isan food. Not sure if it was the restaurant or the brand they were using but totally tasted disgusting and not like any normal general green tea you would find in most Asian food places. I gave it one sip and i was like wth is this. It had the floral notes as you mentioned but tasted very much chemical induced as well and not very natural tasting. I very much prefer Chinese or Japanese green teas over this.
Wait...that sounds amazing. I want to drink it!
@@sayajinmamuangtea is easy to burn. Maybe it was burnt. Jasmine green tea is extremely pleasant and mellow usually. I'm sorry yours was not good. 😢
@lowwastehighmelanin oh I know I've tasted jasmine green tea in many Chinese Japanese and Korean restaurants and food places. I think more the problem was that it tasted more like a chemical mixture rather then a natural green tea taste. But i see what your saying thanks anyways
Agree! Thai gree tea is so amazing when I discovered it in Thailand
2 Very kind women from Thailand used to make this daily for me for 2 years straight. They would sometimes add some coconut milk. Fricking delicious! Unfortunately, 1 year ago, their Hawaiian shop closed and they disappeared, but I'm still addicted. Thai tea....all day....everyday ❤. Mahalo so much for your time and effort.
I think the American way is more coconut milk than half and half.
That may be so. Not sure of the origin of adding other things. It was only sometimes that they'd add coconut milk just for extra flavor, and that idea came from one of the younger daughters. Most times, it was authentic. Still fricking delicious, though 😋
I just watched Uncle Roger's reviews for dollar store Pad Thai. He said your channel is where to go to learn Thai cooking. I totally agree. ❤
Uncle Roger is also mistaken for some authority on everything-authentic Asian cuisine (I mean cmon, why should people assume someone thoroughly knows not simply one country [like Chinese, Korean, Japanese,...] food, but *all* Asian food?)...
@@nickm.5931 I have the same thoughts!! Also, he’s a comedian, not a cook. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know anything, but it’s weird that people treat him as the be-all end-all on which food is authentic or not.
I want to find a version that tastes the same without dye
@@doveflyer1636 Not sure how to put this but she mentioned even the authentic version has dye and artificial vanilla. So you're asking for a fake version of the authentic version that's actually more pure? I dont disagree with you but any version other than the authentic is going to be a knock-off, isnt it? Knock-offs generally dont taste as good as the original.
@@nickm.5931uncle Roger isn't even a real person. He can't hurt you. So I wouldn't take everything seriously
I just got a job in a cafe run by a Thai couple, and we combine methods. We have a pitcher of Thai Tea with sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk added, and we serve it to the customer with half and half floated on top. Extra, extra rich and indulgent.
*taking notes*
@@lowwastehighmelanin👍👍👍
As you were adding the orange food coloring I was thinking this would be a good “fall” beverage for Americans in the south where it doesn’t cool down until December, if ever. Forget pumpkin spice lattes! Make Thai ice tea the south’s official fall drink!
We do love iced tea and also sweetened condensed milk. Could work!
i always keep sweetened condensed milk at home to add to hot drinks. i started doing it for viet style iced coffee, but it makes sense that's what makes thai tea so good, too! the hispanic grocery stores where i live tend to keep it in squeeze bottles, which i much prefer so i don't have to deal with a whole can just for a single cup.
You can also dip bread in it.
Omg I need a squeeze bottle so I can have REAL Thai iced tea for breakfast!
The Hispanic condensed milk you're referring to is called La Lechera. Very convenient to use.
Thai Tea + Oat milk is a good combination too, the creamy texture and thickness are just about right!
That’s so true!😊
I use vanilla oat creamer instead to get more richness and creaminess.
I'm happy to find out that the Thai Iced Tea we made in a Thai restaurant in North Carolina was the real deal. That's precisely how we made it.
The condensed milk is sooooooo essential to that caramelized addicting flavor! Even in the US, I'll never settle for half and half in my thai tea it's just not the same. I live in a small town in Colorado but we're lucky to have a Thai restaurant in town that makes it the right way!! Now I want to try myself:)
Omg do you live near Brighton?! I loveeee the thai tea at TJ Pho
this is the recipe I have always used
4 cups (960 ml) water
4 organic black tea bags
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanila
2 anise stars
1 green cardamom pod , smashed
2 whole cloves
Do you mean 2 complete stars, or 2 "arms" from one star?
