Thai Tea vs. Milk Tea: What’s The Difference?

You might wonder about the differences between Thai tea vs. milk tea. 

Both are equally sweet and flavorful. Judging by its creamy and rich texture, you’d think they’re similar. But there are many differences that make each tea special, including its ingredients, flavor and preparation methods.

Thai tea blends strong black tea, condensed or evaporated milk and spices like star anise, crushed tamarind, cardamom, and cloves. It’s known for its vibrant orange color and sweet, creamy taste. On the other hand, milk tea commonly uses black tea with milk, sweetener, and tapioca pearls. It’s much more mellow and mild but with a more robust tea flavor.

While both drinks involve tea and milk, they differ in flavor, composition, and cultural background.

Are you curious about the similarities and differences between Thai tea vs. milk tea? This blog will explore their origins, flavor profiles, ingredients used and preparation techniques.

By the end of this article, you’ll be an expert in spotting the differences between these two popular teas.

What Is Thai Tea?

Thai tea, also known as Cha Yen, originates from Thailand. Thai tea is the perfect drink to cool a hot summer day or spicy Thai dish. It’s a popular drink in this country because it quenches thirst during the hot weather in Thailand.

Thai tea is made by brewing Ceylon black tea with spices like star anise, tamarind, and cardamom. Condensed or evaporated milk is added to add a rich sweetness and creaminess. The notable orange hue is produced when mixing the strongly brewed black tea, spices and milk together. Food coloring can be added to get the notable orange hue, but it is possible to find versions without it.

What Does Thai Tea Taste?

Thai tea is made from brewed black tea leaves, spices, condensed milk, and sometimes even food coloring. Common spices include star anise, tamarind, and cinnamon, which provide a spicy and warming flavor.

Thai tea uses condensed or evaporated milk, giving it a richer and creamier texture. The condensed milk adds sweetness, while evaporated milk lightens the brew’s intensity, balancing the tea’s and spices’ strong flavors.

What Is Milk Tea?

Milk tea is also known as boba tea and has roots in Taiwan. Traditional milk tea combines brewed tea, milk, sweetener and tapioca pearls. This fusion of flavors became popular during the 1980s and has since spread across the globe, enjoyed by millions.

There are numerous variations of milk tea, such as rosehip milk tea, taro milk tea, Okinawa milk tea and Hokkaido milk tea – each with its distinct flavor.

For example, the taste of rosehip milk tea is a lightly sweet, floral flavor with a hint of tartness.

What Does Milk Tea Taste?

Milk tea has a well-balanced flavor between a full-bodied and slightly sweet taste and a creamy texture.

The taste of milk tea depends on the variety of tea used. Black tea is the most commonly used but oolong milk tea is a popular option also. Mixing milk and green tea isn’t as popular because it overpowers the natural flavor of green tea.

Each variety of tea will affect the overall taste of your milk tea. Black tea typically offers a bold, robust taste, green tea is more vegetal, and oolong milk tea tastes earthy and floral. 

Milk adds a nice creaminess that balances the bitterness of the tea and provides a rich texture. Tapioca pearls are sometimes included, adding a chewy texture. 

Thai Tea vs. Milk Tea: What Are The Differences?

Origin

Thai tea originated in Thailand. It’s a traditional Thai beverage served both hot and cold. It’s served alongside many Thai street food vendors because it balances the spicy cuisine.

On the other hand, milk tea has multiple origins, including Taiwan, India, and England, with each region having its distinct variation of milk tea. The most common variety of milk tea is boba tea, which originates from Taiwan.

Ingredients

Milk tea ingredients may vary depending on the region. Generally, it consists of black tea, sweetener, milk and chewy tapioca pearls. Some variations also include flavorings such as fruit syrups or tea blends.

Milk Tea Ingredients:

• Assam black tea
• Milk
• Sweetener
• Tapioca Pearls

The main ingredients of Thai tea are strong black tea, sugar, spices and condensed milk. It’s typically made with Ceylon Tea, which has a deep, full-bodied flavor with earthy notes.

Thai tea includes an assortment of spices like star anise, tamarind, and cardamom. These spices add a distinct orange color from added artificial food coloring.

Thai Tea Ingredients:

• Ceylon black tea
• Condensed milk and evaporated milk
• Spices (Star anise, tamarind, and cardamom)
• Artificial food coloring

Flavor and Aroma

Thai tea has a bold, rich taste with a sweet, creamy, and slightly spiced flavor. The unique aroma comes from the spices and the strong black tea base.

Milk tea has a milder, creamier taste due to the addition of milk or creamer. It’s not as spicy, warming or robust as Thai tea. Instead, it’s quite mellow and isn’t as sweet in comparison.

Color

Thai tea has a recognizable bright orange hue from artificial food coloring. When Ceylon black tea is brewed, it produces a dark red and light brown color.

Combining brewed black tea with evaporated milk, spices, and tamarind can produce a nice orange color. However, some variations use orange food coloring to produce a stronger hue.

The color of milk tea ranges from light to dark brown or creamy beige. Milk tea’s light color comes from combining brewed tea and milk. The ratio of tea and milk will alter the color also. A stronger concentration of tea will produce a darker hue, while more milk will make it much more pale.

Preparation Method

The preparation method for Thai tea is a bit more complex than milk tea. Thai tea requires more specialty ingredients, such as tamarind and spices. Whereas milk tea only requires a handful of readily available ingredients.

Thai tea is prepared by brewing black tea with spices. Once completed, it’s then strained and let to cool. Then, the cooled-down tea is poured into a cup with ice, evaporated or condensed milk and stirred. 

