‘I’m Indian and That’s Literally…’: Woman’s Caramelized Milk Tea Discovery Video Has Viewers Explaining What She Actually Made

An X post from @shizlms shared a roughly 24-second video of a woman demonstrating how to make caramelized milk tea at home. The account captioned the post, "I'm genuinely baffled this person cannot be real," apparently expressing surprise at the woman's unfamiliarity with the technique.

The video opens with text reading, "pov: you didn't know you can make your own milk tea until now," as the woman pours loose tea leaves into a dry, empty pan set over a gas burner.

She adds white sugar directly on top of the leaves and uses a spatula to stir the two together over heat, toasting the mixture before any liquid is added to the pan.

The woman poured milk into the pan, which immediately darkened as it combined with the toasted tea and sugar. The mixture simmers with small bubbles forming on the surface as the color deepens from milky white to a light tan. She strains the finished liquid through a mesh strainer into a bowl, separating the brewed tea from the spent leaves before serving it over ice.

The video closes with the woman standing beside a man, both smiling at the camera, as she holds the finished drink between them. On-screen text reads, "You can open a milk tea shop already."

Several commenters pointed out that the technique resembled how chai is traditionally prepared in South Asian households. One commenter wrote, "Y'all can't cancel me pls I'm Indian and that's literally chai. I'm just surprised how you're discovering this now."

Others defended the video, describing the caramelizing as a well-known tea-making method to enhance flavor. One person wrote, "It's a food trend. People caramelize the sugar and tea leaves in the pan before adding milk to it. Supposedly enhances the flavor. Let people have fun. I've seen a bunch of Indians post this method. Milk tea has always been very popular in Asia. Idk what you're trying to gatekeep."

One reply called on Godon Ramsey to check the recipe. They wrote, "Someone call Gordon Ramsay, this is an emergency."

Another said the technique itself was new to them. They wrote, "Not a way I've ever seen tea prepared but like, if you've only just learned you can make tea at home it's a little embarrassing."

This article is based on a video shared on X by @shizlms. The Daily Dot could not independently verify the identities of those shown, the origin of the video, or the specific cultural origins of the tea-making technique depicted.