Cha Tra Mue: Thai Tea Brand Guide (Red vs Gold, What to Order)

Featured image: Sry85, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What Cha Tra Mue Is

Cha Tra Mue sells tea mixes and runs tea shops across Thailand. Its English tagline is "Number One Brand Thai Tea". Most visitors know it for the tea mix behind Thai iced tea, served sweet and milky over ice.

The company's own history page traces the family business to 1920. That year, the owner's third brother led eight siblings from Chaozhou, China, to Thailand. In 1925 he opened a Chinese tea shop on Yaowarat Road in Bangkok. The company says the Cha Tra Mue name and brand start date is 1945, when the shop served imported red tea with ice for Thai customers.

In 1989 the company says it opened a factory in Wiang Pa Pao district, Chiang Rai, called Siam Tea Factory. It is now registered as Cha Thai International Company Limited. Read the full account on the official ChaTraMue site. Its own pages describe the brand as 75 years old in one place and 80 years of tea-making in another, so treat the dates as company storytelling.

The finished drink is covered in our Thai iced tea guide. Locals call it cha yen, meaning cold tea.

Red vs Gold: Which Thai Tea Mix to Choose

Shoppers usually face two packs, Red and Gold. One video reviewer listed ฿85 for Red and ฿110 for Gold in Thailand. Pack size and date were not given, so use those numbers only as a rough gap. Gold sits higher.

Prices outside Thailand run higher because of shipping and import duty. Compare the label rather than trusting the colour. Look at net weight, the ingredient list and the brewing instructions.

• Brewing at home: pick the pack whose label gives clear water and tea ratios.
• Serving a crowd: compare price per gram, not price per bag.
• Gift buying: check the printed best-before date and the seal.

What to Order at a Cha Tra Mue Shop

The official Original Menu lists nine drinks. They are Thai Tea, Milk Green Tea, Thai Black Tea, Green Tea, Thai Lemon Tea, Cocoa, Plum Red Tea, O'Lieng and Thai Coffee. The site also shows recommended, special, latte and coffee menus.

Start with Thai Tea if you want the classic orange drink. Pick Thai Black Tea or Thai Lemon Tea for something less creamy. Green tea fans can read about Thai Green Tea (Cha Khiao Yen): What It Is and How to Order first, then try the Milk Green Tea.

O'Lieng is on the menu and is usually described as a strong iced Thai coffee-style drink. Our Thai coffee guide covers that style in more depth.

Tell the staff three things: hot or iced, how sweet, and how much milk. Thai tea is normally finished with milk, which is why Nom Yen (Thai Pink Milk): What It Is, Taste and How to Order matters to the flavour. Ask for less sweet if you do not want a dessert-level drink.

Where to Buy It and What It Costs

You can drink it at a Cha Tra Mue tea shop or buy packs to brew yourself. The official site has an online shop and a Tea Shop section for locating outlets. Use those pages for branch addresses rather than relying on a map pin from memory.

Prices and hours checked November 2026: the only price figures we found were the reviewer's ฿85 and ฿110, and they are undated. Check the online shop for current pack sizes and costs.

Home brewing trades convenience for cost. A shop drink saves effort and gives you the menu's milk and sweetness options. A pack costs less per cup and works as a souvenir, but you need a strainer and sweet milk at home.

Packing tea in luggage is usually simple. Keep it sealed and in the original bag. Your airline and destination customs office have the final word on carrying food.

Cha Tra Mue vs Other Thai Drinks

Cha Tra Mue sits in the tea corner of Thailand's drinks scene. Tea and coffee fans will find the pairing guides in our Thai drinks hub.

Want something cold and non-sweet? Try fresh coconut water. Looking for evening drinks instead? Compare Thai Beer Guide: Singha vs Chang vs Leo options, such as Singha or Chang. Neither is a substitute for a tea shop stop.

Mistakes to Avoid

Lookalike orange tea packs exist, so match the brand name and Thai script (ชาตรามือ) on the bag. Buy from shops you trust.

Sweetness is the usual shock. Say how sweet you want before the cup is made. Another slip is buying a big pack when you only want a few cups. Smaller bags travel better.

Finally, do not treat the colour as a quality signal. Check the ingredient list if you care about additives.