Milk tea is usually brewed by steeping tea leaves in hot water and mixing it with milk and sweeteners. Depending on the variety, additional flavorings may be added. Tapioca pearls are an optional topping and can be easily prepared. 

Caffeine Content

The caffeine content between Thai tea vs. milk tea varies depending on the type of tea leaves used and the steeping time. Generally, milk tea has much more caffeine than Thai tea.

An eight-ounce serving of iced Thai tea contains 25 to 45 mg of caffeine. A cup of milk tea contains approximately 50 mg of caffeine in the same serving size.

Both drinks may contain more or less caffeine depending on the tea, brewing method and steeping time. For example, some variations of milk tea use concentrated black tea. This is when black tea leaves are directly boiled for longer to extract more flavor, which also tends to extract more caffeine. 

Characteristic	Thai Tea	Milk Tea
Origin	Thailand	Taiwan
Ingredients	Black tea, sugar, condensed milk, spices	Black tea, sugar, milk tapioca pearls
Flavor and Aroma	Bold, sweet, creamy, spiced	Creamy, mild, stronger tea flavor
Color	Bright orange	Light to dark brown or creamy beige
Preparation	Brewed with spices, added milk	Steeping tea leaves, mixing with milk
Caffeine Content	Moderate caffeine content	Higher caffeine content

Recommended Articles:

• Hokkaido vs. Okinawa Milk Tea: Comparing The Differences
• Chai vs. Matcha: Unraveling The Big Differences
• Oolong Tea vs. Green Tea: Comparing The Differences

Thai Tea vs. Milk Tea: What Are The Similarities?

Despite their differences, Thai tea and milk tea have some things in common. The main similarities are its ingredients: black tea, milk and sweetener. Although they’re used differently, the combination is similar.

• Black tea as the base: Both contain black tea, giving each beverage its signature flavor.
• Use of milk: Milk or a milk substitute is common to both types of tea, adding to their creamy consistency. 
• Sweetened: Another similarity between Thai and milk tea is their sweetness. Sugar syrup, granulated sugar or brown honey are used to sweeten milk tea. Thai tea relies on either evaporated milk or condensed milk for its sweetness. 

Both Thai and milk tea can either be served cold or hot. While they can be enjoyed hot, the iced versions provide a welcome relief on warm days, making them popular choices in various regions worldwide.

Thai Tea vs. Milk Tea: Comparing The Health Benefits

Thai and milk tea can offer various health benefits since they contain black tea.

Both use black tea leaves containing catechins and polyphenols – powerful antioxidants that help protect your body by neutralizing harmful free radicals. These antioxidants may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

Black tea has the ability to reduce inflammation. It contains a compound called theaflavin, which is known for its anti-inflammation properties.

Where Thai tea differs from milk tea in its use of different spices. Tamarind seed is used to make Thai tea orange but also contains antioxidant properties. Another spice used is star anise which is popularly used for its antiviral properties. Cardamon has been shown to help with diabetes management.

Although both teas have some health benefits, try to consume them in moderation. Both drinks can contain a fair bit of sugar and calories, which can offset these benefits.

Thai Tea vs. Milk Tea: Preparation Methods

How To Prepare Thai Tea

You will need Thai tea mix, water, sugar, and condensed milk to prepare Thai tea. 

You can either make Thai tea from scratch or use a pre-made mix. A pre-made mix on Amazon or a local Asian shop.

Ingredients:

• Thai tea mix
• 2-3 cups of water
• 1 teaspoon of condensed milk
• Crushed ice
• Evaporated milk (for topping)

Instructions:

1. You can use plain black tea or a pre-made Thai iced tea mix.
2. Start by heating 2.5 cups of water until boiling at 205°F and then simmer your sugar and tea mix in the water (with a lid) for about 20 minutes.
3. Use a fine-mesh strainer or filter to remove those tea leaves.
4. Let your tea take a chill pill for a bit.
5. Grab a cup, toss in some ice (crushed, cubed, up to you), and pour in your tea until it’s about two-thirds full. add your condensed milk and evaporated milk, give it a good stir, and bam! Thai tea magic.

How To Prepare Milk Tea

Milk tea can be made with black tea, water, and milk (or a milk alternative). 

Ingredients:

• 1-2 teaspoons of loose leaf black tea
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Start by boiling water until it reaches 205°F.
2. Pour the water over the black tea leaves and let it brew for 3-5 minutes. 
3. After straining the tea leaves, dissolve 1-2 teaspoons of brown sugar while the tea is warm.
4. Then add your preferred milk. Adjust the ratios based on your preference for a creamier or lighter taste. 
5. Milk tea can be enjoyed hot or cold. For a refreshing iced version, pour the tea over ice and stir it before enjoying it.

What Is Better: Thai Tea Or Milk Tea?

How do you even pick between Thai tea and milk tea?

Thai tea is a strongly brewed black tea with spices like star anise, sweetened and combined with condensed milk. In contrast, milk tea is a tea infusion with milk, varying in flavor depending on the tea base and region.

Thai tea offers a rich, aromatic experience with its unique blend of spices. Thai tea is the perfect choice if you enjoy a more robust flavor.

Being less adventurous, milk tea allows for a more mellow experience, with various tea bases like black, green, or oolong. 

When comparing Thai tea vs. milk tea, the choice is up to personal preference. Try Thai tea if you like your tea packed with flavor and sweetness. If you like a more mellow tea, then try milk tea instead.

Frequently Asked Questions