Royal milk tea might be one of my favorite milk tea types ever. It’s silky smooth, extra creamy, and just the right amount of sweet, also known as Japanese milk tea. Typically, you’ll find it in cans across Japan and in the Asian grocery store, specifically from the Sangaria brand.

However, I find that the canned milk tea is super sweet and loaded with emulsifiers, which aren’t the healthiest. You can easily make it at home for a fraction of the cost and with less sugar. Plus, you can make a big batch of it and keep it in the fridge for milk tea throughout the week!

Here’s how to make royal milk tea at home!

What is Royal Milk Tea?

Apparently, royal milk tea originated in Japan as a marketing campaign for their royal tea series (discontinued) and named after the British monarchy. I’m unsure how correct this is, but it’s the only information I could find on the origins. It’s also known as Japanese milk tea.

It’s a blend of black tea that is boiled in both water and milk! Like chai, boiling milk helps give the tea an extra creamy texture and flavor, as well as a strong tea aroma. Plus, it helps aerate the tea, making it extra creamy.

Royal milk tea is heavily sweetened but to just the right amount. It’s a treat, perfectly balancing the strong tea with creaminess.

Now, you can find it pre-bottled and made in Japanese convenience stores from various brands, but the most popular (at least, in America) is the Sangaria brand, recognizable from its blue and white can.

What Does Royal Milk Tea Taste Like?

Royal milk tea is so good and tastes sweet, creamy, and rich without the heaviness. It’s silky smooth and insanely easy to drink. It has a slightly evaporated milk flavor due to the boiled milk, which has a sweet aftertaste.

It’s best when cold and most refreshing or over ice. It’s also comforting when hot, but I find that the texture is smoothest when it’s cold.

With black tea, the flavor leans slightly floral, honey-like, and malty.

What is the Difference Between Classic Milk Tea and Royal Milk Tea?

As mentioned, royal milk tea is boiled in water and milk, making it creamy and rich.

Classic milk tea follows a more traditional method of brewing tea in water and adding milk and sugar afterward. It also has more customization options for different milks, teas, sugars, etc.

Royal milk tea is usually a standard recipe or bottled drink that uses black tea, sugar, and milk, but recently, there have been more options, including oolong tea. Classic milk tea is also made with black tea, but milk and sugar are added at the end.

The main difference is that royal milk tea is much creamier and smoother than classic milk tea, which is more like your conventional afternoon tea.

Is Royal Milk Tea Hot or Iced?

You can have royal milk tea hot or iced! It just depends on your preferences.

The hot version is comforting, smooth, creamy, and best when made fresh.

The iced version is creamy, sweet, and refreshing, perfect for hot days or a nice sweet treat. It takes a little longer to make since you have to wait for the tea to cool, but it’s worth waiting for.

You can find both hot and cold versions, but the cold milk teas are easier to find since it’s easy to put them in a grocery fridge section or on shelves.

How to Make Royal Milk Tea

Here’s what you’ll need to make royal milk tea:

• Darjeeling or any black tea leaves
• Milk
• Ice
• Water
• Sugar or honey

Royal Milk Tea Recipe

First, boil water in a small pot, add your tea, and brew for 3 – 5 minutes. Taste the tea after 3 minutes to see whether the flavor fits your liking. You want to brew the tea a little longer so it’s strong.

Once your tea is done brewing, add your milk and bring the whole thing to a rolling boil. Let it slowly boil for 1 – 2 minutes. The color should darken slightly.

Then, dissolve sugar or honey in the pot.

If you want to enjoy it hot, strain the tea leaves out and enjoy!

For an iced version, let the tea cool in the pot, then strain and serve over ice. You can also let the tea soak in milk tea overnight as a cold brew, then serve the next day chilled.

Best Tea for Royal Milk Tea

To recreate the Sangaria milk tea, you use a blend of Darjeeling, Keelung, and Uva tea, which are all different black tea varieties. However, it might be hard to source all the teas, so the most important one is the Darjeeling, which is fruity and sweet.

Assam tea is also an excellent option for royal tea, as it has a caramel and malt flavor. This tea is associated more with classic milk tea, but it tastes incredible as a royal milk tea as well.

I don’t recommend using a lighter tea like jasmine green tea or a honey oolong. The flavors are very light and subtle, and cream and sugar may overpower it. These teas work best in a classic milk tea, where a strongly brewed green or oolong tea can shine through a layer of milk and sweetness.

This tea will still taste good with a lighter tea, but stronger, darker teas will have a better flavor.

Best Milk for Royal Milk Tea

I’m a dairy girl, so I think cow’s milk is the best milk for royal milk tea, especially because it gets insanely creamy after being condensed down. Whole milk has the most fat and will give the creamiest texture. 2% or lower can also work, but it won’t be as creamy.

However, if you can’t have lactose, other great alternatives exist.

Oat milk is a creamy alternative that is sometimes even creamier than milk. It has a neutral flavor, so the tea shines through and has a smooth texture. Oat milk also froths really well, so it will hold a nice foam and give your drink a great texture.

I don’t recommend almond or soy milk just because the nut flavors are strong, and they aren’t as neutral as oat milk. They also are not as creamy and have a rough time aerating, but you’ll still have a smooth drink.

Other Milk Tea Recipes to Try

If you love this creamy royal milk tea, then you have to try these other amazing milk tea recipes! From matcha, Thai tea, oolong, and so many more, here’s some inspiration for your next milk tea drink:

• Jasmine matcha latte
• Strawberry Earl Grey milk tea (Must Try!)
• Earl Grey boba tea
• Brown sugar milk tea with boba
• Red velvet milk tea with boba
• Strawberry milk tea
• Roasted oolong milk tea with boba

Tips

• For iced royal milk tea, you’ll have to add more sugar since it tastes less sweet when cold. You can always adjust after you taste your drink, though, if you’re worried about adding too much sugar.
• If you want to enjoy iced milk tea immediately after making it, you can flash-chill it by pouring it over ice. This makes your drink less creamy, though, since the ice will melt to cool your drink.
• If you accidentally underbrew your tea, you can rebrew a smaller batch of tea in water, then add the already brewed milk tea into it.