How much Black Tie should you drink?

You should drink a maximum of 1-2 Black Tie coffees per day due to the high sugar content. A Black Tie coffee made with the above recipe contains around 24g of sugar. The recommended daily sugar intake is 25g for women and 36g for men (4). Most of this sugar comes from condensed milk, so skipping the sugar in the tea will only reduce the sugar content by 4g.

How to make Black Tie at home without a machine?

Making a Black Tie at home without a machine is relatively simple. You need to replace the espresso part of the recipe with 1-2 oz of any strong, concentrated coffee, like a Moka pot or espresso. Another good alternative would be the phin used to make Vietnamese iced coffee.

Black Tie Coffee Recipe: The Perfect Icy And Spicy Treat!

Name: Black Tie Coffee Recipe: What Is It and How to Make It?
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 1 tbsp Thai tea mix; 1 tsp sugar; 1 shot espresso; 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk; 2 tbsp cream or half and half

Black Tie coffee is an exotic sweet treat guaranteed to perk up a hot summer day.

Are you getting tired of your usual iced coffee drinks? Let me introduce you to something a little out of the ordinary. Black Tie coffee blends espresso, spiced tea, sweetened condensed milk, and cream for an unusual and exciting chilled drink.

Black Tie coffee in a tall glass against a beige background.

Photo: Aleksandra Peric

Intrigued? Here’s all you need to know about the Black Tie, including my recipe for making it at home.

What Is A Black Tie Coffee?

Black Tie coffee originated in Thailand and is based on the country’s famous Thai iced coffee (Oliang) but adds black tea for a unique twist.

Drinks that mix tea and coffee are traditional in many parts of the world, though rare in Western cafes. There’s Ethiopia’s spreeze, kopi cham in Malaysia and Singapore, and yuenyeung from Hong Kong (1).

The popular chain Peet’s Coffee has a Black Tie on its menu, but it’s a slightly different drink that combines cold brew with chicory, condensed milk, and half-and-half (2).

What’s In A Black Tie Coffee?

The Black Tie has a few more ingredients than your average iced coffee, but most are things you probably already have on hand. I’ve suggested options for substitutions where available.

Looking for something a little more basic? Check out my guide to making Vietnamese iced coffee.

Black Tie Ingredients

8 ounces water
1 tbsp Thai tea mix (see note below)
1 tsp sugar
1 ounce espresso shot
1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
2 tbsp cream or half and half
Ice

AT A GLANCE:

BREW TIME:

30 minutes

YIELD:

One 12-ounce drink

Condensed milk, water, coffee beans, tea, aeropress, cream patisserie

What type of tea is used for making a Black Tie?

A Thai tea mix will produce the most authentic Black Tie coffee. This is a pre-packaged blend of black tea and spices that’s traditionally used to make Thai-spiced iced tea.

The exact recipe varies from brand to brand, but it usually includes cardamom, star anise, and tamarind, plus food coloring to give it an orange hue (3). It is readily available in Asian grocery stores or on Amazon, or you can make it at home by mixing black tea and spices.

You can use regular black tea to make the recipe, but you’ll be missing out on many of the flavors that give the Black Tie complexity.

How To Make A Black Tie At Home

Let’s get started with this step-by-step guide to making Black Tie coffee.

Step 1. Brew the tea

Bring 8 ounces of water to a boil, then switch off the heat. Stir in the Thai iced tea mix and sugar and leave to steep for 15 minutes.

Adding a teaspoon of sugar to the water for tea.

A hand adding tea leaves to the pitcher with water.

Strain the leaves from the tea using a mesh strainer or piece of cheesecloth. Let cool to room temperature before assembling the beverage.

Pro tip: You can transfer the tea to the fridge and prepare the rest of the drink at a later time.

Step 2. Make espresso

Pull a single shot of espresso using an espresso machine. If you don’t have an espresso machine, brew 1 to 2 ounces of very strong coffee using an Aeropress, Moka pot, or Nespresso machine.

Adding ground coffee to the Aeropress that's placed on the Home grounds glass mug.

Aeropress coffee ina aglass Home Brews Coffee mug, made for the Black Tie recip.

Pro tip: You can use any coffee beans you enjoy, but for an authentic version, look for a dark roast blend that has a percentage of Robusta beans.

Step 3. Assemble your drink

Putting together the drink is an integral part of the process. You need to do it in the correct order and preserve the layers.

Start by filling a tall glass ⅔ of the way with ice. Next, add the condensed milk, the espresso, and the sweetened tea. Float the half and half on top to finish.

Coffee, glass filled with ice cubes, pitcher with coffee, a shot of frothed milk and a liqueuer.

The final step in assembling Black Tie: adding frothed milk.

What Are The Variations On The Black Tie?

One popular variation is to swap the cream topping with coconut milk for an added tropical touch that pairs well with the spices. You can experiment with adding more spices and flavors, like cinnamon, vanilla, or orange blossom water.

You can change the sugar for the sweetener of your choice, such as honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, or leave it out altogether. And you can swap the single espresso for a double shot if you want more of a kick.

Speaking of a kick, you can take a tip from Peet’s and add a shot of coffee liqueur to your drink – a cocktail they call the Black Tie After Dark.

Final Thoughts

Ready to mix up your tired old iced coffee routine? With this Black tie recipe, you can recreate one of the world’s best coffee beverages in the comfort of your own home – no flight to Bangkok required. Next time you’re craving something a little sweet, a little spicy, and a lot delicious, I highly recommend giving it a try.

FAQs

The Black Tie coffee at Peet’s coffee shop is not a tea drink at all. Rather, it’s made with cold brew coffee concentrate, chicory syrup, sweetened condensed milk, and half-and-half. It gets its unique flavor from the chicory infused simple syrup instead of spiced tea.

The taste of Black Tie is creamy, sweet, and spicy – all balanced by the bitterness of the coffee. Black Tie coffee is served as a layered drink and should not be stirred, so you’ll notice that the flavors will change slightly with each sip. It’s a refreshing drink that’s ideal for pairing with spicy food.

The exact caffeine content of a Black Tie depends on your choice of coffee. Robusta beans have nearly twice the caffeine of Arabica. Expect around 120 – 160 mg of caffeine per serving. Remember, black tea has caffeine, too!

References

Kanniah, J. C. (2021, November 5). Yuenyeung, Kopi Cham & Spreeze: Mixing Coffee & Tea Around The World. Perfect Daily Grind. https://perfectdailygrind.com/2020/11/yuenyeung-kopi-cham-spreeze-mixing-coffee-tea-around-the-world/
The Black Tie. (n.d.). Peet’s Coffee. Retrieved May 6, 2022, from https://www.peets.com/products/black-tie
Why is Thai Tea Orange? (2019, July 5). Lion Brand Rice: Jasmine Rice Australia. https://www.lionbrand.com.au/blog/why-is-thai-tea-orange-cha-yen

Black Tie Coffee Recipe: The Perfect Icy And Spicy Treat!

What Is A Black Tie Coffee?