Personally, i would use just one star at most. Otherwise the anise flavour gets way too overpowering @@AntiAntiAntiFa
@@abididubidi7815 I agree, and I would use a little more cardamom than anise.
But just adding vanilla to black tea already gives you a lot of Thai tea flavor. I'm going to try adding vanilla to several kinds of chai.
@@AntiAntiAntiFa those arms are called " petals"
@AntiAntiAntiFa It’s probably worth the time to try this recipe with multiple dark teas as well. Earl Grey? Rooibos? Oolong? So many good tea types that could make the recipe shine. For those who want it absurdly strong, replace plain black with Earl Grey.
You know? I just feel like this recipe isn't using the right tea type. For all we know, it could be excellent in orange pekoe.
REALLY appreciate how you present information and clarify between Thai-born LOL recipes and Thai-American recipes. Kindly (but firmly!) re-educating us and paying respect to the cuisine, country, and food pathways. Meanwhile sliding in the Thai-thai Lime Tea at the end - which sounds amazing. I've learned something more than what I came to this video for - want to know more of the real deal! 🍋
The can opening trick isn't a Thai thing. It's just the right thing! My grandparents always kept evaporated milk and they used a traditional old can punch to open it and you're supposed to punch open both sides for an easy pour! Apparently Thai vendors have kept the know-how!
My grandmother used an awl to hole her can of armored cow.
We did similar with canned juices. One hole made with a triangle punch to pour with. Another sometimes smaller hole on the opposite side to let the air in for easier pouring.
Same in Sri Lanka with our nestle tinned products, I do it to decant my oil from a 4 litre tin to my glass bottles as well.
That is how I was taught. The concept isn't any different that the large jugs of drinking water with the dispenser built in. It require a person to poke a hole on the top to get rid of any vacuum pressure.
The entire island of Jamaica knows this trick too. Source: my family doing this for decades in the US/Canada/Jamaica. :)
Of course I'm going to try it today with whatever I can find at home. As an Indian and a chai lover, I absolutely love Thai Iced tea here in the US. I knew from the color that there would be some food coloring, but the Vanilla flavoring was eye opening! Thanks Pailin for your videos
My wife and I both prefer the lime thai tea as well, thanks for the mention as it is almost never found here in North America
Today I went to a new local authentic Thai restaurant and tried their Thai tea. I actually found them because I was searching for Thai tea and accidentally did it in Google Maps. Happy accident, because they were just a mile from my house and also have Thai tea. Funny you mention the lime in the tea, because they made a special tea, butterfly pea flower tea, which I they added lime to and it was really great! They also made mine with oat milk and I was surprised how well it worked compared to classic dairy. Oh my gosh though, I’m so happy you shared this with us. I need to try making it for myself (part Thai) and more importantly, my wife who loves it even more. 🙏🏽
I have to say I've tried both versions many times and I've come to prefer a hybrid of both. I make a "milk sauce" mixing half&half and condensed milk together and pour that over the Thai tea omitting the extra sugar at the end.
I prefer half&half over evaporated milk due to it being more richer but the best in taste, which I've had in some fine Thai restaurants, is heavy cream that's been sweetened by condensed milk. I've asked them point blank what they use and they told me heavy cream. That just makes the tea amazing...but no so healthy for regular drinking.
Viewer from Taiwan 👋 In my country, it is not common to find evaporated milk in the regular supermarket, it will usually appears in bakery suppliment shop, but only comes in one brand which is Carnation from Nestle. So to make things easier, I usually have a stronger tea base, without adding suger but use condensed milk only to reach the sweetness, then adding more of milk (compared to the traditional Thai style) to finialize it.
This is strange since you live in close proximity to SEA nations which use these substitutions a lot. Speaking of which, as a Filipino, we have sub-variants of those, which is "condensada" and "evaporada", where cream is mixed in with the evaporated/condensed milk to make it cheaper and since most of the people making our local desserts would do it anyway (and even add more cream to dilute what's remaining of evap/condensed milk).
