What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘tea’?
Chances are the image that pops up is one of the traditional English tea – either drunk straight or with milk and sugar. But tea comes in many forms and many other cultures have their own traditional teas. In today’s post, we’d like to introduce a few countries with long tea histories. If you’re looking to travel the world of teas, we’ll also recommend one tea from each country – just bear in mind that many tea countries have more than one famous tea!
Readers well-versed with Chinese culture will definitely be familiar with Chinese tea. Traditionally brewed gongfu-style or in a gaiwan, Chinese tea culture is characterised by its drinking style, which is typically accompanied by lots of warm conversation and good food. One classic Chinese tea would be a jasmine green tea, which is said to have created in the fifth century and popularised in the Qing dynasty. Jasmine tea’s long history means that it is deeply entwined in Chinese culture and is the drink of choice when serving tea to guests in Northern China.
#teapasarrecommends: If you’re looking to try some Jasmine tea, we recommend The Chinese White. This Jasmine tea is scented by layering pure jasmine blossoms over it five to nine times, resulting in a naturally fragrant cup of tea.
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Also known as Po Cha, Tibetan Butter Tea is a salty drink that is often an acquired taste. Made with salt and yak butter, this tea is high in calories, giving the drinker energy and helping them feel warm in the cold Tibetan climate. Since this tea is different from most teas, it’s been suggested that it may be more helpful to think of it as a light soup rather than a tea.
The United Kingdom is famous for their love of tea, a love affair that originally started as a love for green tea. But as the British started consuming more Indian tea and less Chinese tea, they moved from green to black tea (partly due to the discovery that Chinese green teas contained dyes such as Prussian blue and partly due to a campaign encouraging them to buy from various British colonies). Black tea and the United Kingdom have been tied together ever since.
#teapasarrecommends: The Scottish Fold from Kittea. Instead of the regular English Breakfast, why not try a Scottish Breakfast? A Scottish breakfast is stronger than an English or Irish breakfast blend, perfect as a pick-me-up in the mornings.
Japan’s famous tea culture may be represented with Chado – an elegant and meaningful tea ceremony where everything in the room and every movement is imbued with meaning. From the time you enter the tea house, which traditionally had a low door to remind guests to be humble, to the flowers carefully chosen to reflect the season, attending a Japanese tea ceremony is a good way to make yourself slow down and be present in the moment.
#teapasarrecommends: If you’re craving some alone time with a hot cup of Japanese green tea, try our Organic Yakushima Green tea, direct from a farm in Yakushima.
A Southeast Asian favourite, Teh Tarik is a frothy milk tea, made by ‘pulling’ the tea. As tea is poured from one cup into another, the tea is aerated and cooled down to the perfect drinking temperature. When ordering Teh Tarik, be sure to not only enjoy the taste of the tea, but also to watch how the tea is made.
And that concludes our quick jaunt through the world of tea. As you have seen, tea is shaped by and shapes many different countries in different ways. So the next time you go on holiday, be sure to order a cup of tea and enjoy what they serve. We’ll be back someday with more tales of tea from other countries.
Sources:
https://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/butter-tea.html
https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-english-irish-and-scottish-breakfast-teas-202067
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