Thai milk tea (cha yen in Thailand) is a strong, sweet, creamy black tea served over ice, famous for its orange colour. Brewing it from loose tea at home takes time and rarely tastes the same twice. This guide covers what Thai tea is, why it is orange, and how a café makes it consistently from a premix.
Dissolve 15–30 g of Thai tea premix in 100 ml of warm milk, stir until smooth, pour over 5–10 ice cubes and add a topping. That is the method printed for our Thai Milk Tea premix. The premix already holds the tea, the creaminess and the sweetness, so the cup tastes the same every time.
What it is. Strong black tea, sweet and creamy, served cold. Taste. Bold tea, caramel-sweet, gently spiced. Colour. Orange-amber. Dose. 15–30 g premix in 100 ml warm milk. Topping. Tapioca pearls, popping boba or nata de coco, bought separately. How we supply it. Thai Milk Tea premix, 1 kg.
In Thailand, street vendors brew a strong black tea, sweeten it heavily and cream it with condensed and evaporated milk, then pour it over crushed ice. It is stronger and sweeter than most milk teas, which is why it holds up so well over ice and with tapioca pearls. Bubble tea shops around the world adopted it early, and it is now one of the standard flavours on any menu.
Tea on its own does not turn that bright orange. The colour comes from food colouring that is added to the tea mix, and nearly every Thai tea sold for cafes contains it, ours included: the ingredient list on our premix names a permitted colour (INS 110). Customers expect the colour, so a Thai tea that comes out brown is usually sent back as "not Thai tea".
Dissolving the powder in warm milk first, then adding ice, keeps the drink from tasting thin as it stands. For the reasoning behind that method see Indian vs Taiwanese bubble tea. The topping is a separate product; to cook pearls see how to cook tapioca pearls.
| Thai tea premix | Brewed loose Thai tea | |
|---|---|---|
| Time per cup | Under a minute | Brew, strain, cool, then build |
| Consistency | Same taste every cup | Varies with steep time and milk |
| Milk | Creamer is in the mix; add warm milk | Condensed and evaporated milk added by hand |
| Best for | Busy counters, new staff, kiosks | Small menus with time to brew |
The same premix makes Thai milk tea with brown sugar pearls, Thai tea with cheese foam, blended Thai tea, a dirty Thai latte and more. Browse the Thai recipe collection.
Our Thai Milk Tea premix comes in a 1 kg pouch, ten to a case, made at our FSSC 22000 certified plant in Hyderabad. It keeps 12 months sealed; once opened, seal it tightly and use it within 30 days. It contains a dairy creamer, so it is vegetarian but not dairy-free.
Dissolve 15–30 g of Thai tea premix in 100 ml of warm milk until smooth, pour over 5–10 ice cubes, add 10–15 ml of black tea concentrate if you like, and finish with 30–40 g of tapioca pearls, popping boba or nata de coco.
The colour comes from food colouring added to the tea mix, not from the tea itself. Nearly every Thai tea sold for cafes contains it; our premix lists a permitted colour (INS 110).
Strong black tea, caramel-sweet and creamy, with a gentle spice. It is stronger and sweeter than most milk teas, which is why it holds up over ice.
Yes. Cha yen is the Thai name for the iced, sweetened, milky black tea that bubble tea shops sell as Thai milk tea.
No. The premix makes the drink; tapioca pearls, popping boba or nata de coco are separate products. A serve takes about 30–40 g of topping.
Yes, and our facility is HALAL certified. It contains a dairy creamer, so it is not dairy-free.
Boba premixes, syrups, tapioca pearls and popping boba, made in India since 2011 and shipped to cafés, cloud kitchens and importers. Tell us what you want to serve and your volumes.
Outside India? See export & international. Or email sales@theteaplanet.com.