Tea with milk is drunk all over the world, both hot and cold: who drinks it, how and why

Tea with milk is not only a drink, but also a real tradition that came to us from distant countries.Some people drink it to quench their thirst, some to wake up in the morning, and others simply enjoy its delicate taste. Do you know which tea is best for mixing with milk? Or how to brew this drink correctly so that it comes out perfect?If not, then we are ready to share with you the secrets of making the most delicious milk tea

Adding milk softens and smoothes out the taste, especially the bitter notes of black tea. Milk can be of animal origin or plant-based – soy, almond, rice. Plant-based milk substitutes are now increasingly used.

Milk tea: a variety of flavors and brewing methods

But still, tea with milk is a very subtle story, and not just another drink. Take, for example, the well-known English tradition – first pour milk into a cup, and the temperature of the milk should be approximately 50 degrees Celsius, and only then add freshly brewed black tea. Practical British people initially cared so much about fine, expensive porcelain, but, as it turned out, and scientists confirmed this, tea with milk actually tastes better prepared in this way. And in any cup, not necessarily made of fine porcelain. It is believed that this method of preparing milk tea does not change the taste of the tea itself too much. Experiments have proven that if you do the opposite – pour cold milk on top of hot tea, a thin film-foam will form on the surface. And this sometimes makes it very difficult to enjoy your favorite drink. Fans drink this tea with sugar – preferably cane sugar. But, in my opinion, it tastes better without sugar, as a bite with good chocolate candy or cookies.

The second most popular is the Indian method of brewing tea. And this drink has a name – masala tea, which in translation means tea with spices, a mixture of spices. The traditional recipe calls for boiling black tea, milk and several spices, including cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger, then straining into mugs before serving. Which spice to choose is a matter of taste; the end result will still be a spicy, thick tea. But the main, obligatory one is cardamom.

This Indian spiced tea has grown in popularity and is sometimes prepared from powders or syrups.

Mongolian tea suutei (sutei) tsai is not as popular as masala tea. Perhaps because of the specific taste – after all, flour, fat and salt are added to it. It’s somehow not quite usual for tea, isn’t it? However, the defining ingredient is still tea; in the traditional recipe it is green tile (brick).

The tea is ground into powder, poured with cold water, brought to a boil and milk is added. Traditionally, the ratio of water and milk is 1:1. Milk can be cow, sheep or camel. It is mandatory to add ghee – cow, camel or yak. Flour for tea is pre-fried until golden brown. The required ingredient is salt. Of course, the drink turns out to be very high in calories, and the goal is not only to quench your thirst, but also to fill you up. Served before and during lunch, it replaces soup and is drunk throughout the day.

Tea, although called Mongolian, is also used in Kalmykia. But without pain. Only tea, water, milk, fat and salt.

Hong Kong tea, as its name suggests, was invented and loved in Hong Kong. Under the influence of the British, black tea with milk was also loved by the local population, but changed slightly. This did not make it any worse, although it is condemned by the British. It just became a little different – more tart from the thick brew and creamy from the concentrated milk – this is what Hong Kong tea is brewed with. Yes, they brew everything together like Indian masala tea, but without spices. Drink hot or cold. For brewing, only “red” varieties of tea are preferred. Add sugar or sweetened condensed milk.

Hong Kong tea is also called “stocking tea” or “milk tea in silk stockings.” The fact is that preparing Hong Kong milk tea does not end with brewing tea with milk, but a mandatory procedure is straining the finished tea through a canvas bag resembling the shape of a stocking.

Another way of consuming milk tea that has recently become popular, especially among children and youth, is Taiwanese bubble tea.

The drink is made from black or green tea with the addition of milk powder and sweetener (or without it) and tapioca pearls – balls made from the starchy flour of a plant called cassava.

Cassava is a root crop of the tropical plant of the same name, vaguely reminiscent of potatoes. When soaked, the balls become like chewing marmalade. Taiwanese tea is a refreshing drink, served with ice and a wide straw into which chewy balls are funnily drawn.  

Even the simplest and most familiar preparation of milk tea can become unique if you follow the serving tradition. In Malaysia, iced milk tea is a mixture of powdered black tea with condensed milk and ice, poured several times from one cup to another. A thick, stretchy foam is formed, and the tea is called elongated. It really looks like it: the tea seems to stretch from one cup to another.

It is not at all necessary to leave your native kitchen and go to distant countries to prepare any of your favorite tea drinks with milk. The only condition is that the tea must be of high quality, be it tea leaves or tea bags.

The most common one in our country is tea with milk in English.

The debate about what to pour into the cup first – milk or tea leaves – is akin to the debate about the birthright of an egg and a chicken. But science still says that hot milk should be poured into the cup first, and then well-brewed tea. Let’s do so. As a sweetener you can take sugar (white or brown), honey, stevia, erythritol. If you ask me how I like it, I will answer – no sugar at all.

To prepare tea in English you need:

• 1 teaspoon black tea (English Breakfast or Irish Breakfast) or 1 tea bag

• 200 ml water

• 50 ml whole milk (fat content 3.2 – 3.5%)

• sweetener

1. Rinse the teapot with hot water.

2. Place the tea leaves or tea bag in the teapot and fill with boiled water – 95 degrees.

3. Wait for the tea to brew – 4–5 minutes.

4. Heat the milk to 50–60 degrees (or whatever you prefer – cooler or hotter)

5. Pour the milk into a cup and pour the tea leaves on top through a strainer. There is no need to add more water. Calculate immediately how much water you need.

6. You can also add milk to taste – more or less.

7. Add sweetener.

Masala tea leaves many people indifferent, even after trying it once. It can be prepared from dry ingredients, or you can spend a little more time and prepare freshly grated ginger, grind cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns in a mortar. The taste will, of course, vary significantly. Masala tea is a soothing and warming drink; you can drink it both in the morning with breakfast and after dinner. Try making tea with this set of spices, and then experiment, find your own version of taste and aroma. There is no exact recipe. Try adding coriander, fennel seeds, lemongrass, star anise, allspice, tamarind, vanilla and nutmeg.

Traditionally, for masala tea you need:

• 500 ml whole milk or vegetable substitute

• 500 ml water

• 2 tbsp. spoons of black tea leaves

• 4 buds of cloves

• 2 boxes of green cardamom

• 2 black peppercorns

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 4 cm ginger

• 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar

1. Grind cloves, black pepper and cardamom in a mortar.

2. Peel and grate or chop the ginger.

3. In a small saucepan, combine milk, water and spices.

4. Place on the fire, bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add sugar and tea leaves. Stir and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

6. Strain the finished tea through a strainer into glasses or cups.

Drink it hot!