Teh Tarik

Teh Tarik

This was shot during Melbourne University's International day. There was a food fair at the big tent outside of the union house. The direct translation is "pulled tea". A very famous kopitiam drink in Singapore and Malaysia, The drink is constantly poured from a cup to another. It cools the hot tea or coffee and also make it light and puffy as it mixes with air. A very distinct and comforting feeling when you drink it, don't forget about the milk. To those visiting Singapore or Malaysia, don't forget to try this. And to all my Malaysia and Singaporean friends, Cheers...



It is often compared to cappuccino because of its frothy top. The main ingredients are tea and condensed milk. Ginger water may also be added to form teh halia, or ginger tea. It has become the de facto national drink of Malaysia. In terms of taste it is somewhere between syrup and vending machine tea, the distinctive flavour of the tea leaves being obliterated by lashings of sugar and condensed milk.

This tea is special in that it is prepared using a unique technique. The tea is poured from a hand held high into a container held in a hand below. The tea is poured back and forth in this manner to create a thick froth. It is believed that this method mixes the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly than other methods.

The same technique can be used to make kopi tarik, the coffee equivalent of the tarik.

(courtesy wikipedia.com)