Teh Talua: Libido Boosting Egg Tea

Indonesian teh talua or teh telur is a delicious egg tea from the Sumatra province with a surprising benefit.

Anyone who has spent time traveling South East Asia has undoubtedly heard of Vietnamese egg coffee. It sounds a bit odd but is actually quite delicious.

If you don’t drink coffee don’t worry. There’s an egg tea version in Indonesia – specifically in West Sumatra, home to some of the best food in Indonesia.

Although Sumatra is known to have some of the best coffee in the world, you’ll find most locals drinking hot and cold tea all day long.

And as over 95% of the population are practicing Muslims. It means they find ways to take non-alcoholic beverages to the next level.

West Sumatra has a thriving café culture. In the small city of Bukittinggi instead of young people going to bars drinking alcohol you’ll find trendy cafes serving innovative coffee, tea and mocktails that are surprisingly tasty.

My first trip to West Sumatra I temporarily forgot that I hadn’t had any alcohol in weeks. I was still going out at night in Padang and meeting friends.

Everyone is out until late hours in the evening. The only difference is there is no alcohol.

What is Teh Talua?

This hot tea in Indonesia is known as teh telua in the local Minangkabau language of West Sumatra. It’s also known as teh telur in Indonesia’s bahasa language.

It has a distinct look as with a white bottom layer, topped with a brown layer and frothy foam on top.

What I love about food in Indonesia is that 90% of the time the name of the food or drink is exactly what it is. This is a hot drink of tea mixed with egg.

Originally only Minangkabau royalty in west Sumatra could drink this tea. It didn’t become a widespread drink until the mid-1930s.

Many laborers started drinking this tea as part of breakfast in Indonesia as it was an inexpensive way to add some protein.

And while this is a drink from West Sumatra, it is common for people of this region to open restaurants in other parts of Indonesia as its cuisine is so revered.

And so this Minangkabau drink spread throughout the country.

Teh Talua Ingredients

The base egg tea recipes uses hot brewed black tea, free range chicken or duck egg and sugar. Condensed milk is common to add at the end.

Traditionally it is served with lime for garnish to add into the tea as some people feel that it tastes a bit fishy. But I don’t think so at all.

There are many variations, some people add ginger, cocoa, cardamom or cinnamon. It is served everywhere in West Sumatra from street food carts to upscale cafes.

It’s an easy drink to create with three steps:

1. Brew a mug of hot tea.
2. In a new larger mug add 1 egg yolk and sugar. Whip until frothy with blender.
3. Add tea to mixture and condensed milk for sweetness if needed. Serve with a slice of lime.

People believe the art of teh telur is in the whipping of the egg. Some say it needs to be done for 15 minutes by hand but busy cafes use a blender.

Or in the case of the video above in Padang Kunik the popular teh talua spot attached blender paddles to electric drills so it could be done in seconds.

Basically, it is similar to a meringue. If you can turn the glass upside down and everything stays then you are set.

Is Teh Talua Healthy?

It is widely believed that despite the sugar and condensed health egg tea is healthy.

It is known to warm the body and help with stamina. Because of the egg it’s a drink that can be very filling and a meal replacement if needed.

With the egg yolk this Indonesian drink contains vitamins A , D, E, and K.

And for a culture that is very conservative, West Sumatra has many drinks and foods that are widely believed to help with libido and stamina.

Egg tea is one of them. This traditional Indonesian drink is particularly popular with men of all ages.

If you are worried about an eggy tea, fear not.

Teh talua tastes more like a latte or cappuccino. You would not know there is an egg as the condensed milk and sugar just makes it a sweet treat.