it was a much anticipated week —
one that would bring
joy & laughter,
likely some self examination
(indeed, much reflection)
along with ample weather indecision:
storms & sunshine abound!
for 7 days dw & i hosted
our nephews,
jewel of boys,
long limbed and boisterous,
sweetly affectionate (still.)
(ps. please always be affectionate.)
infinitely curious
boundlessly active.
and so to add to all that frenzied energy
i made thai iced tea
because you know,
adding caffeine + sugar to all that
seemed like a good idea.
plus, it’s one of Q’s fave beverages.
thai iced tea
serves 2-3
note: i am not a tea connoisseur, so i emailed a new fave blogger, Bonnie of Thirsty For Tea for some tips. bless her heart, she was so patient with my incessant questions. under her tutelage i bought the tea from teavana, because the three regular cafes and supermarkets i went to didn’t have what i was looking for. also, don’t be alarmed that the finished product doesn’t have a neon orange hue to it. i did all the freaking out for you. i was worried that i messed the recipe somehow. apparently, thai restaurants and cafes/shops that serve thai iced tea use a mix or add the color artificially. i didn’t know, now i do, and so do you. you’re welcome.
4 cups water
4-6 tsp thai black tea
3-4 tsp simple syrup (just water + sugar, i keep this on hand always in the fridge)
i brewed the tea in my coffee press. bring water to a boil. meanwhile, measure out the desired amount of tea. the package says 1-1.5 tsp for every 8oz/1 cup. i didn’t want too strong of a drink, as Q is only 12 and i’m not sure about giving kids too much caffeine or whatever.
pour boiled water into press carefully. allow to steep for 2-3 minutes. i may have let it go for 5 minutes, i was busy making dinner. carefully press down the plunger. pour the tea into a carafe or in my case, a jar. allow to cool. refrigerate.
to serve, fill a glass with ice. pour tea about 2/3 of way. sweeten with simple syrup to taste, top with half/half or non-dairy milk.
BAM!
morestomach 
Yummy!
thank you!
Boys, iced tea AND gifs? Money.
❤
caffeine and sugar is the way to beat this summer. i made myself some Vietnamese coffee popsicles the other way…now i need to get into thai iced tea.
oh man, vietnamese coffee popsicles sound so win…
“i’m not sure about giving kids too much caffeine or whatever.” <— I love you Lan! This sounds like something I would say, when my nephew is 12. Oh how I hope he wants to hang out with me when he gets older. Right now, he smiles 4-month-old gummy toothless smiles when he sees me and I cannot get enough of it! Oh I hope it lasts!
Holy crap that first photo! MAGAZINE QUALITY. I love it! I love that gif! You are so talented. I'd forgotten how much I love Thai iced tea and also glad to hear that the orange hue is fake. I see the mix at my local Asian market but there is so much sugar, I just can't!! Homemade it is 🙂 perfect
thank you sweet sophie! i’m sure your baby nephew will grow up with so much appreciation for you, especially if you spoil him rotten, feed him caffeine and then send him back home to his parents 🙂
Thank you so much for the shout out Lan! Tea can actually be a really hard thing to photograph, and you’ve simply taken it to the next level…you are such an artist…I’m just blown away! 🙂
bonnie, you are so kind, thank you. and thanks so much for your tea help. now that the boys are back home, we have quite a bit of loose thai tea left that i will have to whip up, with boba for dw.
Fab post – this has gone onto my shortlist for a feature. Thanks and cheers