Thai Tea substitute

Best substitute

Strong Black Tea Plus Star Anise and Cardamom

2 tea bags or 2 heaped tsp loose per 1 cup water, plus 1 star anise and 1 crushed cardamom pod per cup

Best for Thai iced tea

Close match

Assam, Ceylon or plain English breakfast tea, brewed at double the normal strength for five minutes with the whole spices in the pot. Strain, sweeten, then pour over ice and float condensed or evaporated milk on top.

Other thai tea substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Ceylon or Cheap Black Tea Dust
Close match
Use 2 heaped tsp for every cup, 5 minutes
The fine broken-leaf tea at the bottom of a bag of loose tea, or any inexpensive strong Ceylon.
What changes
Brew hard and strain through a cloth or fine sieve.
Best for
Thai iced tea, cha yen, milk tea, boba
Better than good tea for this purpose, which surprises people. Thai shops use cheap dust-grade tea precisely because it brews fast, extracts hard and stays tannic enough to cut through sweetened condensed milk. A delicate single-estate tea gets steamrolled by the milk and sugar. Add the spices as above; without them it tastes like plain strong milk tea.
3Masala Chai Tea Bags
Different taste
Use the same amount brewed double strength
Any masala chai blend, brewed at two bags per cup for five minutes.
What changes
Do not add extra spices, since the blend already has plenty.
Best for
Thai iced tea, milk tea, boba drinks
The nearest thing on a supermarket shelf and a very usable swap, but the spice profile shifts. Masala chai leads with ginger, clove, cinnamon and black pepper, while Thai tea leads with star anise, so the drink tastes warmer and more peppery and reads distinctly Indian rather than Thai. A single star anise added to the pot pulls it back toward cha thai.
4Earl Grey
Different taste
Use the same amount brewed double strength
Strong Earl Grey with a star anise pod added to the pot to soften the bergamot.
What changes
Best for
milk tea, iced tea
Workable but distinctly not Thai. Bergamot is a loud, floral citrus perfume that survives condensed milk, so the finished drink is recognisably an Earl Grey milk tea rather than a Thai one. Some people prefer it. If it is what you have, brew it strong and skip any added vanilla, which fights the bergamot.
5Black Tea Plus Vanilla and a Pinch of Ground Cinnamon
Taste and texture differ
2 tsp black tea per cup, plus ¼ tsp vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon per 2 cups
For when you have no whole spices at all.
What changes
Brew the tea at double strength, then stir the vanilla and cinnamon into the sweetened tea while it is still hot.
Best for
Thai iced tea, milk tea, boba
Gets you a warm, faintly spiced sweet tea that works well under condensed milk. The missing piece is the anise, which is the single most identifiable note in Thai tea mix, so the drink tastes rounder and less liquorice-like. Ground spices also cloud the tea and settle, so strain or expect sediment.
6Green Tea, Oolong or Rooibos (Not Recommended)
Taste and texture differ
Not a viable swap
Listed so you do not waste ingredients.
What changes
Thai green iced tea does exist as its own drink, but it is not a substitute for cha thai.
Best for
a different drink entirely
The whole architecture of Thai iced tea depends on a heavily tannic black tea base standing up to a large amount of sweetened condensed milk. Green tea and oolong are too delicate and go flat and vegetal under it, and rooibos turns thin and slightly medicinal. If black tea is genuinely unavailable, make something else rather than this.

What is Thai Tea?

Thai Tea is a coarse blend of strong black tea dust flavoured with star anise and other warm spices, usually tinted orange with food colouring and sold in bags as Thai tea mix; brewed hard and cut with sweetened condensed milk it becomes Thai iced tea, or cha yen.

Cooking tips

Understand what the mix is actually doing before you substitute. Thai tea mix supplies a very strong, tannic black tea base built to survive being cut with sweetened condensed milk and a glass of ice, plus a warm spice aroma led by star anise. The orange colour is food dye and contributes nothing to flavour, so chasing it is pointless.
Brew at double strength, always. This is the mistake that ruins homemade Thai iced tea more than any wrong ingredient. Normal-strength tea plus condensed milk plus melting ice tastes like sweet milky water. Two bags or two heaped teaspoons per cup, five full minutes, no shortcuts.
Sweeten the hot tea, not the cold drink. Sugar dissolves properly in hot liquid, and condensed milk incorporates smoothly. Once the tea is over ice, sugar sinks and stays granular at the bottom of the glass.
Thai iced tea traditionally uses two dairy elements, not one: sweetened condensed milk stirred into the tea for sweetness and body, then a splash of evaporated milk or half and half floated on top for the pale swirl. Using only condensed milk makes it cloying, and using only evaporated milk makes it thin.
Chill the brewed tea completely before it meets ice. Pouring hot tea over ice melts it instantly and dilutes the drink by a third, which is the other reason homemade versions taste weak. Brew ahead and refrigerate, or brew at triple strength if you must pour it hot.
Whole spices beat ground for this. Star anise, cardamom pods and a small piece of cinnamon stick in the brewing pot give clean aroma and strain out cleanly, while ground spices cloud the tea and leave grit in the glass.

Frequently asked questions

Can I just use regular black tea for Thai iced tea?

Yes, and it works well as long as you do two things: brew it at double strength, two bags or two heaped teaspoons per cup for five minutes, and add a star anise pod and a crushed cardamom pod to the pot. Without the spices it is simply a strong milk tea, which is pleasant but not recognisably Thai.

Why is my Thai tea not orange?

Because commercial Thai tea mix contains added food colouring, usually a yellow and red dye combination, and nothing you brew at home will produce that shade. It has no effect on flavour. Homemade Thai iced tea is a deep amber-brown that turns creamy tan once the milk goes in, and it tastes exactly as it should.

Can I just leave the spices out?

You can, and you will still have a good glass of sweet iced milk tea. But star anise is the single most identifiable note in cha thai, so without it the drink loses the specific aroma people recognise. One pod per cup costs almost nothing and is the highest-impact addition on this page.

What is actually in Thai tea mix?

Coarsely broken black tea, usually Assam or Ceylon dust, plus flavourings that commonly include star anise, vanilla, tamarind and sometimes crushed cardamom or cinnamon, and food colouring. Brands vary and some add sugar, so check the label before you sweeten.

Can I use chai instead of Thai tea?

Yes, it is the closest supermarket option. Brew masala chai bags at double strength and use them exactly as you would Thai tea. The drink will taste more of ginger, clove and pepper and less of anise, so it comes across as Indian-leaning. Adding one star anise pod to the pot moves it noticeably closer to Thai.

Related substitutes

More beverages substitutes

Thai Tea substitute

Other thai tea substitutes

2Ceylon or Cheap Black Tea Dust

3Masala Chai Tea Bags

4Earl Grey

5Black Tea Plus Vanilla and a Pinch of Ground Cinnamon

6Green Tea, Oolong or Rooibos (Not Recommended)