Thai iced tea is a strong, sweet, chilled drink with a black tea base. Found in many Thai restaurants, Thai iced tea is often colored with red and yellow food coloring to give the drink its distinctive orange hue. It is usually served in a manner that retains a layered consistency, to be mixed only by the consumer.
Identification
The ingredients in Thai tea vary between recipes. The base is usually a black tea. Sometimes other spices are added, such as star anise, cinnamon, cardamom or orange blossoms. The tea is sweetened with sugar. It is then served over ice and topped with evaporated milk.
Considerations
Many Thai iced tea recipes call for sugar and evaporated milk. However, substitutions and additions can change the nutritional content. Some makers sweeten the tea not only with sugar, but also with condensed milk, adding calories to the drink. After the server pours the tea over ice, it is traditionally topped with evaporated milk, but whole milk, half-and-half or coconut milk can also be used. If you are concerned about caloric intake, you can use artificial sweeteners in place of the sugar.
Serving Size
There is no standard serving size for Thai iced tea. However, 10 or 16 fluid ounces are popular glass sizes for this beverage. Nutritional facts are provided for a 10 ounce glass of Thai iced tea.
Calories
The caloric value of a glass of Thai iced tea will vary considerably based on the ingredients and method of preparation. For a traditional Thai iced tea prepared with sugar and evaporated milk, there are 125 to 180 calories per 10-ounce serving.
Nutrition
Depending on the recipe, a traditional Thai iced tea contains about 4 grams of fat, 35 grams of carbohydrates of which 33 are sugars, and 1 gram of protein. About half of the total fats are saturated with the rest are monounsaturated. There is no dietary fiber in Thai iced tea.
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