Both the rich flavor and brightly orange-colored appearance of Thai tea contribute to it being a much-appreciated tea of the modern world. It is nowadays a worldwide favorite among those who enjoy tea.
Thai tea is prepared with an amalgamation of black tea, spices, and sweetened condensed milk. When you like a food item, you often think about its historical roots and there have been some rumors of Thai tea having its roots from Japan.
Thai tea does not come from Japan, however, it’s a particular kind of tea that is now widespread across Southeast Asia after being initially originated in Thailand. Although Thai tea is not among the countless exceptional teas manufactured in Japan, it has become famous for its distinctive taste and Thai background.
It typically comes together using black tea, spices, and sweetened condensed milk, resulting in its unique taste and vivid shade of orange that differentiates it from various types of tea that originated in ancient Asia.
In order to help you grasp the historical roots and cultural importance of Thai tea, I’ll let you study its historical context and chronology in this article. At the conclusion, you will have an improved awareness of the background behind this appreciated drink, so let’s continue reading.
Origins of Thai Tea
It is believed that Chinese immigrants brought tea to the land of Thailand. In the 1980s, traditional tea took a new turn and Thai tea was evoked.
After gaining popularity for about four decades, it would not be fair to say that this beverage belongs to any particular culture as it is welcomed worldwide now.
Well, now we have established the fact that Thai tea originated in Thailand and the basis of this tradition is the long-lived tea consumption of Asian culture. Over the course of time, tea creation has evolved a lot and taken many forms like chae, Thai tea, and boba tea.
Ingredients of Thai Tea
Thai tea is made from a blend of black tea leaves, spices, and sweeteners such as condensed milk or sugar.
The tea leaves that are used in Thai tea are often mixed with Chinese black tea and other options include Indian Assam tea, which gives it a distinctive flavor and aroma; and then we got star anise, cinnamon, and tamarind that credits Thai tea’s unique taste.
Is Thai Tea From Japan?
The answer to this question is very simple, which is “no.” Japan has nothing to do with Thai tea. It originated in Thailand, though the idea came with Chinese immigrants but still, Thailand is the rightful originator of Thai tea.
Japan is very famous and known for its diverse and rich tea culture, with a wide range of teas and tea-based drinks, but Thai tea is not one of them.
Popularity of Thai Tea
Here is some data collected from a survey that tells us about the popularity of Thai tea. This tells us how many times the word “Thai tea” has been searched on Google year-wise.
| Year | Google Search Volume |
| 2016 | 2,900,000 |
| 2017 | 3,200,000 |
| 2018 | 3,600,000 |
| 2019 | 4,100,000 |
| 2020 | 4,700,000 |
| 2021 | 5,200,000 |
The data shows that since 2016, Thai tea is constantly gaining more popularity with every passing day. Specially, we can see that in 2020 and 2023, there is a significant rise in Thai tea popularity.
From this trend, it will be safe to say that it will increase more in the future.
Why Thai Tea Is Popular?
There is more than one reason for its popularity, so let’s get to know the important ones one by one:
- The most appealing reason for Thai tea’s popularity is its health benefits. As we all know that Thai tea contains condensed milk or sugar. These two ingredients are responsible for an increase in the intake of calories but we also know that it includes, black tea leaves which contain antioxidants called polyphenols which can help keep in check heart illnesses, stroke, and a few types of cancer.
- Secondly, the unique flavor of Thai tea increases its popularity further among tea lovers because it’s both sweet and creamy. And you can say that this sets Thai tea apart from other teas.
- Thai tea is also very popular because it has cultural importance. In Thailand, it is served in every restaurant. The serving of this drink also contains family values as it is often served at family gatherings or as a welcome drink for guests. You will find it on the street cart of Thailand nearly in every store.
Not only in Thailand, but Thai tea is very famous in Southeast Asia and the United States as well, as it is very refreshing and can change your mood instantly.
Thai Tea is also versatile. Let’s say that on a cold day, you can warm yourself with hot Thai tea, and in summer, you can have cold iced Thai tea.
Now, you can see why it is so famous around the world.
Is Thai Tea Gluten-Free?
The tea is considered gluten-free as it does not contain any ingredients such as wheat, barley, and rye which makes the tea glutenous.
Still, some of the restaurants might serve it with ingredients that contain gluten so it’s better to check the list of ingredients used in the making of tea. It’s always better to notify the vendor or restaurant staff if you are allergic or have any issues with gluten.
In some commercially sold Thai tea, they mix it with additional spices and flavorings that might contain gluten so be mindful of this fact.
Watch this video of gluten-free Thai tea making.
If the tea is made at the food station which cooks food that includes gluten, then there is a possibility of cross-contamination. Gluten is a substance that contains compounds like wheat, barley, and rye.
And it is quite often these days that we would find a person having gluten intolerance. If such a person consumes food with gluten, it can trigger an immune dysfunction that can cause damage to the lining of the small intestine and other allergic reactions.
Thai Tea And Social Media
Due to Thai tea’s immense popularity around the world, every day new people are trying this drink and experiencing its unique taste and vibrant coloring. The growing trend of people taking photos of their drinks and food and posting them on social media handles, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to engage other people in this experience has triggered the masses to try Thai tea.
It is said that the color of Thai tea is very Instragrammable and eye-catching so young people and influencers are uploading the pictures of this tea. According to a social media enthusiast, the tea itself is very photogenic and it does not require a lot of filters and editing before posting it online.
If you want to do a vlog on Thai tea, you can easily search it on the internet and find hundreds of videos of this beverage. There are also reaction videos on the internet where people can see others’ reactions while trying Thai tea for the very first time.
In Thai tea’s growing popularity, its internet presence plays a vital role.
Conclusion
- The first thing that we need to know is that Thai tea is not Japanese, it was first made in Thailand.
- The tea recipe came from Chinese Immigrants and Thai people modified tea making to their preferences giving birth to the beloved Thai tea.
- Thai tea is now a preferred drink in Thailand and around the world.
- The traditional Thai tea is gluten-free so anyone can enjoy it.
- Thai tea is very popular and it’s still gaining popularity across the globe by every passing day.
- The vibrant color of this drink makes it attractive for many social media users and they say that Thai Tea is very photogenic in itself.