Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)
Strong black tea, brewed with warm spices, poured hot over condensed milk and chilled over ice until it's cold, sweet and silky. Finished with a cloud of evaporated milk on top for that signature orange-and-cream swirl.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Boil the water
Bring the water to a full boil in a saucepan.
- 1 litre water
✅ Done when: the water is at a rolling boil
Steep the tea
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the , and let it steep for 5 minutes. The longer and hotter the steep, the stronger and more orange the tea will be, so don't rush this step.
- 40 g
✅ Done when: the water has turned a deep reddish-orange and smells strongly of tea and spice
Strain
Pour the tea through a fine strainer or a strainer lined with a thin cloth into a clean pitcher, pressing the leaves lightly to get all the liquid out. Discard the leaves.
✅ Done when: the tea is clear of leaves and spice bits
Sweeten while hot
While the tea is still hot, stir in the condensed milk and sugar until fully dissolved. Sweetening it hot is the trick that keeps the tea from tasting grainy or separating later.
- 100 ml condensed milk
- 30 g sugar
✅ Done when: the condensed milk is fully dissolved and the tea looks glossy
Chill the tea
Let the sweetened tea cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, or chill it faster by setting the pitcher in a bowl of ice water. Cold tea won't get watery when it hits the ice in the glass.
✅ Done when: the tea is fully chilled, not just room temperature
Build and serve
Fill tall glasses almost to the top with ice. Pour the chilled tea over the ice, leaving about 2 cm (3/4 in) of space at the top. Pour the evaporated milk over the top so it floats and swirls, and serve with a long spoon or straw to stir before drinking.
- 120 ml evaporated milk
- as needed ice cubes
Boil the water
Bring the water to a full boil in a saucepan.
- 1 litre water
✅ Done when: the water is at a rolling boil
Steep the tea
Take the pan off the heat, stir in the , and let it steep for 5 minutes. The longer and hotter the steep, the stronger and more orange the tea will be, so don't rush this step.
- 40 g
✅ Done when: the water has turned a deep reddish-orange and smells strongly of tea and spice
Strain
Pour the tea through a fine strainer or a strainer lined with a thin cloth into a clean pitcher, pressing the leaves lightly to get all the liquid out. Discard the leaves.
✅ Done when: the tea is clear of leaves and spice bits
Sweeten while hot
While the tea is still hot, stir in the condensed milk and sugar until fully dissolved. Sweetening it hot is the trick that keeps the tea from tasting grainy or separating later.
- 100 ml condensed milk
- 30 g sugar
✅ Done when: the condensed milk is fully dissolved and the tea looks glossy
Chill the tea
Let the sweetened tea cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold, or chill it faster by setting the pitcher in a bowl of ice water. Cold tea won't get watery when it hits the ice in the glass.
✅ Done when: the tea is fully chilled, not just room temperature
Build and serve
Fill tall glasses almost to the top with ice. Pour the chilled tea over the ice, leaving about 2 cm (3/4 in) of space at the top. Pour the evaporated milk over the top so it floats and swirls, and serve with a long spoon or straw to stir before drinking.
- 120 ml evaporated milk
- as needed ice cubes
The Story Behind the Dish
Tea drinking in Thailand carries the imprint of Chinese and South Asian trading communities who settled there, and cha yen grew out of that mix: strong black tea cut with warm spices, poured over ice and sweetened with condensed and evaporated milk once those canned milks became widely available in Thai markets. It became a fixture of street food carts and roadside noodle shops, sold alongside grilled meats and noodle soups.
The tea's bright orange colour, sometimes helped along with a touch of food colouring in commercial blends, made it instantly recognizable, and the drink spread from local stalls to restaurants worldwide as Thai cuisine became popular abroad.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's the drink most people picture the moment they think of Thai food: sweet, creamy, strongly brewed and visually striking, with that orange-and-white swirl.
💡 Fun Fact
Many Thai restaurants outside Thailand serve cha yen in a tall glass with the evaporated milk poured in last, so you get to stir the swirl together yourself before the first sip.
Thailand, likely Bangkok's street-side tea stalls
13.76°N, 100.50°E
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