Do you know what kind of tea everyone else from around the world is drinking?
Discovered quite by accident by the Chinese Emperor Shennong when a dead leaf from a tea bush fell into his cup of hot water, the low profile tea has since become one of the world’s most popular beverage. Did you know the Chinese could easily have up to 10 different names for one same variant of tea? The Brits drink almost 120,000,000 cups of the stuff everyday and different tea variants have proved to come with their own different medicinal functions on top of being just a fragrant drink. Today it isn’t only drunk out of teacups, it is used as flavouring for different cakes and desserts, infused into more adventurous meat recipes and the act of sipping it is now acknowledged as an art form by itself. Here we take a look at some of the different teas from around the world, all different by composite but equally as revered by their drinkers.
Moroccan Maghreb Mint Tea
This sweet and refreshing mixture of green tea and mint leaves is a vital part of North African culture. Heavily sweetened and poured from a height into dainty glasses, it is considered extremely rude to refuse a glass when offered by your host.
Moroccan Maghreb Mint Tea
Tibetan Yak Butter and Salt Tea
It might sound peculiar at first but so did salted caramel when we first heard of it. Tibetans love this concoction of yak butter and salt because the high fat content and energy boosting properties make it a great supplement for life in the high, cold altitudes of the Himalayas.
Hong Kong’s Pantyhose Milk Tea
It is named such because of the literal way it is prepared – milk and sweetened tea mixed and then strained through the women’s garment. Cloth sacks that look suspiciously like socks are also sometimes used but we prefer the pantyhose.
Taiwanese Pearl Milk Tea
It was quite a craze in our country when it first reached our shores and the adoration for it has died down only very slightly since. Cold tea is mixed with a variety of fruit, syrup or milk with its kicker being tapioca flour balls floating in it, providing that extra chewing option to otherwise just another sweet tea beverage. It has become so popular that you can now find it sold in the UK.
Japanese Matcha Green Tea
Green tea grew in popularity due to its anti-oxidant and weight-loss abilities but there is a lot more to the unassuming green brew. It is a big part of a historic Zen Buddhism ritual tea ceremony that happens once a year in Japan.
Korean Oksusu Cha (Corn Tea)
Made from boiled, roasted corn kernels, the oksusu cha is a mild, light tea that is great sipped by itself or with meals. It works wonders with helping digestion and promotes good intestinal health.
Indian Chai Tea
When you think of tea, Britain is probably the first place that pops into your mind but little know that it is actually the Indians who consume the most tea. Their concoction, known as chai, is a fragrant brew most often drunk with milk and sugar. They’re so particular with their chai that it is almost exclusively sold only from dedicated chai stalls.
South Asian Masala Chai
It’s true when the say South Asians cannot live without their spices. Their Masala Chai is believed to have emerged in India during the Raj, when the British commercial interests encouraged the Indians to drink more tea. Finding it too bland, they upped the milk and sugar content and added some of their own spices to it to create what we all know today as the soothing, spicy drink that is great for blocked nose and headaches.
South Asian Masala Chai
Thailand’s Black Thai Tea
As its name suggests, the base of this tea is made primarily of the black tea, added with condensed or evaporated milk and sold chilled from stalls all over Thailand. Vendors commonly sell this tea staple from plastic bags from which the tea can be sucked with straw.
Pakistani Noon Chai
This brew winds handsdown as the prettiest and most eye-catching tea of the lot. Whilst people in Pakistan do also drink black and green tea, there is one that is particularly note-worthy– the Noon Chai, a pretty, pink tea usually made with milk, pistachios, almonds and spices that originated from the Kashmir region.