Unfortunately, our economy isn't doing so well and prices had shot up significantly, so it's more than the price of where the original versions where previously, and I think the original versions will no longer sell.
@@triadwarfare Taiwan doesn't really have a milk tea tradition like Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Myanmar so it makes sense that they don't use evaporated milk. Speaking of milk tea, their boba tea base tastes very fake from my POV as a HKer because their tea doesn't use milk but milk powder.
Yup, I use sugar and vanilla to get the flavor along with Assam tea leaves. I found using oat milk works really well. I have all the ingredients in my pantry so I don't bother with the packaged ones found here or in the grocery stores.
I prefer evaporated milk in any tea or coffee, I found out by accident when I had leftovers and didn't know what to use it in lol Thank you for sharing.
Same here! For many years, I drank my coffee and tea with evaporated milk, exclusively. Until I realized fairly recently (after going through stomach issues every day) that I'm lactose-intolerant. So I've switched to oat milk. It's not the same, though, not as creamy, and I don't think it'd work for Thai tea. Although apparently sweetened condensed oat milk (and evaporated oat milk!?) is a thing...
Thai tea is a symphony of flavors - a dance between the earthy Assam tea leaves, the sweetness of condensed milk, and the surprise tang of lime. 🍹 Each sip transports you to vibrant Bangkok streets, where vendors craft this magical elixir. 🌆 I've tried it in various forms, but nothing quite compares to the authenticity of Thai tea made from scratch. 🙌 Now, I'm excited to recreate that experience in my own kitchen, embracing the art of Thai tea-making. Thanks for unraveling the secrets, Pailin! 💖👩🍳
I’ve been searching for a deep dive into Thai tea like this for what feels months bc I’ve become obsessed with the flavor, but nothing hit the mark. Thank you!!
They add the food coloring to the tea for good reason:
You can differentiate good milk tea by its color.
And it takes just the right amount of condensed milk and just the right strength of tea to get the color and taste right.
A beautiful orange is what it should be. And if it's pale - it's too weak or dilute. If it's darker - it's just too strong.
I would do it with additive free tea, playing around with tea steeping times and condensed milk amounts to get the recipe just right.
And try it hot, it's very nice as well!
In the US I've always loved the moment you get to stir the American style Thai tea, mixing the light into the dark & seeing all the swirls. I think I would split the difference between American & Thai styles by dissolving white sugar into the hot tea base then topping it with the canned evaporated milk instead of the half & half
Have you tried Hong Kong-style lemon tea and milk tea? They're my favourite drinks, and I believe in Vancouver there are a few great cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong-style diners), where you can give them a go, as the Hong Kong community is not exactly small there. I like them unsweetened, but the beauty of HK-style drinks is that you can order them at any sweetness level you like.
To digress, since Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong are all known for their milk tea (and, sadly, political struggles), netizens started to call these places collectively the "Milk Tea Alliance" several years ago.
Never tried HK style tea, but I just had Taiwan milk tea in Taiwan and it was amazing!! Interesting re: Milk Tea Alliance!
@@PailinsKitchen Oh you went to Taiwan? It's food heaven! Would you consider teaching us how to cook some famous Taiwanese dishes like beef noodle soup, fried chicken or oyster pancake?
Use 3 Tetley and 2 Lipton yellow label tea bags, possibly with same amount of hot water, skip the condense milk, add evaporate milk only, preferably black and white label, that’s how I make my HK style milk tea in Australia. You can add sugar or syrup for iced tea, but I like mine unsweetened
@@assenav1028 That's a knock off version of it. I tried that and didn't really work.
If you want it to taste exactly like what you get from Hong Kong, use Loose Leafs and a Strainer. Normally a HK tea house uses Ceylon leaf (large) and Indian Leaf (fine leaf) mix and pour water from the top of the strainer back and forth 3 times, and then let it sit for 2 minutes inside the water.
Do it too much or let it sit too long in water the tea come out bitter.
