The real taste often comes to every beverage when you add some sweetness to it. On the other hand, if you don’t add sugar to your drink it would taste a bit bitter.
Another thing whose absence makes the drink taste bitter is milk. Both of these ingredients enhance the taste of tea.
However, a lot of sugar would not be appropriate for your body and you should ensure that the consumption of sugar or sweetener is kept within the daily recommended intake.
Thai tea is not much sweeter rather it has a moderate level of sweetness because both milk and sugar are added into Thai tea with the help of only one ingredient which is sweetened condensed milk.
In this article, we will discuss Thai tea’s sugar content and how it manages to become not too much sweet. So let’s hop on this train of information and ride along.
Does Thai tea have too much sweetness?
Thai tea’s taste is a perfectly balanced mix of different ingredients. Therefore, saying that it is an overly sweet drink is not justified. The best part is, Thai tea has condensed milk which provides a balanced sweetness.
In Thailand, I have noticed that the sweetness level of refined sugar is not as high as compared to other countries and so the sugar added to the tea does not make it too sweet.
When I tasted Thai tea I was amazed at the fact that the sweetness in the tea is just right. However, it’s up to you if you want to add more sugar to it.
In my opinion, adding a lot of sugar would suppress the real taste of it and so try not to add a lot of sugar and instead just add condensed milk to enhance the taste. In that case, you won’t regret having a lot of sugar every time you consume Thai tea.
Is sugar harmful to health?
The government recommends that sugar content should not make up more than 5% of the energy (calories) you get from food and drink each day. Considering this, adults should not take more than 30 g of sugar in a day and for youngsters, only 19 g should be consumed daily.
However, it is important to understand that you should not cut down on sugar totally. The free sugars are included in frizzy drinks and chocolate that should be cut down. However, the sugar included in milk and fruits is often safe.
Is sugar in Thai tea harmful?
Thai tea has no natural sugars, rather we ourselves add sugar into it to enhance the taste. And the amount of sugar depends on your taste buds. However, the condensed milk has natural sugar which is a good enough amount to consume in one day.
I prefer less or no sugar when ordering Thai tea. If I make one at home, I always try to avoid sugar and instead of it, I add brown sugar or just condensed milk to make it a bit sweet.
The popular opinion is that if you don’t add sugar, it would taste plain and bitter. However, those who are cutting sugar or have diabetes should avoid consuming sugar.
Is it optional to add sugar to Thai tea?
It is totally optional to choose the amount of sugar you want to add in your tea. Moreover, in restaurants the Thai tea serve different options for the sugar. For instance, 0%, 50%, 75% and 100% sugar. It depends on customer’s preferences to select the ratio as per their choice.
I took the trial and error method to check which sugar level suits me and for me, 50% was the best option for Thai tea. Also by choosing this level, I don’t have to worry about extra calories while buying Thai tea.
Furthermore, if you add high sugar content to tea, it would taste too sweet and this sweetness will overpower its actual taste. As Thai tea already has condensed milk, it is not necessary to add more sugar even if you have a sweet tooth.
Sugar Alternatives
Instead of chemically refined sugar, it’s better to choose natural and artificial sweeteners as they both pose less threat to health as compared to refined white sugar. Let me enlist those alternatives for you here:
Natural Sweeteners
- Stevia
- Erythritol
- Monk fruit sweetener
Artificial Sweeteners
- Cyclamate
- Acesulfame K
- Aspartame
Caloric Comparison of Sweeteners and Sugars
The following is a table comparing calories in different types of natural and artificial sweeteners as well as different forms of sugar.
| Sweetener | Calories |
| Stevia | 0 |
| Erythritol | 0 |
| Monk fruit sweetener | 0 |
| Cyclamate | 0 |
| Acesulfame K | 0 |
| Aspartame | 0 |
| Brown Sugar | 38 cal per 10 g |
| Jaggery | 38.3 cal per 10 g |
| White sugar | 39 cal per 10 g |
Does Thai tea taste good without sugar?
Tea consists of leaves that usually have a bitter taste and so if you prepare it without any milk or sugar it will taste somewhat bitter.
However, there are a lot of health-conscious people who never complain while consuming teas without sugar. At the end of the day, it totally depends on individual practices and preferences.
In my opinion, since Thai tea has condensed milk in it which already has a sweet taste so adding sugar is not necessary at all.
Do other Thai tea flavors have a lot of sugar?
Thai tea has different fruit flavors that might have added sugar to them. Obviously, the syrups that are used to induce flavors contain sugar syrup thereby increasing the sugar quantity in Thai tea.
If such is the case, you should go for a sugar-free beverage so that only the flavored syrups be responsible for the sugar content of your drink.
However, if you are avoiding sugar it would be better to avoid other flavors and stick to original Thai tea. Among all the flavors, I found Honey lemon flavor a good option for the sake of a changed taste.
Since it contains honey it is already sweet so you should opt for no added sugar and still, you can get a yummy and sweet drink to enjoy.
Is Thai tea healthy despite having sugar?
Thai tea is actually healthy as it contains beneficial ingredients. Thai tea is made of Assam leaves that are famous for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Moreover, the spices that include star anise, cardamom, turmeric, and tamarind have their own benefits as well. You might add some sugar according to the guided requirement for adults and youngsters so that it would not be harmful to you.
Conclusion
- Adding extra sugar and going overboard with Thai tea consumption might be dangerous.
- Although the effects will not be observable at once, they can lead to higher risks of blood sugar-related issues.
- Despite that, Thai tea is a healthy drink and the sugar content entirely depends on individual preferences.