Did you know? Tea is said to be the second most-consumed drink in the world, after water. This explains the tea culture all over the world. Other than the tasty taste of tea, it is also cheap and easy to get.
From cheese-topped tea in Taiwan to India’s pink chai, here are seven different types of tea beverages around the world:
1) Pulled Tea/Teh Tarik (Malaysia)
Picture: Asian Inspirations
The signature brew of Malaysia is called ‘pulled tea’ or teh tarik for how it is prepared. The beverage is made from black tea, sugar, and condensed milk. To achieve its frothy consistency, brewers will repeatedly pour the drink back and forth between cups, making the beverage cool down as it moves from one cup to another.
Nowadays, pulled tea vendors have evolved the process into an art form where the customers would love to watch the mesmerizing dance between man and tea.
2) Bubble Tea (Taiwan)
Pictures: Google
Bubble tea existed since the late 1980s when Lin Hsiu Hui, a product development manager at the Chun Shui Tang teahouse, added bubbles, which are small pearls of tapioca to her tea during a staff meeting. Since then, the teahouse began to sell her peculiar creation.
The base of the beverage is simple as other popular teas, a mix of tea, powdered milk, and sugar. But the twist is the unique ingredient which is small chewy tapioca balls. Today, you can find bubble tea of any flavor from any part of the city.
3) Noon Chai (India)
Picture: Google
The Kashmiri word noon refers to the ingredient of this chat that made it different than the others, salt. Other than salt, noon chai is made of a special mix of milk, pistachios, a mix of spices, and baking soda. Yes, baking soda gives the drink an unusual pink color.
It is usually served on celebratory occasions with a variety of Kashmiri pastries. Compared to noon chai, doodh pati, a kind of milk tea is more common for them to consume daily.
4) Cheese Tea (Taiwan)
Pictures: Google
Cheese tea is made of iced brew of green, black, or oolong tea, topped with a foamy layer of milk, cream cheese, and salt. It was invented in the night markets of Taiwan approximately in the year 2010. The first version was made with powdered cheese and salt with whipping cream and milk to create a foamy top. After that, it was improvised where tea masters began using real cream cheese and fresh milk in place of powders.
Tea and cheese may sound like the worst combination but it actually works well. It makes the tea creamier with a hint of salty taste.
5) Matcha (Japan)
Picture: Gachi Tea
The tender leaves of shaded green tea leaves are grounded using stones to create matcha which is a go-to for a focused energy boost for hundreds of years. During thirteenth-century Japan, matcha was introduced to samurai warriors by Buddhist monks as a pre-battle beverage for increased energy and endurance.
Today, matcha is known for its abilities to enhance focus and a lot more of health-promoting nutrients. It has also been the flavors of almost everything from ice cream to Kit Kat chocolate.
6) Milk Tea (Hong Kong)
Pictures: Google
The Cantonese name of this beverage is si math naaihcha which literally means “pantyhose tea”. It comes from the straining sock that looks like a stocking, used to strain the tea and milk.
The making of this brew requires up to 20 minutes of repeated straining. It is usually the centerpiece of the menus of tea restaurants in Hong Kong where people gather for a tea break.
7) Thai Tea (Thailand)
Picture: NYT Cookings
After the Chinese Civil War, refugees fled to Thailand with tea and a lot more of the components of the culture from their homeland. It was by that time that Thailand began to develop a tea culture of their own and cha yen, which means Thai tea was invented.
Thai Tea is an orange-hued beverage made from a mix of black tea, sugar, condensed milk, and spices. It is usually served over ice in a tall glass and some versions are topped with evaporated milk that creates a pretty ombre effect. The sweet-spicy taste is refreshing especially when the temperature rises which is pretty common in tropical Thailand.
Sources: Gachi Tea
