Thai Iced Tea
Make rich Thai iced tea with black tea, warm spices and orange flower water. Dairy-free options, storage tips, and serving tricks included.
This came to us from a food forum poster. His recipe called for fresh orange blossoms, which are hard to find in America, so we modified it to use orange flower water.
- Brew black tea with cinnamon, cloves and star anise, then steep and cool before sweetening.
- Use orange flower water in place of fresh orange blossoms, and top drinks with cream or plant milk.
- Serve over ice without stirring for a classic look; adjust sugar and milk to taste or make ahead.
Spices
Featured in this Recipe
Preparation Instructions:
Add whole spices and tea to 1 quart water and bring to boil. Allow to boil 5 minutes, turn off heat, and steep until it cools to room temperature. Add orange flower water and sugar. Pour into glasses over ice and top with cream (I like to use light coconut milk, but half and half, cream, or soy milk work also). Serve immediately, without stirring.
thespicehouse.com
More About This Recipe
Don't like milk or cream in iced tea? Leave it out - it's a fantastic regular iced tea, sort of an exotic twist on Southern sweet tea. Perfect for lounging on the porch on summer evenings.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of tea should I use for Thai iced tea?
Use a strong black tea. The recipe prefers China black, but Assam, Ceylon, or other robust black teas work. Use about 2 tablespoons loose leaf or two tea bags per quart.
Can I substitute fresh orange blossoms?
Yes. Orange flower water is the recommended substitute and gives the floral aroma. If you do not have it, use a small amount of orange extract or a little orange zest and juice, but add conservatively to avoid overpowering the tea.
How do I make this dairy-free or vegan?
Swap the cream for coconut milk, soy milk, or another plant milk. Light coconut milk gives a rich flavor similar to the original. Use vegan sugar if needed.
How sweet should I make it and how do I dissolve the sugar?
The recipe calls for 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar per quart. Dissolve the sugar while the brew is still warm for best results. Reduce the amount to taste or use simple syrup to make mixing easier.
How do I get the layered look with cream on top?
Pour the cooled, sweetened tea over ice first. Then slowly pour chilled cream or coconut milk over the back of a spoon or down the glass side so it floats. Do not stir to keep the layers.
Can I make the tea ahead of time and how long will it keep?
Yes. Brew and cool the spiced tea, then refrigerate in a covered container. It will keep 3 to 4 days. Add cream or milk only when serving for best texture and flavor.
What if I do not like the spices?
The spices are optional. You can omit cloves, star anise, or cinnamon if you prefer a simpler black tea. Adjust the spices or amounts to match your taste.
What kind of tea should I use for Thai iced tea?
Use a strong black tea. The recipe prefers China black, but Assam, Ceylon, or other robust black teas work. Use about 2 tablespoons loose leaf or two tea bags per quart.
Can I substitute fresh orange blossoms?
Yes. Orange flower water is the recommended substitute and gives the floral aroma. If you do not have it, use a small amount of orange extract or a little orange zest and juice, but add conservatively to avoid overpowering the tea.
How do I make this dairy-free or vegan?
Swap the cream for coconut milk, soy milk, or another plant milk. Light coconut milk gives a rich flavor similar to the original. Use vegan sugar if needed.
How sweet should I make it and how do I dissolve the sugar?
The recipe calls for 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar per quart. Dissolve the sugar while the brew is still warm for best results. Reduce the amount to taste or use simple syrup to make mixing easier.
How do I get the layered look with cream on top?
Pour the cooled, sweetened tea over ice first. Then slowly pour chilled cream or coconut milk over the back of a spoon or down the glass side so it floats. Do not stir to keep the layers.
Can I make the tea ahead of time and how long will it keep?
Yes. Brew and cool the spiced tea, then refrigerate in a covered container. It will keep 3 to 4 days. Add cream or milk only when serving for best texture and flavor.
What if I do not like the spices?
The spices are optional. You can omit cloves, star anise, or cinnamon if you prefer a simpler black tea. Adjust the spices or amounts to match your taste.
This recipe won’t have that white ‘cloud’ on top unless you add some coconut milk on top of your tea. It adds enough sweetness to the drink, no other sweetener is needed. Interesting take on this recipe, as I always used the Thai tea too.
This is the best recipe from scratch I have found so far. The orange blossom water and bit of vanilla are musts for the floral note that a lot of Thai (sweet) recipes call for. I do not drink black tea, so I use 1/4-1/3 cup loose leaf yerba mate leaves for the closest mimic to black tea’s body. Rooibos is delicious, but doesn’t quite have any “body” to it (any other suggestions for great herbal tea with “body?”). Thank you so much for posting this great recipe, and I love the updates!
The spices in this are lovely, but I wasn’t happy with the way it turned out for me. I used a sugar/stevia blend (http://www.dominosugar.com/products/domino-light-sugar-and-stevia-blend) to make this and it came out VERY SWEET. Way too sweet for me, and I grew up on Southern Sweet Tea, so that’s saying something. I used 1/6 cup of the stevia/sugar blend (it measures on a 1:2 ratio with sugar) and I don’t know if it’s the stevia/sugar blend that was at fault, or if it was because the equivalent of 1/3 cup of sugar is too much. Regardless, my advice is to add a tiny amount of whatever kind of sweetener you use at first and add more to taste, because you can’t unsweeten it once it’s done.
If you are the kind of person who likes it INSTANT then buy the thai tea that is ready for you to use. But authentic Thai tea is basically made with black tea and spiced up with other ingredients. Spices like cardamon, star anise, cinnamon are a favorite!!
The previous person seems not to realize that the thai tea contains the spices, where this recipe has you add them, allowing more flexibility to make it the way you like.
Good recipe!
The ingredient in this Thai iced tea recipe does not look right at all. It lacked of the main ingredient which is Thai tea leaf. Thai tea leaf has a distinctive aroma that other tea does not have. I order my Thai tea leaf from sales@patsongroup.com.
They offer tea bag, loose tea leaf, etc.
When I make Thai iced tea using their tea leaf all I need was hot water, sugar, milk and ice…