Thai tea is a variant of tea developed in Thailand some three decades ago. It uses a black tea base, a mix of spices, and sweetened condensed milk. Usually, the drink is served over ice to beat the hot weather in Thailand.
Thai tea has a specific bright orange color and a flavor that is sweet, creamy, and just a little spicy. It is made with a blend of items such as black tea, sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and spices including cinnamon, tamarind, and star anise.
This article will try to cover as much information about the flavor of the world-famous beverage Thai tea and why it tastes different in each restaurant.
What is Thai Tea?
A tea native to Thailand, made by using black tea leaves brewed along with spice mix with the addition of sweetened condensed milk and served over ice is known as Thai tea.
Thai tea has a strong flavor of black tea leaves in it, but this is not all. It is available in different aromas that give different flavors but you will hardly find a Thai tea without black tea leaves.
Now if you are a masala tea fan, then this is going to be on your bucket list. Thai tea is famous for its very unique taste as it boils black tea leaves with a couple of spices like:
- star anise
- cardamom
- cloves
- tamarind and
- cinnamon
For a traditional Thai tea, this is your recipe to go. For sweetness, you may add sugar and condensed milk. Other alternatives would be sweetened condensed milk to do the work of both milk and sugar.
If you are a health-conscious individual, natural sweeteners like stevia and plant-based coconut or almond milk would be good choices.
What Are The Flavors Of Thai Tea?
Thai tea has a unique flavor profile. By making use of different ingredients, direct flavors come to the surface. Some of these are:
- Classic Thai tea
- Green Thai tea
- Mango Thai tea
- Coconut Thai tea
- Vanilla Thai tea
- Taro Thai tea
- Thai milk tea
Let’s have a look at the data table that gives a little bit of information about the flavors. There are so many flavors available but will just mention a few of them to keep this precise.
| Flavor | Description |
| Classic | Traditional Thai tea made from black tea, spices, and sweetened condensed milk. |
| Green tea | Thai tea made with green tea instead of black tea, resulting in a lighter and slightly less sweet taste. |
| Mango | Thai tea infused with mango flavor, giving it a fruity and refreshing taste. |
| Coconut | Thai tea is made with coconut milk instead of sweetened condensed milk, resulting in a creamy taste. |
| Vanilla | Thai tea infused with vanilla flavor has a subtle and sweet taste. |
| Taro | Thai tea infused with taro flavor has a nutty and slightly sweet taste. |
| Thai milk tea | Thai tea with a higher proportion of sweetened condensed milk often has a creamier and sweeter taste. |
There could be Thai tea made from green tea, which is not traditional and not even preferred. As for most people, green tea and milk don’t go hand in hand.
But there are some people too who really want green tea flavored Thai tea and for them, it is also available to try.
Does Thai Tea Taste Like Vanilla?
If you want to make Thai tea at home which is recommended by health experts in order to balance the amount of added sugar, one of the key factors would be to use authentic Thai mixes which are dyed with food coloring.
This is what gives Thai tea a bright orange color which is so eye-catching and photogenic. But apart from all that, it has a vanilla aroma to it.
There are no actual vanilla ingredients in the tea but there are certain brands that give you the vanilla aroma when you include the food coloring in your recipe.
So if someone says to you that there is vanilla flavor available for Thai tea, you already know what to expect!
Why Thai Tea Is So Fragrant?
Now, this is an interesting question. Thai tea has a spicy yet aromatic star anise and when you combine it with the smoothness of black tea, you will know why is it so fragrant.
This is one of the main reasons why people got attracted to it so fast and it’s still growing in popularity after it was first made in the 1980s.
When you add milk, cardamom, cinnamon, and all other spicy yet fragrant ingredients, the resulting fragrance of it might blow your mind and the people near you.
If you have ever been to a Thai restaurant then you know what this means. Thai people often make this tea in the open air so that the fragrance spread to attract more people and people try it out of curiosity.
Is Thai Iced Tea And Hot Tea The Same?
No, they are not the same. Although they have some similar qualities, they also have differences.
Iced Thai Tea
Thai iced tea is brewed with the method mentioned above and it specifically makes use of condensed or evaporated milk tea rather than regular milk. The resulting beverage is served over ice.
The Iced Thai tea version is available at a very cheap price in the cafés and it is also very easy to make at home. But usually, people don’t prefer to make it at home, they are keener to buy it from cafés.
A commercially made beverage comes with its own potential risk. There are not many ways you can balance the added sugar in your Thai Ice tea. Nonetheless, you will find a variety of different fruit flavors of Thai Ice tea like Mango, Oolong, and traditional Black tea.
You can watch this video for some Thai tea recipes.
Hot Thai Tea
Hot Thai tea uses plain milk rather than condensed one. After the tea has been brewed with spices, milk is added and simmered for some time.
Then leaves and spices are strained from it to serve it hot. Full-fat milk or plain milk is usually used in this recipe.
These two drinks are quite different when it comes to taste. If you look at the numbers, they can tell you that Thai iced tea is more consumed than Thai hot tea.
Conclusion
- The most notable flavor of Thai tea comes from black tea leaves and star anise which gives it a famous distinctive flavor. It also gives the tea the unique taste that Thai tea is known for.
- There are so many flavors of Thai tea available which are an innovation for traditional Thai tea fans.
- Indian people have a special thing for Thai tea because they are often the true appreciator of Thai tea and lovers of masala tea after Thai people.
- In Thai tea, there’s no vanilla version. Rather the food coloring gives an aroma of vanilla and people mistake it thinking it as vanilla flavor.
- Thai tea’s fragrance comes from its ingredients, like black tea, star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom. Sugar and condensed milk are added for sweetness and creamy taste.
- Thai tea contains less caffeine than coffee.
- Also if you are a looking for great way to start your day, Thai tea can be your go-to thing and it will not only boost your energy but will also help you go through your day easily.
- According to experts, Thai tea possesses so many benefits. It can relieve your stress and anxiety levels and soothes your brain.