Tea lovers around the world enjoy their tea prepared and served in different ways, some of which may surprise you. Let’s find out how Germans, Moroccans, Iranians, Americans, Thai, Taiwanese, Malaysians, Afghans and Tibetans make and serve their teas. I talked about Indian Masala Chai in this post. As regards British afternoon, that deserves a separate blog post.

East Frisian Tea

Called Ostfriesentee in German, this is strong Assam or Ceylon tea served with rock sugar and cream. The East Frisia region (northwest of Lower Saxony) is where locals consume the most tea in Germany. According to the German Tea Association, East Frisians consume nearly 300 litres per capita a year.

It is easy to prepare this tea: first put the sugar cube in the cup, then pour the tea and finally the cream (gently with a ladle). You’ll be delighted to watch those ‘white clouds’ pop up from underneath. After pouring the cream, please don’t stir – let the variety of each sip surprise you.

I also recommend this article that explores in detail the tea culture in East Frisia.

Moroccan Mint Tea

This tea is made with gunpowder green tea brewed very strong with sugar and fresh spearmint leaves (or other herbs). At the end is poured from a height into colourful or hand-painted glasses. Because the tea has a strong taste, it goes well paired with pastries and nuts.

Usually, 3 cups are served 3 times a day. It is not polite to refuse. According to an old Moroccan proverb: ‘The first glass is as bitter as life, the second glass is as strong as love, the third glass is as gentle as death.’

Today the tea is enjoyed not only in Morocco but in most of the North African countries.

Persian Rose Tea

Tea lovers in Iran and neighbouring countries drink Persian rose tea. At first, water, cardamom pods and sugar are boiled in a saucepan. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, black tea is added and boiled for a few more minutes. At the end, rose petals or buds or rose water are added. It’s served with fresh mint and a sort of rock candy called ‘ab nabat’ or raisins.

American Iced Tea

Americans love iced tea. Any tea can be used to make iced tea and there is a variety of recipes. You can brew it hot or cold. For cold brewing, it’s recommended to add sugar before brewing. Most people add several ice cubes before serving. However, if you cold brew the tea in the fridge, you may not want to add ice.

You can add any aromatics you like, such as orange, lemon or lime, spices, herbs, etc.

A particular type of iced tea caught my attention – it’s called sun tea. The tea leaves are left to brew in the sun for a few hours before serving with ice cubes.

Thai Iced Tea

Thai people also like iced tea, but that is prepared differently from the American way. Called Cha Yen, the beverage combines strongly brewed Ceylon tea or Bai Miang tea, spices, condensed or evaporated milk and sugar. As expected, it is served with ice. If you love Indian chai, most likely you’ll like this tea too because it uses the same spices as the Indian recipe – star anise, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla.

Taiwanese Bubble Tea

Also known as boba tea, this beverage is an exotic combination of cold or hot tea, tapioca pearls and syrup. Milk is optional. As in the case of iced tea, any type of tea can be used. Some sources date this tea back to the 1940s while others to the 1980s. There is also a debate around who invested it.

I like how CNN Travel introduced bubble tea: ‘What do a sexy Hong Kong icon, a bankrupted entrepreneur and a failed military defence campaign have in common? They all contributed to the rise of bubble tea, the insanely popular Taiwanese drink that’s taken the world by storm in recent years.’

 

Malaysian Teh Tarik

Malaysians, Singaporeans and Indonesians love Teh Tarik or pulled tea. Malaysia’s national beverage is made with strong black tea, sugar and condensed or evaporated milk. It’s called ‘pulled’ because it’s repeatedly poured between two containers to give it its thick and frothy texture. An easier, more modern way to give its must-have texture is to use a handheld milk frother.

Kahwa Tea

Kashmiri Kahwa Tea or Kehwa Chai is popular in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Kashmir Valley. This tea is made with green tea added to a mixture of saffron, nuts and spices (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon). Rose petals are also added to give it a nice look.

Tibetan butter tea

In Tibet, people enjoy butter tea (or Po Cha). Yak (or cow) milk and butter as well as salt are added to make a rich tea with a soupy texture. Most people use dark tea. The traditional way of making butter tea is laborious and time-consuming because the mixture is made in butter churns.

Luckily, today people use a mixer to churn the tea. The result looks like this.

Locals argue that butter tea helps them cure altitude sickness, keep warm, nourish and energise and prevent cracked lips during the dry and cold season. You can find more about this tea in this article.

I hope you enjoyed this brief presentation of some of the most popular ways of consuming tea around the world.