Teh tarik

Teh tarik ("pulled tea" or 拉茶 in Mandarin) is a type of tea which can be bought in restaurants and outdoor stalls in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. It is often compared to cappuccino because of its frothy top. The main ingredients are tea and condensed milk. Ginger water may also be added to form teh halia, or ginger tea. It has become the de facto national drink of Malaysia. In Malaysia, there are also occasions where "teh tarik" brewers gather for competitions and performances to show their skills in making this drink.

This tea is special in that it is prepared using a unique technique. The tea is poured from a hand held high into a container held in a hand below. The tea is poured back and forth in this manner to create a thick froth. It is believed that this method mixes the tea with the condensed milk more thoroughly than other methods. It is also believed that this action cools down the tea to an optimum temperature for consumption.

However, the most appropriate reason as to why Indian hawkers prefer this method of preparing teh tarik would probably be for the purpose of showmanship; the ability to drag a long stream of tea well over their heads was an amusing novelty for the locals and thus attract patrons

The same technique can be used to make kopi tarik, the coffee equivalent of teh tarik.