I bought a tea sock and ChaTraMue tea in Thailand and I make my tea with condensed and evaporated milk, I don't add sugar. I have been siping one today 😊
Thanks from France
One thing I learned when I was in Thailand was that Thais have absolutely no problem with artificial additives, so I already assumed that those tea drinks had them too.
I really noticed it when I returned to Germany with a tin of Cha Tra Mue Thai tea and compared it with the Thai tea (of the same brand) that I got in Germany. It tasted completely different and didn't have nearly as much colour.
Many years ago, I visited my local Thai grocer. I bought a box of tea leaves with the idea of making iced tea. It said I should use 4 tablespoons of the leaves and it never explained WHY I needed as much. Finally got the answer! Thanks!
I still remember my first trip to Bangkok, buying Thai tea made this way from food carts for about $1 every day. Between that and the food, my tastebuds were in heaven 🤤
When they visited me in Thailand, my parents would always bring back Thai tea to France.
I like cha nom ron because it has no ice so it has a stronger taste. At 5 am, at the market, with kay luak and pa tonko.
Brings back fond memories of the first time I had this tea in Chiang Mai. Thanks Pai.
I make dairy free Thai iced tea with the Nut Pods creamer "original". It's a blend of coconut and almond milks. I love it!
It's great to see you finally do this video Pai. It's very thorough and helps solidify the information and little nuances of making Thai Thai. I had to learn how to make this using Google Translate to replicate it about 12 years ago.
I use ⅔ Cup of Police Dog Thai Tea Powder to 1.3 Litres of Thai Tea in the Plunger (French Press). Pour in hot then plunge after 30 minutes extract maximum flavour.
This brand was the one that tasted most authentic to what I was served everywhere in Thailand. The flavour is great and it has added dye which makes the colour a really nice orange hue and stains your hands while preparing it.
When I use the Cha Tra Mue Brand, I use only ½ cup as this one turns out too bitter if strong. It also has a more floral taste that I don't like.
4:08. evaporated milk poured on top for layer, sweet/condensed milk mixed with tea for sweetness
I’ve known how Thai tea powder is made for years, but always assumed to the artificial vanilla flavor was too different for your hack to work. I’m definitely trying that. Thank you.
I think yellow food coloring makes it more orangey, but since they’re both bad for you - there’s a version you can buy made with annatto for coloring. Great recipe, love the info :)
FYI if you're someone looking for a vegan milk and you've landed on oat milk as your choice, oats are one of the foods where buying organic makes a real difference. They tend to absorb a lot of pesticides.
My husband is Thai and I made him this tea and he loved it! Thank you for sharing these great tea recipes. Now that the warmer weather is here, I'll be able to keep this tea on hand to serve to my family whenever they need to cool down. Much love from PA
I was once in a fancy restaurant that had really, really good unsweet iced tea, it definitely wasn't a Thai tea but it tasted like it had some of the same flavors. I was loving it and wanted to find out what it was but the waiter insisted it was just plain Lipton. You mean to tell me those clowns were probably just adding a little fake vanilla flavor 😂 thanks for doing an in-depth video on this!!! I love Thai tea so even if my try at the fancy guys tea doesn't work out, this is such a useful video for me
I took my internship as a server in a casual restaurant, we offered "Thai Iced-tea" in our menu and let me tell you. Our chef was laughing so hard at me when I learned that he only uses lipton for the said tea XD
My friend owned a restaurant in Dallas for 23 years and he said Lipton. It still tastes different to me at his restaurant than the Lipton I made at home.
Indonesian here. I must say Thai Tea is one of my favorite way to drink tea. I prefer a strong Thai Tea so I boiled the tea for 5-6 minutes and didn't put any sugar into it.
Debunking videos are always somewhat charming and unique in its own way, and your latest debunking videos look refreshing, knowledgeable while also being entertained. Still getting used to your new style of video editing but really great job, Pai and please create these kinds of videos more & more! ❤
I appreciate how thorough you are in your explanations and comparisons.
So, food coloring and fake vanilla is the secret? Interesting. I usually make a giant pot of lightly sweetened black tea (one cup of turbinado sugar to 1.5 gallons of water and 30 tea bags) and keep it in the fridge. When I make a glass of iced tea I add a splash of pure vanilla and half & half and squeeze a quarter of a lime into the glass. I never knew how close to Thai tea my favorite beverage was until today.
