--- title: "Thai Orange Tea (Cha Yen): What It Is and What Goes in It" description: "Orange Thai tea is cha yen: strong black tea with condensed milk and spices; the colour comes from food dye. The mix, a home recipe, and the green emerald version." canonical_url: https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/cha-yen image: https://leafspirit.store/images/4/f/1/8/d/4f18dda38ceb3a302ab41c93c80c37557f34fde1-cha-yen-thai-iced-milk-tea.webp lang: en last_updated: 2026-08-11 site: Leaf & Spirit - Chinese tea house in Phuket, Thailand --- # Thai Orange Tea (Cha Yen): What It Is and What Goes in It Orange Thai tea is called cha yen, "cold tea". It is not a variety: the glass holds strong black tea, sugar, condensed milk with spices, and food colouring - the orange comes from the dye. You can make it at home without the ready mix, on any dense black leaf. Here is the mix, a home recipe, and the green emerald cousin. ## What is orange Thai tea made of? The base is broken black tea, usually Ceylon or Assam type. The mix adds sugar, star anise, sometimes vanilla and tamarind, and the dye that produces that neon-orange tone; no black tea brews that colour at any strength. In the glass the tea meets condensed milk, ice and a layer of evaporated milk on top. Dozens of mixes are made, from red tins to jars with horses on the label; the contents are similar, the difference sits in the ratio of spices and dye. ## How do you make Thai tea at home? Two tablespoons of mix per 200 ml, water at a rolling boil, five minutes. Strain; in Thailand this is done through a cloth "sock" filter, at home a sieve will do. Stir two spoons of condensed milk into the hot tea, pour it over a glass packed with ice and finish with a spoon of evaporated milk or cream. It works without the Thai mix too: any strong black tea, a star of anise in the pot, condensed milk and ice. The colour turns caramel instead of orange, the taste stays the same. For exactly this case we keep [Golden Snail dianhong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/golden-snail-dian-hong-jin-luo.md): its dense sweetness stands up to condensed milk and ice alike. ## What is emerald Thai tea? The same trick with a different leaf. Cha khiao, green Thai milk tea, is brewed from jasmine green tea with the same condensed milk and ice, and the emerald colour again comes from dye. Real Thai green tea from [Mae Salong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/mae-salong.md) looks far humbler and is drunk without milk. Emerald Thai tea: green milk tea over ice ## Cha yen, cha dam yen, cha ron: how do you order one? Cha yen comes with milk and ice. Cha dam yen is black with ice and sugar, no milk. Cha ron is hot. "Yen" means cold, "ron" hot, "dam" black: those three roots get you exactly the glass you wanted at any street cart. ## What if you want real Thai tea? Behind the orange mix stands a whole country of serious tea. In the north, around the village of [Mae Salong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/mae-salong.md), grow oolongs of Taiwanese descent: our [Red Oolong No. 12](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/red-oolong-no-12.md) (690 THB per 100 g) and [GABA oolong](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/gaba-oolong.md) come from there. Clean leaf over ice works too: the [cold brew guide](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/cold-brew-tea.md) shows how. What to carry home is laid out in the [tea souvenirs guide](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/tea-souvenirs-from-thailand.md). And what else hides behind the words [Thai tea](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/thai-tea.md), from blue [anchan](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/anchan.md) to fruity [matum](https://leafspirit.store/knowledge/matum.md), has a guide of its own. ## FAQ ### Why is Thai tea orange? Because of the food colouring in the mix. No tea leaf brews neon orange: without the dye, the same recipe with condensed milk comes out caramel-beige, as any homemade cha yen shows. ### What kind of tea is orange Thai tea? Broken black tea of Ceylon or Assam type with sugar and spices, usually star anise. It carries no varietal name: brands differ in proportions, not in leaf. ### Can you make cha yen without the dye? Yes. Strong black tea, star anise, condensed milk and ice give the same taste with a natural caramel colour. Any dense black leaf fits - from a simple Ceylon to [Yunnan dianhong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/golden-snail-dian-hong-jin-luo.md). ## From the tea house shelf - [Red Oolong No. 12](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/red-oolong-no-12.md) - from 690 THB - [Golden Snail (Dian Hong Jin Luo)](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/golden-snail-dian-hong-jin-luo.md) - from 590 THB - [Milk Oolong](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/milk-oolong.md) - from 480 THB - [Lychee Black Tea](https://leafspirit.store/catalog/tea/lychee-black-tea.md) - from 280 THB *Updated 2026-08-11 · Reviewed by tea master Ms. Judy (Wang Mengyu)* Notes on traditional properties are part of Chinese tea culture and are not medical advice. --- Contact: WhatsApp https://wa.me/66829896048 · LINE https://lin.ee/NAgjG2p · info@leafspirit.store · 101 Cherng Talay Road, Choeng Thale, Thalang, Phuket, Thailand · Open daily 10:00-18:30 (Phuket time). AI agent site guide: https://leafspirit.store/llms.txt · Machine-readable price list: https://leafspirit.store/prices.md