[1] Its name is derived from the process of repeatedly pouring the drink back and forth from one container into another (or "pulling") with arms extended during preparation, which helps to slightly cool the tea for consumption and giving it a frothy head.

[3] According to the government of Singapore, the origins of teh tarik can be traced to Indian Muslim immigrants in the Malay Peninsula who set up drink stalls serving masala chai as early as the 1870s at the entrance of rubber plantations to serve workers there; after World War II these vendors for economic reasons switched to using tea dust, the taste of which is bitter, and added condensed milk to mask the bitterness, creating teh tarik.

[1] Malaysia nominated it, along with nasi lemak and roti canai, for 2024 United Nations recognition as intangible cultural heritage foods.

[citation needed] Since colonial times, teh tarik has been popular in Malaysian Indian cuisine for many in British Malaya and Singapore.

The ability to drag a long stream of tea above the heads of the patrons without giving them a shower is an amusing novelty for the locals and tourists alike.