Description
Teh tarik is made with tea leaves placed in water just before it boils. Spices such as cardamom, cloves and ginger can be added together with the tea for added flavour. Teh tarik can be made with any type of tea, but tea dust is preferred as it results in a stronger flavour compared to tea leaves and gives teh tarik its characteristic orange colouring. Tea dust is a lower-grade tea made of broken tea leaves ground into dust. Sri Lankan tea dust is regarded as producing the best quality brew. For home brews, teabags are used as an alternative when tea dust is not available.
The process of making teh tarik starts with adding evaporated and condensed milk to boiling water. Once the brew is bubbling, it is taken off the heat and the mixture strained into a tin mug. The tea is then poured from a height of about a metre into another mug. This process of “pulling” the tea is repeated a number of times until a layer of froth forms over the drink before it is served. The tea should preferably be “pulled” longer than an arm’s length. The “pulling” process cools the tea and enhances its flavour.
A good brew is determined by the following: the type of tea leaves or tea dust used; how the tea is mixed; the way the tea is “pulled” and the time spent in “pulling”; the amount of sugar added; the volume of water used; as well as the proportion of evaporated and condensed milk. Some famed teh tarik stalls use up to six types of tea leaves in a concoction.
Teh tarik lovers judge a teh tarik drink on the proportion of condensed milk used. Too much and it is considered too sweet, too little and it is not rich enough. Others suggest that using condensed milk alone makes for a more authentic tea. The condensed milk is believed to give the “pulled tea” more froth and better flavour. In some sarabat stalls, a spoonful of sugar is added to sweeten the teh tarik even further.