One of the most popular ways to drink Black Tea is with milk. The British have been doing this for years and it is one of my favorite ways to have my morning tea. But, what if we skipped using water and just brewed the tea directly in milk? Would that even work?
Tea can brew in milk (or pretty much any other liquid)
Remember osmosis? That is, you thought by placing a textbook on your head while you slept, you would magically absorb the knowledge? Well, osmosis plays a large role in steeping tea. All steeping really does is transfer the goodness from the tea leaf to the water (or other liquid). Water just happens to be the preferred liquid due to its neutral taste and abundance in modern society. However, if you wanted to switch it up, other liquids work as well, like milk.
Brewing tea in milk gives a different flavor and experience
The one thing you need to be conscious of if you do brew your tea in milk is the flavor. Milk has a much stronger taste than water and its viscosity is also thicker making it harder for you to taste the actual tea. Therefore, you need to use a strong tasting tea.
Chai works well when brewed directly in milk
Chai has the necessary spice and punch to hold up to the flavor of milk. The spices also accent the beverage in a nice way, which is why Chai Lattes are so popular. The one nice thing about brewing tea in milk is that your tea will most likely never taste too bitter because the milk helps mask the tannins. What you end up with is a rich, silky Chai Tea with a fluffy thickness and sweet flavor.
Here is a quick method of milk brewed Chai:
- Pour 1 cup of milk into a small pot
- Add 1 heaping teaspoon of Chai directly to the milk
- Simmer (do not let boil) on a stovetop on low heat for 10 minutes
- Strain and enjoy!
Photo: www.flickr.com/photos/cpchen/3192808386
7 Responses
Robert McGowan
Put a little milk in your cup with the (chai) teabag. Swirl it around to saturate the teabag. Place in microwave for 10 seconds. Swirl around a little more and watch the milk become brown. Add hot water to fill cup. Add sugar to taste. Stir. Enjoy bliss.
Brittany Stamey
Do you think it would work well with earl grey? im trying to make an earl grey custard pie and im trying to figure out whether i should just steep it in the milk or make some kind of earl grey syrup
O
Can I then add double cream to the milk brewed tea? I’ve been doing this for a few weeks. Is it safe? It tasts very nice. I use about 4 tea bags in 600ml of milk.
Hadia
Wow thanks for this article. I love drinking green tea with added milk, but I actually never thought of brewing it together. can’t wait to try it out!
Pedro Jalapeno
Wow this is so great!!
Pedro
OMG I <3 This1!
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
richard thompson
November 24, 2016
I’ve spent pretty fair amount of tine in Nepal where the tea typically is served as milk tea. It is often simply brewed by immersion in milk using an open pot, then strained with a wire strainer. Business is often conducted with a juice size glass of tea brought within a few minutes by a young runner. If they add spices, it is not strong. Milk tea makes a great recovery drink for winter sports.
My experience that trying to brew in milk with tea bags works poorly because the skim clogs the bag .