Seven Colour Tea

Ingredients

Teas

• strong black tea, brewed very strong
• green tea, brewed
• black tea brewed weak

Milk layers

• condensed milk
• evaporated milk
• whole milk

To vary density

• caster sugar, in different quantities per layer

Flavourings

• lemon juice
• cinnamon
• cloves
• grated ginger

Equipment

• a tall clear glass
• a spoon for pouring over
• several small jugs

Note

• the exact method is the inventor’s trade secret and this explains the principle

Directions

1. Let them all cool to roughly the same temperature. Add a great deal of sugar to the layer that goes at the bottom.
2. Add progressively less to each layer going up. Stir each one until the sugar has completely dissolved. Take a small amount of two adjacent layers. Pour one gently over the other in a small glass.
3. Adjust the sugar in one of them if they merge. Add lemon juice to one layer for sharpness. Add cinnamon or clove to another.
4. Add grated ginger to a third layer. Each band should taste noticeably different. Chill the glass before you begin. Pour the densest layer into the bottom of the glass first.
5. Let it settle for a moment first. Hold a spoon just above the surface, curved side up. Pour the next layer very slowly over the back of the spoon. That spreads the flow and stops it plunging through.
6. Keep the spoon touching the inside of the glass. Pour each layer as slowly as you can manage. Stop pouring the moment a layer looks like breaking.
7. Let it settle and then continue. Building all seven layers takes real patience. Serve it in a clear glass so the bands can be seen. It begins merging within about ten minutes.

Technique

• The exact method is the inventor’s trade secret; this explains the density principle behind it.
• Build from the sweetest and densest layer at the bottom upward.
• Pour each layer slowly over the back of a spoon, or it punches through the one below.

Substitutions

• Any combination of teas and milks that gives different colours.
• Condensed milk to make a layer noticeably denser.

Variations

• Made with fewer layers, which is far easier.
• With spiced layers of cinnamon and clove.
• Served warm rather than cool.

History

Invented by Romesh Ram Gour at his stall in Srimangal, the tea-garden town of Sylhet; the layers rely on differing sugar densities.

Frequently asked questions

What is Seven Colour Tea?

Seven Colour Tea is a drink from Bangladesh: layered tea of different densities poured into a glass in visible bands. Invented by Romesh Ram Gour at his stall in Srimangal, the tea-garden town of Sylhet; the layers rely on differing sugar densities.

How long does Seven Colour Tea take to make?

Seven Colour Tea takes 30 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 glass. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Seven Colour Tea?

Yes, within limits. Any combination of teas and milks that gives different colours. Condensed milk to make a layer noticeably denser.

What is the most important thing to get right in Seven Colour Tea?

Pour each layer slowly over the back of a spoon, or it punches through the one below.