Balaram Street Iced Cb-tea Recipe

Brew the tea

Bring 2 cups water to a near boil in a small saucepan. Add the loose tea leaves (or tea bags), bruised ginger and crushed cardamom pod. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes to extract a strong, concentrated flavor.

Turn off heat and steep for 2 more minutes. Strain the brewed tea through a fine mesh sieve into a heatproof container, pressing lightly on solids to extract flavor. Discard solids.

Allow the brewed tea to cool slightly (5–10 minutes) while you prepare other components. You should end up with about 2 cups of strong tea.

In a separate measuring cup, combine whole milk and evaporated milk. Warm briefly (15–20 seconds in the microwave) or bring to just under a simmer on the stove if you prefer the drink warm before chilling; this helps the milks blend smoothly with the tea.

Stir in condensed milk until fully dissolved to add sweetness and the characteristic creamy texture of street-style CB-Tea. Taste and adjust sweetness with additional condensed milk or simple syrup if desired.

If you used fresh ginger or cardamom during brewing, the drink will already have a hint of spice. If you want a stronger spice note, add a pinch of ground cinnamon now and stir. Add simple syrup or cane sugar to taste and mix until dissolved.

Fill two tall serving glasses with ice (about 1 cup ice per glass).

Pour 1 cup of the cooled brewed tea into a pitcher and add 0.5 cup of the milk mixture; stir to combine. For a layered look, pour tea first, then slowly add milk mixture over the back of a spoon. Repeat for the second glass.

Stir gently in the glass to fully combine before drinking if you prefer a homogeneous iced tea. Taste and adjust sweetness with additional simple syrup or condensed milk.

Garnish each glass with a lemon slice or a mint sprig if desired. Serve immediately.