Tea and Coffee

Green and black teas are drunk throughout the day. But unique to Thailand is a bright orange tea that is usually served over crushed ice. It’s more accurately called a “tea mix,” as its black tea leaves are combined with other flavorings like roasted corn, vanilla, star anise, and even cinnamon, plus red and yellow food coloring. Possibly, the original color was garnered from ground tamarind seeds, an ingredient now absent from commercial mixes. The cloyingly sweet base is brewed with sugar in a sock-shaped cloth tea bag, cooled, poured over crushed ice, and then topped with dairy to create a floating cloud of milk. Half-and-half has become the favorite dairy used in U.S. Thai restaurants, but I find that the traditional evaporated milk makes a more balanced drink.