作法
- 把水在水壺中煮沸。茶葉放入濾布袋或細濾網中，下面放耐熱壺。
- 把沸水沖過茶葉。接住茶湯後再倒回沖一次——這「拉茶」（chak cha）動作是泰國小販萃取最多顏色與單寧的方法。
- 趁熱拌入糖至完全溶解。降至室溫後冷藏至少一小時。冷茶比溫茶更能與牛奶融合。
- 把煉乳拌入冷茶。試味——泰式冰奶茶應該強烈地甜，幾近甜點。視需要調整；這不是適合節制的飲品。
- 四個高玻璃杯裝滿冰塊。把冷甜茶倒至七分滿。
- 把30毫升淡奶慢慢從湯匙背面倒上每杯——它會在橘茶上漂浮一層雲白色。配長湯匙與吸管上桌；飲者在桌邊自己攪拌。
Common questions
Can 泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） be made ahead?
泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 10 minutes.
Is 泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） spicy?
泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is 泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） vegetarian or gluten-free?
泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） is suitable for vegetarian (and vegan if dairy is omitted) diets.
How hard is 泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） to make at home?
泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 15 minutes, no special technique required.
Can 泰式冰奶茶（Cha Yen） be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
文化背景
泰式冰奶茶的橘色來自食用色素——原本的泰茶是棕色，但二十世紀中葉小販開始染色，以區別玻璃杯中的冰茶與咖啡。雙倒的拉茶技巧與馬來西亞的拉茶相似，部分是表演，部分是讓茶水充氧。四月曼谷酷熱十字路口的一杯cha yen是求生之舉；泰式甜品店會把它倒在碎冰上，旁邊配香蘭凍方塊作為更精緻的版本。
