Chelsea Tea(se)

Today’s midday sugar high sponsored by Tea and Milk

The other day one of my roommates and I were in the Chelsea area when it came to light that he had never been to Chelsea Market before! Naturally I took it upon myself to do my civic duty, showing him around so that he too could experience one of the main reasons that I make it over to Manhattan on any given day.

I hadn’t had the chance to visit the market in a number of years, but I was happy to find out that the interior was just as I remembered. All of the shops and businesses were still in place and in operation, albeit with a notable downscaling of foot traffic that I’d attribute to pandemic-related precautions and restrictions.

A man on the path of discovery.

After a little bit of exploring we found ourselves at Pearl River Mart Foods, a miniature grocer and vendor area for Asian foods and beverages (as well as a newer business venture from the owners of the iconic Pearl River Mart). Located within Chelsea Market’s Lower Level Concourse (the original being on the Main Concourse), the food mart hosts four businesses: Mao’s Bao, Kimbap Lab, Tea and Milk, and Kitsby — more than enough to get your fair share of East Asian treats.

Steamy. Greasy. Savory. Delicious. — Mao’s Bao

We ended up going for some signature Jian Bao (pan-fried pork buns) from Mao’s, complemented by a rich cup of Thai iced tea from Tea and Milk in order to accelerate our afternoon food comas.

As the two of us were sitting there, all of that sugar got me thinking (perhaps too much too fast and too early in the day)

— What is Thai iced tea anyway?

While not nearly at the same level of popularity in the West as its contemporary bubble tea, Thai iced tea (which I was going to abbreviate until I realized what it spelled) is nonetheless seen similarly as an iconic beverage within the younger Asian American community and within the United States.

The general reasons as to why seem to be about the same. It’s a liquid dessert disguised as a casual beverage, it’s remarkably photogenic, and it gives off the illusion to the consumer that they’re actually consuming tea. Asia’s Frappuccino.

Ingredient-wise you’re looking at a base of a strong black tea, brewed together with a variety of spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, tamarind, and vanilla. To this you add condensed milk, crushed ice, and in North America, food coloring and a type 2-load of sugar to produce what is now the drink’s signature taste, texture, and distinct terra cotta color.

Like bubble tea, Thai iced tea is a relatively new phenomenon, its origins believed to date back to 1980s Thailand, as boba does to 1980s Taiwan. Tea itself is just as recent of an addition to Thailand’s history, introduced by China in the ‘80s as a cash crop to curb opium trafficking at the time.

In my research I was unable to identify a more proper history for the drink, my conclusions being inconclusive as to whom its creation can be attributed. Regardless, what is known is that a version existed among Thai street vendors before its popularity eventually brought it into restaurants. Eventually the drink would reach overseas, wherein, like most Asian cuisine that becomes popular in the West, the version that we have come to know it today is one that has been altered to appeal more broadly to the Western palate (that is to say, doused in the aforementioned artificials).

As a drink Thai iced tea pairs excellently with the kinds of Thai food that you can get in the States, its rich concentration of dairy and sugar smoothing out the medley of spices and heat that Thai food is known for. Pairing-wise it can be thought of like the Mango Lassi to a hot plate of Indian food. Smooth, cooling bliss on the palate. Although unlike the Lassi, you don’t get any extra points to your health. It’s blissful indulgence, but I would hope that we knew that going in.

Nowadays, as tends to be the pattern with globalized food culture, the American variant of the Thai iced tea has actually reflexively made its way back to mainland Thailand, where it is being served in restaurants as the now more recognizable version of the beverage. The traditional preparation appears to more or less be something exclusive to Thailand, though even then it does not carry a particular cultural significance.

On the whole, sugar seems to win out once again. As it stands, my relationship with Thai iced tea will remain where it was. Once in a syrupy. saccharine sweet blue moon. Until then, it’s back to the intermittent bubble tea with me.

Someone grab me my boba straw.