Royal Milk Tea

Ingredients

• 1 cup water (or 1 regular-sized teacup 100% filled; plus more hot water to warm the teacups)
• 3 heaping tsp black tea leaves (about 9 g; use Assam for dark-colored tea and Darjeeling for light-colored tea)
• 1 cup milk (or 1 regular-sized teacup 100% filled)
• sugar (or honey; optional)

Direction

1. Gather all the ingredients. My regular-sized teacups hold approximately 1 cup (240 ml) of liquid each, so I used them to measure my water and milk for this recipe.
2. Add 1 cup water to a milk pot or small saucepan. Cover and bring it to a boil on medium-high heat.
3. When the water boils, stir in 3 heaping tsp black tea leaves.
4. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 1½ to 2 minutes. If you‘re making iced royal milk tea, boil the leaves slightly longer to make stronger tea that the ice will dilute once served.
5. Add 1 cup milk and slowly bring it to just simmering. Meanwhile, add hot water to your serving teacups to keep them nice and hot; drain the water before you serve the tea. Tip: If you already know how much sugar you‘d like to use, you can add it to the pot now to dissolve it before serving.
6. When the tea is about to boil, remove it from the heat.
7. Drain the hot water from the teacups. Pour the tea through a tea strainer or fine-mesh sieve into your heated teacups. Enjoy!