Iced Lemon Tea (or Cha Manao as the Thais call it) is the perfect way to cool down on a hot day, and man are the days hot over here!
And when I say lemon, what I mean is lime. We only have limes here but they call them lemons. It’s pretty confusing but I’m sure this would be delicious with lemons or limes.
You can get it at almost any cafe or drinks stall here in Thailand. Most places use a powdered packet mix but the best brew it with proper Thai tea. My parents loved the refreshing iced teas when they were here and wanted to make something similar at home that wasn’t packed full of sugar. So I had a play around with tea, honey and lime juice and this was the result…
This recipe (if I can call it that!) makes 2 glasses but I would recommend making a whole jug and keeping it in the fridge to sip on all day. This is how I like my tea but adjust the strength of the tea and amount of lime/honey to suit your taste.
- 2 teabags
- 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 300ml water
- Put all the ingredients into a saucepan.
- Squeeze the limes but also keep the skins in the pan.
- Bring to the boil over a medium heat.
- Remove from the heat. Leave to brew for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the tea and once it is as strong as you like, pour it over ice and enjoy!
- Thai tea is best but I'm sure it would be delicious whatever you use. And of course feel free to use 'proper' loose leaf tea!
