Thai iced tea: a global success story brewed over 4 centuries
Thai iced tea has been ranked the 7th best non-alcoholic drink in the world by foodie website TasteAtLas.com. The caramel-coloured cooling beverage has long been popular with Thais of all ages.
However, its fame is now spreading across the world as tourists who get a taste in Thailand seek out the stuff when they return to their home countries.
Thai iced tea beat competition from India’s famed Darjeeling brew and Italy’s ultra-intense espresso in the website’s survey.
Top 10 non-alcoholic drinks according to
TasteAtLas.com:
1. Hong Kong Style Milk Tea, Hong Kong
2. Aguas Frescas, Mexico
3. Chai Masala (spiced milk tea), India
4. Mint tea, North Africa
5. Horchata, Mexico
6. Salep, Turkey
7. Thai Tea, Thailand
8. El Submarino (hot chocolate), Argentina
9. Ristretto (high-intensity espresso), Italy
10. Darjeeling tea, India
Thai tea drinking was recorded as far back as the reign of King Narai of Ayutthaya, four centuries ago. French diplomat Simon de La Loubère discusses the tradition of drinking tea in Siam in his 1687 dispatches from Ayutthaya:
"Tea can only be drunk in the capital. Thai people are proficient tea drinkers and enjoy making tea for visitors,” he wrote.
"Siamese people do not put sugar in their tea and drink it hot, like the Chinese do. It is considered rude to refuse tea; one must take a seat and consume when invited.”
Over the centuries, the Indian practice of putting milk in tea began to creep into Thailand. Tea was still drunk as a hot beverage, but milk and sugar were added.
By 1893, Thai entrepreneurs were selling Mam Tun Hua, or sweetened condensed milk, which boosted the culture of drinking tea with milk.
In 1903, the first ice factory was established, helping to give a variety of beverages a cool, fresh flavour. Iced tea found its way onto drinks menus in shops, eateries and well-to-do homes. By the end of King Rama VI's reign in the 1920s, coffee shops were offering a variety of teas, including the iced version. And taking tea with milk had become commonplace.
However, the Thai iced tea that we know today was born in 1945 with the arrival of the ChaTraMue brand.
The brand's owner was a Chinese immigrant to Thailand who ran a business importing tea from his home country.
In 1945, ChaTraMue began importing red tea and selling it in a milky brew. The new flavour was a hit with customers, and Thai tea soon became a standard drinks menu item in shops and restaurants across the country.
Recipes for Thai tea have changed over the decades. Nowadays, some shops use Assam red leaves, some use Ceylon tea, and others use a mix of both.
However, the brewing formula has remained the same: just add milk and sugar – and ice for a cooling treat in the summer heat.
The drink known across the world as "Thai tea" is simply called tea in Thailand. It was foreigners who gave the beverage its international name after realising this unique tea drink could only be found in Thailand.