Does it go bad?
In order to cut out some sugar from mine, I add a scoop of vanilla protein powder to mine and top it off with whipping cream instead of half & half. Super good.
PERFECT timing! I just bought a bag of Thai tea a couple of days ago.
Thank you! I followed your recipe but I used condensed coconut milk and evaporated coconut milk instead and it’s YUMMY 😋 The coconut flavor isn’t strong at all so it tastes very similar to when you buy it ❤
This channel made me proud of Thai food :)
I'm so glad I watched this, I've put a pinch of salt in my coffee before, but never thought to do that with tea!
The ice must be bough from 7/11, otherwise it is still fake 😅
The real authentic one is from a street cart served no cup in a plastic bag.
That is oddly spezific Thank you 😂
@@abmong😂 righty there.
@@franziskathiel4669 How it was done when I was growing up in the 80s before 7/11 was a thing in Thailand. Drinks sellers would pack a plastic bag with ice and pour drinks into it, and if the bad didn't already have handles, the seller would tie it off with a rubber band to make a handle leaving a small hole for a straw. Better than a cup imo, you got a drinks bag you can carry with one finger, or even handsfree and hang it up almost anywhere. Drinks carts still do that, though it's rarer to see in Bangkok these days.
7/11 in Bankok
You can buy cream in Thailand and mix it 50/50 with whole milk to get half & half. In Thailand evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are made from skim milk powder and have no milkfat and even Carnation uses palm oil as substitute for the milkfat.
Sweetened condensed milk adds a caremel or butterscotch-like flavour to the tea that you don't get will just sugar
One of my Thai tea hacks which I call it “Thai Tea Float”
Just make ur Thai tea plain but for the dairy add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s not that bad.
The "real" Thai tea, that's the way I make it. Except instead of using a strainer, I make it in an espresso machine (as I saw people doing in Thailand). Works super well. Two tablespoons of tea in the basket, run the water till it starts to come out, wait 1 minute, then run the rest out (141g). Then condensed and evaporated milk. Delicious!!!
Agree. Just don't stuff too much tea into the portafilter. Otherwise the water will not flow.
Yep, this is very common in Thailand. In Europe, I've found that a cheap Moka Pot is also a good alternative, and much better than the French Press option.
Nom Yen has the same case. Not specifying what kind of milk but we know it's the pink one. For some reason.
Growing in Malaysia we use condensed milk in coffee. So delicious
Yes! It's the same in Indonesia. Kopi susu. Insanely delicious coffee with Sumatran beans!!!
Vietnamese ice coffee with sweet condensed milk. Delicious 😋
You have me chuckling at just a minute in with the food coloring line! I actually tried to make Thai tea once with a very nice black tea that I was gifted. I looked up a recipe and got all the other spices that are supposed to go into it and a nice sugar at a local Asian supermarket. They have Thai tea mixes, but I really wanted to try making it with the black tea I had.
It was really good, but not exactly like how it tasted from restaurants. I was wondering about the color, but you've solved that mystery for me!
Edit: this is so interesting. I never thought it was as simple as just vanilla flavoring. When I made mine with the leaves and the spices it was stuff like anise, cardamom and cloves.
I'm excited to try making this again!
Hello, Pailin. I'm a big fan of Thai Tea. So, Thai Tea is popular in Indonesia recently and many street vendors sell Thai Tea in the specialized stores. The problem is even though most are selling in a Thai style, not North American style because we don't have Half and Half in Indonesia, for milk, they use either 2 dairy products (evaporated milk and condensed milk) or even condensed milk (I assumed that some vendors use condensed milk because they cut the cost for making more affordable). So, that's my explanation......
True, but sad thing in Indonesia is that the majority of brands of evaporated milk are not even "real" evaporated milk, they only use some milk powder and most of the fat comes from added vegetable oil (some even use palm oil). So we don't exactly have that same dairy richness for our thai tea.
how is that a problem? it's the same thing as what you would get in Thailand so you can say it's more authentic even
I just discovered Thai tea about three weeks ago. I’m addicted. I think it’s a new fad in my area. So many restaurants are suddenly offering it. Now with your very deep dive into Thai tea, I will know what I am getting. I will try different restaurants and discreetly ask questions and I will discover who is making a version the most to my liking.
