Calling all tea lovers! This one's for you.
This aromatic drink tends to be more than just a beverage.
Along with health benefits, tea represents togetherness
in countries around the world.
Let's take a look at the different types of tea
and the many traditions that are paired with it.
From the birthplace of all tea comes pu'er.
Grown for thousands of years
in the Yunnan Province in southwest China,
where tea trees are worshiped,
this tea is legendary.
It's made from the leaves of a tree
known as the "wild old tree"
and is fermented anywhere from weeks to decades.
This means some pu'er can cost a fortune.
The tea is typically sold as compressed cakes.
Like fine wine, pu'er is best enjoyed
slowly in small sips.
Yerba mate is the perfect go-to
when you're looking for a boost of caffeine
but want to skip the coffee.
Traditionally, the beverage is prepared in a gourd
that is shared among guests.
The drink is typically consumed out of a bombilla,
or a metal straw made of silver,
copper, or stainless steel.
Rooibos is a caffeine-free herb that is indigenous
to the Cederberg region of South Africa.
It has been harvested and brewed in the mountainous region
for hundreds of years.
In fact, South Africa is the only country in the world
that produces rooibos.
Once brewed, the tea is red in color
and has a bitter taste, similar to yerba mate.
It's also known as red tea or red bush tea.
Bubble tea, also known as boba or black pearl tea,
is a popular iced-tea drink from Taiwan.
It was created in the late 1980s,
when milk tea had already been common in Asian countries.
Bubble tea combines a base of milk tea,
sweetener, and bubbles, which are small balls
made from tapioca or fruit jelly.
Bubble tea is made by shaking the iced-tea-based drink
with milk to produce a rich, silky texture.
The air bubbles created by the vigorous shaking
are an essential element of the drink.
In Morocco, atai, the process of brewing and drinking tea,
is a ceremonious tradition that symbolizes friendship,
hospitality, and a level of comfort with guests.
Moroccan mint tea combines a base of green tea
with fresh mint leaves and sugar.
The tea is poured from a height of 12 inches
over the small glass,
creating a foam on the top of the drink,
a symbol that the tea has been brewed long enough.
If there's no foam on the surface of the tea,
it's returned to the pot and steeped longer.
The ritual of pouring hot tea from a great height
is an impressive sign of an experienced host.
A London fog combines Earl Grey tea,
steamed milk, and vanilla syrup.
It was created in Vancouver after Mary Loria,
who was pregnant at the time,
requested an alternative to coffee.
The drink, also known as a Vancouver fog,
now has many different varieties but remains popular,
especially on cold, rainy days.
This berry tea is called omija-cha.
It's made from dried magnolia berries.
Omija means "five-flavor berry,"
so you can expect this tea to be
salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and pungent.
The tea has been primarily used for medicinal purposes,
such as lowering blood pressure and detoxification.
Because of its vibrant color,
omija-cha makes a great base for fruit punch.
It's typically sweetened with honey or sugar.
After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire,
imported coffee grew in price,
and what is now known as Turkey
made a cultural shift to drinking more tea.
Turkish tea is served in glasses
that are distinct to Turkish cay,
meant to show off the tea's rich mahogany color,
so drinkers can admire this
and also manage the preference for the tea's strength.
Chai in Hindi means "tea."
Masala chai is a spiced tea originating from India
and combines black tea with aromatic spices,
like cardamom, cinnamon, ground cloves,
ground ginger, black peppercorn, milk, and sugar.
Traditionally, the milk used to make masala chai
comes from water buffaloes.
The drink has become widely popular
and is best enjoyed with snacks.
Instead of steeping dried leaves in boiling water,
matcha, hailing from Japan,
is created by grinding young green-tea leaves
into a bright green powder.
Though matcha is known for its strong levels of caffeine,
the ritual of preparing the beverage
is respected as a calming, choreographic technique.
The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu.
First, the matcha powder is measured
with a small wooden ladle called a chashaku.
It is brewed in a tea bowl called a chawan,
and water is slowly combined with the powder
by using a chasen, a handmade bamboo whisk.
The ceremony is about directing attention
to the aesthetics of the process
and motions created with your hands.
The host of the ceremony has the guest's interests in mind
with every movement.
Matcha is enjoyed with Japanese sweet treats
to offset the bitter taste from the drink.
English breakfast tea is meant to accompany
a protein-rich English breakfast.
It's made from strong black tea,
typically from China, India, Kenya, or Sri Lanka.
The flavor is stronger than a tea one might drink
in the late afternoon,
as it has high levels of caffeine.
English breakfast tea is prepared
by steeping your teabag for three to five minutes
and is finished with a splash of milk
and a scoop of sugar.
Karkade, or hibiscus tea,
is a popular drink in Egypt made from the dry,
dark red petals from the hibiscus flower.
It's said that cold karkade tea
was served to the pharaohs in ancient Egypt
to help cool them down in the hot desert heat.
Karkade also plays an important role
in North African culture and is often served
during religious and healing ceremonies.
Hong Kong's silk-stocking tea gets its name
from the method in which the tea leaves are brewed:
in a large tea sock that resembles stockings.
This drink stems from British colonial rule over Hong Kong,
with the British tradition of afternoon tea.
But instead of milk and sugar,
silk-stocking tea combines black tea
with evaporated or condensed milk for sweetness.
Cha yen is a sweet drink that's bright in color
and starts with a strong base of black tea.
It's a staple of Thai street-food culture.
Similar to the style of Hong Kong silk-stocking tea,
the tea leaves are brewed using a stocking filter
in a large pot of water.
Once the tea is dark in color and cooled,
it's served over crushed ice with sweetened condensed milk.
The sweet flavor of cha yen is commonly used
to balance the spicy flavors of Thai cuisine.
This drink is named after the legendary
American golfer Arnold Palmer.
He suggested that his wife add lemonade
to a pitcher of iced tea.
Palmer was overheard ordering the eponymous beverage
at a restaurant in Palm Springs, California,
and a nearby patron was intrigued
and requested an order of the Arnold Palmer drink
as well, by his specifications.
Arizona Beverages bought the rights to the drink,
and today the Arnold Palmer,
also known as the half and half,
is an iconic beverage served around the United States
and is easily identified by the contrast
between the dark brewed iced tea
and cooling lemonade on top.
Iran's tea is defined by its deep reddish-brown color
and is significant to the culture.
It's served with breakfast, lunch, and dinner
in Iranian households,
where samovars are kept on the stove all day.
Milk is typically not added to the drink.
Po cha, also known as butter tea,
is an essential drink and a symbol of strength.
The drink is rich with dairy and combines black tea,
butter made from yak's milk,
and salt as the primary flavors.
Which tea is your favorite? And where is it from?
Let us know in the comments below.