Burmese milk tea ( my, လက်ဖက်ရည်, ) is a tea beverage from

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

(Burma), traditionally made with strongly brewed

black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...

and milk (typically

evaporated milk Evaporated milk, known in some countries as "unsweetened condensed milk", is a shelf-stable canned cow’s milk product where about 60% of the water has been removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains adde ...

and condensed milk). Burmese milk tea is commonly consumed at

tea shop A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

s, as an accompaniment to bite-sized snacks like Burmese fritters and sweets called '' mont''.

History

Myanmar has a longstanding

tea culture Tea culture is defined by the way tea is made and consumed, by the way the people interact with tea, and by the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking. Tea plays an important role in some countries. It is commonly consumed at social events, and ...

, stemming from a long history of tea cultivation in what is now

Upper Myanmar Upper Myanmar ( my, အထက်မြန်မာပြည်, also called Upper Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar, traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery (modern Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway Regions), or more broadly speak ...

. In pre-colonial times, people primarily drank green tea, which continues to be a mainstay at tea shops and traditional Burmese restaurants alike. Closed Teahouse (8389985981)

During British rule in Burma, Burma became a part of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. From the late 1800s onward, Indian migrants flocked to major cities where they established general stores called ''kaka hsaing'', which also offered milk tea and eventually evolved into tea shops. Milk tea was prepared using strongly brewed tea, steamed fresh milk, and sugar, similar to Indian milk tea.

Ingredients

Burmese milk tea is made using strongly brewed black tea, which is called ''akya yay'' () or ''aphan yay'' (), evaporated milk, and condensed milk, similar to Hong Kong-style milk tea. Fresh milk, cream (called ''malai'' in Burmese), and cane sugar are also optionally added or substituted as ingredients.

Preparation

The base of Burmese milk tea is strongly brewed using black tea leaves, which are simmered in water and a bit of salt, typically between 15 and 30 minutes. The tea base is then combined with evaporated and condensed milk, and 'pulled' in a manner similar to

teh tarik Teh tarik () is a popular hot milk tea beverage most commonly found in restaurants, outdoor stalls, mamaks and kopitiams within the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. Its name is derived from the pouring ...

, in order to create a frothy layer and to cool the beverage.

Varieties

Burmese milk tea is traditionally made-to-order, based on a customised ratio of tea to milk based on individual preferences. There are over two dozen varieties, and drinkers customarily use shorthand abbreviations when making their order. The varieties of milk tea can be broadly categorised based on astringency, richness, and sweetness.

Standard

Standard varieties are called pon hman (), and hover close to the ratio of 5:1:1 for brewed tea, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Some common shorthand abbreviations include 'Ceylon tea' () and 'no zein ti' ().

Astringent

Astringent varieties are called a-phan () or kya kya (), which are typically strengthened by reducing the amount of evaporated and condensed milk and/or increasing the amount of black tea. Strongly brewed black tea without milk is called 'gate sone' (, ).

Rich

Rich varieties are called a-seint (), which are typically enriched with more evaporated milk, relative to the standard varieties. Common shorthands include 'kya seint,' 'paw seint,' and 'cho seint.'

Sweet

Sweet varieties are called a-cho (), which are typically sweetened with more condensed milk, relative to standard varieties. Common shorthands include 'cho kya,' 'cho pyit,' and 'cho paw.' Another common shorthand, ' Kyaukpadaung' () refers to a sweet but astringent brew of milk tea with reduced evaporated milk.

References

{{teas Blended tea Burmese cuisine Tea culture Milk tea