Thanks for another great video, Pailin!
I've only had the genuine Thai style, both at home and local Vietnamese and Thai restaurants. It's one of my favorite drinks, but I'll definitely try the lime version.
I am currently in Thailand and ordered thai lemon tea because of the video
It's truely delicious
I will definitely make this! We love Thai tea. Ordered this at Red ginger. I made your Thai version of dumplings and everyone loves it. I also made the sweet chili sauce and my sister back home( Phil.) wants the recipe, so I sent it. Thank you for sharing! 💜
I love Thai tea. When I was in Thailand a few weeks back I wasn't sure which to buy. I found this on Amazon and ordered.
Love this vid! I hope you’ll cover Thai green tea some day!!
Great idea - but for now hot-thai-kitchen.com/thai-iced-coffee/#growMeSearch=tea :) Cheers! Adam
After a bunch of very average nobicha red teas in Bangkok I had a red tea with no milk from a lady with a street vending truck and it was amazing. I think she used coco palm suger too.
Thai (Milk)Iced Tea is great for refreshing plus some energy kick after having an exhausting day.
While the Thai Lemon/Lime Iced Tea is BEST for a refreshment during hot weather/summer time relax, which is also a good option to wake you up from afternoon sleepiness, too.
Both are so enjoyable.
Pantai was the brand I was able to get a hold of at my local Asian grocer and oat milk "half and half" is what I had in the fridge. Used a mix of white granulated and maple syrup as the sweeteners, and also found pantai lacked vanilla so I added a tiny amount of trader Joe's vanilla bean paste. Totally hit the spot - thanks for providing the ratios and method to get me started! (The salt tip is genius!)
I would love to see your recipe for Thai coffee. I'm not sure if it's a real and specific drink for Thai people or a made up drink in some Thai-American restaurants but I like it.
hot-thai-kitchen.com/thai-iced-coffee/ Cheers! Adam
@@AdamHotThaiKitchenslmcv
Slmcv
I watched a video years ago on how coffee waste can be used as fertilizer. The Thai tea leaves could be used to make my backyard vegetables greener.
I love how pretty and yummy it looks! Also pretty fascinating to learn about other cultures through recipes like this. Greetings from Brazil!
I'm a bit of a tea snob, and prefer loose leaf tea. So I may make it at home with assam tea, and added vanille. It doesn't have to be the "right" color for me. But I'm fine with what the local thai restaurant serves. And maybe try it black with lime.
I make Thai iced tea all the time in my french press. My vegan version uses condensed oat milk, and instead of the evaporated milk, I use aroy-d coconut milk, or ripple half and half. So good 😋.
At my local Asian grocery store they sell a coconut evaporated milk! Its by the brand chaokoh and its bombbbb
Oooohhh I’ll try your vegan recipe even if I like the traditional one. My tummy just cannot take it anymore 😂
@@rhiannonrecommends I’ll have to keep my eye out for that
Many years ago, I went to a Thai American restaurant with my mother. We had Thai iced tea and it was sooo good. I asked how they made it and they said black tea (I think) and condensed milk. I love it!
Another Thai drink I really like is lemongrass tea! I can't seem to recreate it at home though 🤔
hot-thai-kitchen.com/thai-iced-coffee/#growMeSearch=tea Cheers! Adam
Oooo mines also. Very refreshing when chilled. Just find a bunch of lemon grass stalks at an asia or Hispanic market. Chop the stalks in 3 parts crush with a mortar and pestle. boil them for like 10 to 15 min or until the color changes to a dark greenish/yellow color. Let it sit to cool and serve with ice. I used to also make hibiscus iced drink which is also very good and refreshing. people in thailand also drink this but its not available in thai restaurants and not many supermarkets sell the dry leafs.
oh mood this is the tea i use at home when i make thai iced tea. i usually pour it through a fine mesh filter to get the big leaves, and then through a wet paper towel (in a mesh filter) to get out the remaining tea dust. i find that a coffee filter is a little too slow to pour through for my taste. i usually use heavy cream when i'm making it at home, but there are a couple of tea shops i go to that use sweetened condensed milk. i'm kind of blessed to live in a very diverse area i suppose, it's so easy to find good food here from a large variety of different places.
