To clean a Thai tea sock, rinse it under hot running water as soon as you have finished brewing, turn it inside out to flush the grounds, and hang it to dry completely. Every so often, boil it in plain water to lift built-up oils. Keep it dry between uses and it will last for months. The brown staining is normal.
What is a Thai tea sock?
A Thai tea sock is a cotton or muslin cloth bag sewn onto a wire ring with a handle, used to strain cha yen, Thai iced tea. In Thai it is usually called thung chong cha (ถุงชงชา) or thung krong cha (ถุงกรองชา). The tea used for cha yen is ground very fine, and a cloth sock holds those fine grounds back far better than a metal strainer. There is more on when you need one in cloth sock vs fine mesh.
How do you clean a Thai tea sock after each use?
- Empty it straight away. Knock the spent tea out while it is still wet; grounds are much harder to shift once they dry into the weave.
- Rinse under hot running water, first from the inside, then turned inside out, until the water runs clear.
- Squeeze out the excess water gently and shake it out.
- Hang it to dry completely, somewhere airy, before putting it away.
Should you wash a tea sock with soap?
For everyday cleaning, no. Cotton soaks up the smell of detergent and gives it back to the next brew, so a hot-water rinse is the better habit. Opinions differ on occasional deep cleans: some cooks use a little mild, unscented detergent during a boil and rinse very thoroughly afterwards, while others use only plain water. If you do use soap, rinse until you cannot smell it at all.
How do you deep-clean a stained tea sock?
Every week or two, if you brew often, drop the sock into a pan of water, bring it to the boil and simmer for about ten minutes. Boiling loosens the oils and fine particles that a rinse leaves behind; some people add a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda to the water. Rinse it well and hang it to dry.
Do not expect the sock to turn white again. Tea is full of tannins that stain cloth brown, and a sock used for Thai tea mix also picks up its orange coloring. A darkened sock is normal. What matters is that it smells clean, not how it looks.
How do you prepare a new tea sock?
Boil a new sock in plain water for about ten minutes before its first use, then rinse it. That removes any sizing or packaging residue and the raw, cottony taste of new cloth.
When should you replace a tea sock?
- It smells sour or musty even after boiling. That smell will carry into the tea.
- It drains much more slowly than it used to, because the weave is clogged.
- The seams fray or holes appear, letting grounds through.
Keeping your tea sock fresh
Never put a sock away damp or in a sealed container; that is how it turns sour. Store it dry and open to the air. If you also make Thai coffee, or brew delicate flowers and herbs, keep a separate sock for each: cloth holds flavors, and a sock used for sweet, milky Thai tea will scent a floral infusion. For whole flowers and leaves, a fine mesh strainer is easier to keep clean anyway.