Thai Iced Tea

Don't Make These Mistakes

Brew it much stronger than seems reasonable. Dilution is coming from every direction.

Chill the tea fully before it meets the ice, or the ice melts instantly and the drink is watery.

Genuine Thai tea mix is worth buying — the blend includes the spices and the colouring that make it recognisable.

How to Make Thai Iced Tea

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1. Bring the water to the boil and add the Thai tea mix, or the tea bags with the star anise, cardamom, cinnamon and tamarind powder.

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2. Steep for 6 to 8 minutes — considerably longer than you would for drinking tea. It should look almost black.

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3. Strain through a fine sieve or a muslin cloth, pressing the leaves.

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4. While still hot, stir in the condensed milk and sugar until fully dissolved.

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5. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until properly cold, at least 2 hours.

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6. Fill tall glasses to the brim with ice.

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7. Pour the sweetened tea over, leaving 2 cm of space at the top.

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8. Pour the evaporated milk slowly over the back of a spoon so it floats in a layer on top.

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9. Serve with a straw and let the drinker stir it together.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping

The sweetened tea base keeps 5 days refrigerated. Add ice and the milk float only when serving.

Good With

• Anything spicy — it is a coolant as much as a drink
• Pad thai or green curry
• Mango sticky rice

Still Wondering?

The Numbers per Serving

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.