(Adapted Family Recipe for Time-Saver)
For those who want a quick and tasty black milk tea, or less dishes to wash compared to loose leaf milk tea, tea bags are a great option.
If you're new to drinking tea or not much of a tea fan, you could be brewing it at the wrong temperature, or adding milk that's too cold. We find heating the milk and sugar together helps add some caramel notes to the blend.
We’ll explore the ins & outs of loose leaf tea in a future blog post. For now, we hope you enjoy this condensed version of our family’s classic milk tea, or “Kiri Te” in Sinhala! You can find the original recipe with loose leaf tea, "The Best Classic Ceylon Milk Tea," here: https://www.hendricksteahouse.com/post/the-best-classic-ceylon-black-milk-tea-recipe
Flavor notes: Our Ceylon tea blend has a rich amber color and a smooth, pleasant, yet bold taste with refreshing mild floral notes. This Black Milk Tea is similar to a coffee latte; there is a high proportion of milk to tea. It will end up looking like a medium caramel-brown color.
Recipe: Quick TEA BAG Ceylon Milk Tea
Makes: 1 serving (10 oz)
Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan Option, Dairy-Free Option
Difficulty: Easy Prep & Cook Time: 5 mins Total Time: 5 mins
Ingredients:
2 tea bags of Hendricks Tea House black tea
6 oz hot water (a little less than 1 cup)
4 oz (½ cup) milk of choice (we recommend something creamy, like whole milk or extra creamy almond/oat milk)
1-2 tsp raw sugar (to taste)
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Kitchen Items:
1 Kettle to boil water
12 oz heat-proof mug
1 microwave-safe & heat-proof pitcher (large enough to safely hold 4 oz of liquid without boiling over in the microwave)
1 teaspoon measuring spoon
Directions:
Bring 6oz of water to a boil.
(If you have a temperature setting, this can be between 205 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.)
Place 2 bags of Hendricks Tea House black tea into a heat-proof mug.
Pour the hot water over the tea bags. Steep for 3-5 minutes. (If the time runs a little over, that's ok).
Note, a dark brew is ok; the tea should be strong because it will be diluted with milk.
As the tea steeps, take out a microwave-safe pitcher. Pour 1/2 cup (4oz) of milk into the pitcher. Add the 1 or 2 teaspoons of raw sugar into the milk (no need to stir just yet). Then, microwave the mixture on high for one minute.
Tip if microwaving: Be sure your pitcher is large enough, or the milk can over-boil and spill when heating in the microwave.
(Alternatively, you can bring the milk & sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over the stove top; stir as it comes to a boil so the sugar does not burn.)
Mix the hot milk & sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set the hot milk & sugar pitcher aside.
Once the tea has finished steeping, remove the two tea bags from the mug. Lift the tea bags onto a spoon and twist the tea bag string around the bags to gently squeeze the leftover super-steeped liquid out of the tea bags & into your mug. Then, discard the tea bags.
Want to be eco friendly? You can allow the tea bags to cool, open the tea bags and place the used tea granules in garden soil.
Once the tea bags are removed from the mug, pour the hot milk & sugar mixture into the mug. Then stir to blend this creamy tea. The tea should look like a medium caramel-brown color.
Enjoy!
*Disclosure: Please note, some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links, and if you use them to make a purchase, Hendrick’s Tea House will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Know that we also link these products because of their quality and not solely because of the commission received from your purchases.
Make it Your Own
Once you've tried these methods, we encourage you to play with the measurements so it suits your tastes. You can adjust to a darker brew by adding an additional tea bag for a stronger tea flavor, or add more milk & sugar for extra richness. We’ve had friends try it with Almond Milk and exclaim, “this cup of tea tastes like a sugar cookie!”
Two Methods:
Indulgent Loose Leaf Option (Family Recipe) - Total time: 10 min.
Quick Tea Bag Option (Adapted Family Recipe for time-saver) - Total time: 5 min.
We highly recommend trying a cup - at least once - with our loose leaf tea, and use the tea bag recipe if you’re in a pinch. Both ways are satisfying, but the loose leaf version has that extra-special indulgence factor. Possibly because we steep the BOPF tea granules in the milk as part of the process. Find our family's "The Best Classic Ceylon Black Milk Tea" on our blog.