Beverages Thai

Thai Tea

Strong black tea is steeped with star anise, cardamom and cloves, chilled, then finished with half-and-half or coconut milk. Sweet, fragrant, cold and unapologetically creamy.

Thai Tea

What It Is

Strong black tea is steeped with star anise, cardamom and cloves, chilled, then finished with half-and-half or coconut milk. Sweet, fragrant, cold and unapologetically creamy.

Origin

This is my thai-leaning version, built around the ingredients and method that give the recipe its character.

Fun Fact

Thai iced tea is usually brewed strong because chilling and adding dairy soften both bitterness and spice.

Prep
10 min
Cook
5 min
Total
15 min
Servings
4 glass
(halve it if it's just you and today has been a lot)
Difficulty
easy
Gluten-Free Nut-Free
Diet
Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free
Away Mission
60 min walk
(about one moderately tense turbolift ride)
#beverages #spoon-and-scribble #thai #thai-tea

Ingredients

  • 4 cups water
  • 4 black tea bags
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 green cardamom pod, smashed
  • 2 whole cloves
  • ½ cup half-and-half
  • ½ cup coconut milk

Steps

  1. Bring water to a boil and add tea, sugar and spices. Boil gently for about 3 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat and steep at least 30 minutes. Strain and chill completely.
  3. Pour over ice and finish each glass with half-and-half, coconut milk or a mixture of both.

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Notes

Taste before the final adjustment. A recipe should guide dinner, not bully it. If it needs a little more acid, sweetness, salt or heat, make the change in small steps instead of launching the whole spice rack into orbit.

Nutrition Facts
Per 1 glass
Calories 280
Burning this off: two laps of avoiding small talk at a family gathering.
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.5 g 1%
Saturated + Trans 0 g 0%
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 20 mg 1%
Carbohydrate 71.0 g
Fibre 0.0 g 0%
Sugars 70.0 g 70%
Protein 1.0 g
Potassium 90 mg 2%
Calcium 35 mg 3%
Iron 0.0 mg 0%
*5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot. Sodium levels calculated in a country with universal healthcare — and it's free, so don't worry about it too much.
A genuinely respectable nutrition profile. No red flags here — go ahead and feel a little smug about it.

Substitutions

Use equivalent ingredients where needed for allergies or availability, but keep the main sweet/sour/salty/spicy balance intact. This is cooking, not a hostage negotiation.

Storage

Keep covered and chilled. Fresh-fruit or dairy drinks are best used within 1–2 days; fizzy drinks are happiest served the same day before the bubbles file for retirement.

Freezing

Freeze still fruit bases or concentrates if useful, but add carbonation after thawing. Dairy-heavy drinks are better made fresh.