What is Thai Tea?

Thai Tea is an orange milk tea normally brewed to be strong in flavor and combined with milk, sweetened condensed milk, and sugar. There are typically two types of people in the world, those who have had Thai Tea and those who have to deal with people in the first category saying things like, "WHAT!? You haven't had Thai Tea before?? IT'S SO GOOD." We may be slightly guilty of this ourselves… But here’s a little background on this delicious beverage.

Origins

The early British presence in Southeast Asia created a desire for hot milk tea but it wasn’t until around the 1980s when tea slingers would begin experimenting with this classic by combining it with ice, creating what we now call iced milk tea. It was during this time in Taiwan that tea slingers started experimenting with a combination of iced tea, milk, and tapioca balls known as “boba pearls,” Hong Kong developed its own style of milk tea, and  Some would say Thai Tea is a gift from the gods, however, while the specific origin of Thai Tea is not completely known, it is thought to have come from Chinese immigrants who came to Thailand in the 1980s. 

What Makes Most Thai Tea Orange? (Hint: It's made from petroleum.)

The orange color that's in most Thai Tea mixes comes from an artificial dye called FD&C Yellow #6 in American or E110 in Europe. This petroleum-based additive has been linked to increased ADHD symptoms in children. It's also been noted that much of the artificial food coloring derived from petroleum has been contaminated with carcinogenic substances like Benzidine. There is an ever-increasing pressure on the food & beverage industry to use naturally-derived ingredients 

A Better Way

At Yim Tea Co., we knew there had to be a better way to make this beloved tea mix. We didn’t like the idea of drinking chemicals every time we wanted to enjoy a delicious Thai Tea. That’s why we created the first 100% All Natural Thai Tea mix with the same great flavor that the world has come to love over the last 40 years.