Oliang
โอเลี้ยง
Oliang is Thai iced black coffee — brewed from a blend of coffee, corn, and soybeans, served over ice with sweetened condensed milk, creating Thailand's version of the classic strong iced coffee.
Cultural Origin
Oliang is a Thai-Chinese iced black coffee originating in Bangkok's old Chinatown, brewed from a blend of coffee with corn, soybean, sesame, and other roasted grains, then sweetened with sugar. The name comes from Teochew 'o-liang' (black-cold), and it remains a fixture at old-school coffee shops and street stalls.
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- Thai coffee blend
- corn
- soybeans
- condensed milk
- ice
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
Smoky and slightly bitter from the roasted grain blend, with a caramel-like depth from the corn and soybean that sets it apart from a straightforward coffee taste; strong enough to cut through the condensed milk rather than being masked by it.
How Oliang Is Made
- 1
Blend
Coffee is roasted and blended with corn, soybeans and other grains, a mix specific to traditional Thai coffee shops.
- 2
Brewing
The blend is brewed strong, traditionally through a cloth filter, into a dark, concentrated liquid.
- 3
Sweetening
Sugar and condensed milk are added to the hot brew and stirred through.
- 4
Serving
The sweetened coffee is poured over ice, with extra condensed milk sometimes added at the table to taste.
When It’s Eaten
A morning or early-afternoon drink, traditionally from old-school coffee shops rather than modern cafés, often taken alongside a simple breakfast.
How to Order It
- โอเลี้ยงไม่หวาน
- oliang mai wan
- black iced coffee, unsweetened
- โอเลี้ยงใส่นม
- oliang sai nom
- iced coffee with milk added
What people get wrong
Expecting a single-origin coffee flavour; the roasted corn and soybean in the blend give oliang a smokier, less purely coffee-forward taste than Western iced coffee.
Where to Try It
Traditional Thai coffee shops (raan gafae boran), markets, and roadside vendors.
Tips
- Oliang without milk is sharp and intense — add condensed milk gradually rather than all at once to find your preferred sweetness level.