There used to be this really amazing Thai restaurant in Long Beach, CA when I lived there. They made their own cold tea, and it was authentic. Mostly. The only difference is that they added a bit of red tea to the black.
These days I don't get out much so I cheat, I have the instant powder mix delivered 🤣
I bought a powder mix on Amazon. I brew Indian black tea then aid the mix and evaporated milk and ice.
i'm kind of surprised there aren't any spices in it. so it's essentially a vanilla milk tea, but with shelf stable milk products
Cha Manao rules. Super refreshing on warm days. It ia almost as good as the coconut milkshakes.
Thailand is obsessed with fancy coffee drinks and bubble tea. There are coffee shops everywhere, frequently little outdoor stands.
A couple tips I have for anyone (as someone who drinks milk tea & thai tea frequently, lol):
1. If you're making yourself a 8-12 oz thai tea at home, the best dairy (to me) is a 2-6 tablespoons combination of whole milk and half and half. (Whole milk is the best dairy for basic milk tea, IMO.) The best amount to add, I think, is 3 tablespoons whole milk, and 1 tablespoon half and half. But you can do 4-6 tablespoons just whole milk, 2-3 tablespoons just half and half, or 4 tablespoons whole milk plus 2 tablespoons half and half. (Edit - a side note I wanted to mention - Half and half is more often closer to 13-15% milk fat, and can be anywhere from 10-18% milk fat... "half and half" is technically supposed to be half whole milk (4% fat) and half heavy cream (30-35% fat).)
2. An easy way to make thai tea (the tea itself) here in the US (like from shopping at a Walmart), is to make your tea half cheap black tea bags (like red rose, tetley, or my favorite is Luzianne), plus half "Wangderm Authentic Thai Tea" bags (like I said, something you can find at Walmart). That brand of Thai Tea is not as cheap as a large bag (like what I usually buy that's Thai is by "Pantai," a popular Thai brand, something you can order online), and it also seems to have more of that "thai tea" unique flavor, and less of the actual tea/black tea flavor. So, if you do what I recommend and make it half cheap black tea and half that Wangderm brand, it tastes like standard thai tea (better than that Wangderm tea alone, anyways)!
I’ve heard from a guy in Chiang Mai who serves tea in a coffee shop that the coffee shop version is made even stronger by freeze distillation. They would chill the tea just below the tea fully freezes and remove the ice and the drippings would be collected as this tea syrup where fresh ice is then added to lengthen the drink.
Show us the lime version too! I've literally never seen it before and it sounds really good.
She shows it in another Video
Yep search for "tea" on the web site :) Cheers! Adam
Perfect timing! I just received my Thai tea leaves in the mail today! Can't wait!
While I am not crazy about Iced Tea in general, on a hot day it is refreshing. Once when I was in a coffee shop in Bangkok, I was chatting with a Thai man sitting next to me. He worked at a nearby restaurant. A tray full of Thai Iced Teas went past us headed for a table of tourists. The Thai man casually said, "Only tourists order Thai Iced Tea. I don't know any Thai people who drink it." I had to laugh. To be honest, I have never seen any of my American-Thai friends drink it. Was he just really not a fan of Thai Tea or is there something to his remark?
Hi Adam here - and good question! If you want to ask her that one directly though rather that put it out to the community (as she doesn't see the comments on here once the post is more than a week old as per her note above), you can check out all the options to get hold of her at hot-thai-kitchen.com/contact . (That said, maybe he means lime tea is more popular with Thais?) Cheers!
The Thai Restaurant where I worked as a teenager (in Florida) we used the tea base and condensed milk. No half and half, no evaporated milk, no sugar.
