Milk tea is both a drink and an art form that has taken the world by storm. More and more people around the globe are drinking and creating new variations of it. In fact, the number of milk tea shops is starting to rival the number of coffee shops in a lot of cities.
But why buy milk tea if you can just make some at home? Put down your espresso cup and bag of Arabica coffee, and let’s go make some milk tea.
What Is Milk Tea?
In its simplest form, milk tea is any tea beverage that has been mixed with milk. It can simply just be black tea and milk, or it can be a more complex drink like the Taiwanese boba milk tea or the Thai iced tea.
Benefits Of Drinking Milk Tea
When consumed in moderate amounts, milk tea can provide a number of benefits for your body:
Improves Digestion
If you choose black tea as the base for your milk tea, then you can expect your digestion to improve. Black tea is packed full of polyphenols and antioxidants. These promote the formation of healthy gut bacteria that optimises enzyme production and reduces inflammation, resulting in a healthier digestive system.
Acts As An Immune Booster
Antioxidants and polyphenols also act as immune boosts to your body. Those antioxidants in particular are extremely effective at reducing your risk of developing chronic illnesses. This includes diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and stroke.
Increase Energy Levels
Similar to coffee, but a little bit less, tea also contains caffeine. Caffeine can help increase your awareness level as well as improve your concentration. So if you’re feeling tired, why not try out a refreshing glass of milk tea instead of a cup of coffee?
Helps Maintain Skin And Hair Health
Another great benefit that antioxidants and polyphenols have is that they greatly improve your hair and skin. These substances help speed up skin recovery and reduce blemishes. They can also help with morning puffiness as well as provide a lot of the nutrients that are essential for healthy hair growth.
What Types Of Tea Can Be Used To Make Milk Tea?
You have several tea options for making milk tea:
- Black Tea: the most common tea used for modern milk teas, with Earl Grey and Assam being especially popular.
- Oolong Tea: the favoured tea for traditional milk teas (also still commonly used in East and Southeast Asian countries), Oolong tea also carries a lot of the benefits that black tea provides.
- Green Tea: if you have tried matcha tea before, it won’t be a surprise to you that green tea makes an excellent base for milk tea.
How To Make Milk Tea
Things you will need to prepare:
- 1 cup of water
- ¼ cup of milk (any milk is fine, but we prefer fresh milk)
- 1 tea bag or 2 tsp of tea leaves
- 1 tsp of brown sugar or any other sweetener (you can also use granulated sugar, liquid sugar, syrup, or honey)
- A pan or kettle
- A cup
- A spoon to stir
- An infuser or tea strainer (only if you are using tea leaves)
Steps for making milk tea:
- Boil fresh and clean water in a kettle or pan
- Place your tea bag in a cup, or put your tea leaves in a tea strainer / infuser before then placing it in a cup
- Pour your hot water into the cup and let it steep for around 4 – 5 minutes. The longer you steep it, the stronger it will taste so make sure you don’t leave it for too long.
- Remove your tea bag or strain any loose tea leaves
- Add your preferred sweetener and stir
- Pour your milk one splash at a time; keep on pouring until you reach the colour you want
- Stir it again before serving
