Sometimes, it depends on the ingredients. For instance, there are multiple iced teas that are named tea but they are not actually tea. Those kinds of tea consist of artificial flavors and juices but have caffeine content as well.
It is important to understand that not every caffeinated drink with fruit flavor is considered tea.
As far as Thai tea is concerned, it is actually tea even if it is iced. The main reason for it to be an authentic tea is the use of tea leaves. Furthermore, it has all the ingredients that a tea should have, such as milk and sugar.
So the verdict is: Thai tea is actually tea.
In this blog post, we are going to check other facts which support this claim. So let’s dive into it!
What Does Actual “Tea” Mean?
Tea is made from herbs or leaves that are extracted from plants. After picking tea leaves from crops, they are dried in such a way that their aroma and taste remain intact.
Sometimes, the factories add some artificial flavors or other spices to enhance flavor. This interprets that tea is actually a natural ingredient made from herbs.
However, not every beverage with the name of the tea is an actual tea. If the ingredients mention tea leaves then that would be considered as actual tea.
There are different leaves used to manufacture tea. The quality of soil and weather conditions have a great impact on the flavor of tea leaves and that’s the reason different countries have different tastes of their tea.
As we are discussing Thai tea, it’s a real tea that contains herbs and beneficial ingredients with no artificial taste.
What Makes Thai Tea actually Tea?
Thai tea is actual tea as it contains herbs and all the special ingredients that a tea should have.
Many people have this confusion as tea is usually hot and has caffeine, but Thai tea is an iced beverage. The icy touch makes it more like juice rather than tea; but the truth is, Thai tea contains Assam leaves for its brewing.
In South Asian regions, tea brewed from Assam leaves is usually served as a hot beverage known as Chae. This tea is famous for its anti-inflammatory properties.
As Thai tea is mainly made up of Assam leaves, this is the most important proof deciding that Thai tea is a genuine tea beverage.
Other than Assam leaves, the following ingredients made their way into the making of Thai tea over time:
- star anise
- cardamom
- turmeric
- cloves
- sweetened condensed milk
Benefits of Assam Leaves
When Assam leaves are brewed with water, the resulting beverage is called tea. Due to its beneficial properties and refreshing taste Assam tea leaves became immensely popular in Asian and South Asian parts of the world.
Let’s check Assam tea’s nutritional components and their respective benefits:
| Nutritional Component | Benefits |
| Flavanoids | Boosts metabolism and lowers body weight |
| Antioxidants | Beneficial for diabetes by keeping blood sugar in control; Strengthens brain; Improves cognitive function |
| Vitamin A and E | Healthy and beautiful skin |
| Theaflavins | Flights viruses and strengthens body defenses against diseases |
Thai tea consists of Assam leaves, which proves that this tea has a lot of benefits and surely makes it a tea.
What is the Fermentation Process in Tea?
Fermentation is the process where the Assam leaves are purified to make them proper tea. Also in this step oxygen is added to it which changes its color and taste.
Furthermore, the process makes sure that there are no bacteria left in the leaves that could make the tea harmful to consume. Basically, every tea has to pass the fermentation process as it helps to detoxify the leaves and make them pure for use.
Why Foreigners Do Not Consider Thai Tea as Actual Tea?
There are a lot of misconceptions about tea that revolve around the color and serving temperature. Usually, people consider hot teas as the only genuine tea and not the cold served ones.
Because of this very reason, Thai tea was initially not accepted by foreigners as actual tea. For them, the tea they have seen was hot with only milk and other spices are just optional.
However, Thai tea is entirely opposite of ordinary tea and this has led to confusion among tea lovers. Being the biggest fan of tea, initially, it was also difficult for me to accept Thai tea as actual tea as I often find a huge distinction between hot and iced coffee.
For me, hot coffee worked better compared to iced coffee. How could this beverage replace ordinary tea? But all it took was one attempt of trying this new beverage. It is perfectly suited to my preferences and now, Thai tea is my no.1 go-to beverage.
Does Hot Tea Have More Benefits Compared to Cold Ones?
Although both hot and cold teas have entirely different characteristics, both of them have their own advantages.
For instance, if you have flu, drinking cold tea would be harmful. In that case, ordinary tea would be best for you as it regulates your body temperature and soothes your throat as well.
On the other hand, Thai tea being an icy drink would be beneficial when you feel hot. On a warm evening, when you are exhausted from your day’s work, cold iced Thai tea would definitely be your drink of choice.
Black Tea vs. Thai Tea
Since the beginning of tea consumption, it has taken many forms. People have adjusted tea-making recipes to their taste and as per the weather conditions of their lands.
Thai tea is one of those many variations. Each of these variations rooks back to the original tea therefore they share some similarities and differences with regular tea.
Let’s get to know the similarities and differences between Thai tea with regular tea in detail.
Similarities
- Use of Assam (black tea) leaves
- Sugar
- Added milk
Differences
- Regular tea is served hot while Thai tea is served cold.
- Thai tea uses spices like tamarind and cloves while regular tea doesn’t use these ingredients.
- Although sugar and milk are added to regular tea, Thai tea uses sweetened condensed milk to make up for both ingredients used in regular tea.
Conclusion
- Thai tea uses Assam tea leaves which makes it a genuine tea.
- Either hot or cold, every tea has its own benefits.
- Thai tea is iced but it is an original tea because of the herbs that are included.
- Thai tea is made by using Assam leaves which are famous for their anti-inflammatory properties and well-known for making tea.
- Other benefits of Assam leaves include a strong heart and mind with healthy skin.