Layered Thai Iced Tea (Cha Yen)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A tall, sunset-orange glass of spiced Thai tea steeped double-strength, sweetened while hot with sugar and condensed milk, then chilled and topped with a slow pour of evaporated milk so it floats in a creamy cloud before you stir it in. The whole thing takes about 10 minutes of real work and costs a fraction of the $7 you'd pay at a Thai lunch counter.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup Thai tea mix (loose spiced black tea, about 1 1/2 oz)
• 3 pods green cardamom, lightly crushed (optional)
• 1 whole star anise (optional)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

• 6 cups ice cubes
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk, well chilled
• 2 tbsp half-and-half or whole milk, chilled (optional, for a thicker float)
• 4 lime wedges or mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring the 4 cups water to a full boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the Thai tea mix along with the cardamom and star anise if using, and stir once so all the leaves are submerged.
2. Cover and steep 8 to 10 minutes for a deep brick-orange, almost opaque brew. Do not steep past 12 minutes or the tannins turn harsh and chalky. The concentrate should look far too strong to drink straight — that is correct, since ice and milk will dilute it by roughly half.
3. Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with a coffee filter, a doubled square of cheesecloth, or a Thai tea sock over a heatproof pitcher or 4-cup measuring cup. Pour the tea through slowly; press gently on the leaves at the end to get the last of the liquid. If the tea still looks cloudy with fine sediment, pass it through the filter a second time.
4. While the tea is still hot, whisk in the sugar and salt until fully dissolved, then whisk in the sweetened condensed milk. Taste: it should be assertively sweet, since cold and ice mute sweetness sharply. Add another tablespoon of condensed milk if you want it closer to the restaurant version.
5. Chill the concentrate until cold, at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. To rush it, set the pitcher in a bowl of ice water and stir for 10 to 12 minutes. Warm concentrate will melt the ice and muddy the layers, so do not skip this.
6. Fill four tall glasses to the rim with ice. Pour the chilled tea concentrate over the ice, filling each glass to about three-quarters full (roughly 3/4 cup per glass).
7. Stir the chilled evaporated milk together with the half-and-half, if using. Pour it very slowly over the back of a spoon held just above the surface of the tea in each glass, about 2 tablespoons per glass. It will sit as a pale cream layer over the orange tea.
8. Serve immediately with a long spoon or a wide straw and a lime wedge or mint sprig on the rim. Let guests admire the two layers, then stir to a uniform creamy apricot color before drinking.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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