Thai Iced Tea

Step 2: Procedure

Bring your water to a boil in a pot with some head space. You'll need room for the tea leaves, you'll be using a lot. When the water begins to boil, remove the pot from the heat to stop the boiling, and then add the tea leaves to the pot, stirring to moisten them. Don't try to use a tea bag, or tea ball, or anything, we are using a LOT of tea, and we need it to steep fully.

Don't boil the tea! It will be bitter! Just let it sit in the hot water.

Set your timer for 4 minutes, and wait.

When your timer goes off, carefully strain the tea into your heat resistant pitcher through a sieve or tea sock. I've got a round seive that nestles well in the opening of my pitcher. I pour slowly, letting the sieve catch most of the tea leaves. As the sieve clogs up, I stop pouring, let the sieve drip for a minute, and then knock the tea leaves out of it into the compost.

When the tea is in the pitcher, add your sweetener, and stir to dissolve. You have to add the sweetener when the tea is hot, otherwise you'll never get it to dissolve fully.

Put the tea in the fridge for a few hours to cool it down. If you must have tea soon, you can use the ice to help cool it down, but it won't be as strong. This sweetened tea will save for a week or more in the fridge. I make big batches, and just save the full pitcher in the fridge for serving on demand.

Comments

[bnell]

I could never get the tea to taste quite right. It was never a sweet as in the restaurants that I would visit. So on day I asked at on of the restaurants how they managed to get the Thai tea as sweet as they do. The chef was brought out. At first he seemed reluctant to share, but after some cajoling by the waitress, he told me to put the sugar in while the water was boiling. This way it fully dissolved. Then add the tea. Just a variation that one might try...

[mysteryshrimp]

If you make a simple syrup ahead of time, you don't have to worry about dissolving sugar ever again. 2 parts sugar 1 part water a little corn syrup will help curb crystallization. Bring to a boil, leave on heat until your syrup is crystal clear. Cool, put in plastic squirt bottle or glass syrup pour bottle. The table sugar (a disaccharide) will convert into a simpler monosaccharide and will always be pre-dissolved for cold (or hot) beverages.

[speeed2001]

Yes, The sugar must be added while the tea still hot. All sugar must be dissolved.

[Whaleman]

I might try that for black tea as well.

[ArJohn]

I found that same thing while in Thailand. Sugar (sirup) added while boiling.