I just finished making my first glass of cha yen 😋 it came out wayyy better than when I order it at our local Thai restaurant! Thank you Pai 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
When I had my coffee cart, my tea base was just from the Thai tea leaf mix, and condensed milk. I'll have to try this!
It's not just food coloring, artificial vanilla, and a hint of sugar that make Thai Tea different. It also includes a bit of star anise, cardamom, and maybe a few other spices (though a small amount)...
As a native thai, i’d say we are too lazy to put those herbs in Thai tea. As Pai said, it’s not a gourmet thing, just simply a beverage to cure our thirstiness.
Yes. I was hoping Pailin might comment on this too. I've traveled several times in Thailand and all the times I got an iced milk tea such as this, I never noticed spices. However, some restaurants in America seem to add spices to the tea to make it fancy. Very possible I just didn't try enough places in Thailand and that spices are common there, but I also wonder if the restaurants outside Thailand are just trying to make it for customers who are expecting something more exotic. @@ps1251
@@ps1251 I wasn't saying people actually add those spices themselves, I'm saying the large bags of Thai Tea mix have those spices mixed in already. Some packages even specify that
YT won't let me delete this comment.
Tea is called "cha" in my language, too (Bengali) and those of us who live in Canada use Carnation evaporated milk and Tetley orange pekoe almost exclusively to make our hot tea. Back home, condensed milk and roasted black tea leaves are usually used. We don't traditionally have cold or iced teas, but they are similar to the Thai iced tea.
I started learning Thai cooking from you about 10 years ago. You made it SO easy to make my own curry pastes and of course, one of my top Thai dishes: khao soi...all from scratch! I'll have to make Thai tea now.
Well, most people never had anything real. But what is...real...?
Ok, "original" then if you wanna debate sematics
When I had it at the restaurant and how I learned to make it, it was only with sweet condensed milk, no evaporated, definitely not half-and-half. I'll have to try mixing in evaporated milk this summer when I make a big pitcher of it.
I just made this today and it was delicious. I used condensed milk and heavy cream.
At various times over the years I've looked for a good answer on what Thai Tea actually is and have never found a clear answer, and then today the algorithm suggested this video to me. Thank you so much! Especially for the info on various versions, misconceptions, etc.
I usually add full cream milk and winter melon concentrate to the black tea.
My family loves Thai food! Cheers from the 🇵🇭
OMG Thank you so much!!! Where to find the leaves.....
I’m suuuper happy to find your youtube channel. Used to work as flight attendant before the pandemic and I miss so much the thai food when travelling!
Now that I have some holidays, I will definitely going to try your pad thai recipe and if I find the tea that you have here and I used to buy in Bangkok, I will also give it a go.
Thank you and greetings from Spain!
Wow this is the best video I’ve ever seen on UA-cam on the subject. Thank you for using a lavalier microphone., and fantastic video/editing. Really made it worthwhile to watch and listen instead of just someone with a phone camera. I learned a lot and usually the American way is the way I usually make this iced tea. It’s just easy to buy a little bit of half-and-half from the store, but either way you did an excellent job and I love it…..! ❤
A+ for not whitewashing the artificial color and flavor. I'm convinced those two things together create the delicious Thai tea taste.
😂did you watch the video? Those things are not found in a real Thai tea. The one in the packet is the whitewashed version.
@@chrisel4349 The type of tea used in Thailand and the U.S. is the same according to the video. So those things are indeed found in real Thai tea as the package showed. The difference in the final drink is that in Thailand they used canned milks and in the U.S. they use fresh half-and-half.
I got Chatramue to make thai milk tea, but it's a lot and I was getting tired of the dairy/cream. Ironically this video introduced me to the lime iced tea and I went to check your other video. Thank you so much! The lime iced tea is so refreshing!
I love Thai milk tea and lime tea. ChaTraMue just opened their cafes near my area so I now have easy access to the tea packs. I also make it the same way. Now the problem, Nestle just discontinued their evaporated milk in my country and the other remaining brands just don't taste the same!
I wish I saw you add salt to your tea 30 minutes ago, when I was making my breakfast tea. I'd never heard of this concept, but I love the idea! I'll just have to wait till tomorrow to try it out ☺️