Authentic Thai Tea Recipe

Thai iced tea is a great drink to go with spicy Thai food. (Here's my recipe for Pad Thai, my favorite Thai dish.) The sweetness of Thai tea helps to counteract the heat of all the red pepper.

There are various ways to make the drink, but I don't recommend the instant mix packets. If you're going to do it, do it right!

Brewing thai tea using the boiling water method

I finally found a strainer (at Target, of all places) fine enough to strain out most of the tea leaves. I made some tea using the boiling water method below, and it came out great:

1. Pour about two cups of thai tea leaves into a gallon of boiling water. Boil for five minutes, stirring constantly to keep the leaves from clumping on the top of the water.
2. Pour the water through a fine strainer to strain out the tea leaves. It helps to have a second large container to run it through the strainer a second time.
   
3. Combine the brewed tea with two cans of sweatened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand), or one can plus a cup of sugar or xylitol.
4. Chill, pour over ice and top off your glass with some half and half.
5. Enjoy!

Brewing thai tea in a coffee maker

This method probably consumes more tea leaves than the boiling water method. The reason I started off using this method is simple. I didn't have a strainer fine enough to catch the finely ground tea leaves. Now that I have one, I use the boiling water method above.

1. Buy Thai tea leaves, either at an Asian grocer, or online. Since they are imported, you may not see anything in English that says "Thai tea." Look for the words "Cha Yen."
2. Pour about a cup of tea leaves into a coffee filter, and run 8 cups of water through the leaves.
   
3. Empty the brewed tea into a pitcher, then run another 6 or 8 cups of water through the same leaves.
4. Combine the brewed tea with a can of sweatened condensed milk (such as Eagle Brand).
5. Pour over ice and top off your glass with some half and half.
6. Enjoy!

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