Taking tea is an international custom and it is fascinating to study how tea is served in different countries and how it assumes a particular role in the life of each region.
Britain and English-speaking Countries
In these countries tea is served throughout the day. It starts with the early morning cup of tea and continues until teatime and beyond. Many people like to end the day with a cup of tea. Some people serve tea after luncheon or dinner.
While many families still pour their tea from a teapot there has been a real change towards using teabags placed straight into the cup.
Traditional British breakfast cups are large, holding approximately ½ pint/300 ml or the equivalent of 1¼ American cups. Teatime cups are smaller than breakfast cups and they generally hold just over ¼ pint/150 ml (or two-thirds of an American cup).
Most families cherish their special-occasion porcelain or delicate china tea sets, which enhance the appearance of the tea table. The great names of English ceramics still produce wonderful tea services, which are appreciated at home and exported around the world.
Most people in Britain prefer tea with milk, rather than by itself or with lemon. The first mention of adding milk to tea appears in a travel book written in 1655 by Jean Nieuhoff (a Dutch author). He mentions that this was the practice in Canton, China.
Some years ago there was a somewhat lengthy but light-hearted enquiry as to whether it was correct (or ‘U’, as it was termed at the time) to pour milk into the cups before adding the tea or to pour the tea into the cups and hand the milk around, to be added as desired. Even tea experts were divided in their views. No conclusion was reached by the public, who wisely decided to do what pleased them most. In fact either method gives a good cup of tea – if the tea itself is well made.
Iced tea is a favourite in America, Australia and South Africa, where the weather can be very hot. The ideal way to prepare this is to three-quarters fill tall glasses with ice, make tea as described on page 23, allow it to brew (stand) as recommended, then strain it over the ice. This gives the flavour of freshly brewed tea and it is made icy cold in minutes.
In the farming communities of Australia and New Zealand people need to carry tea, or arrange the facilities to make tea, when they are travelling in the bush or working on their huge farms. In the Early Settlers’ Household Lore by N. Pescott, 1977, there is an ode in praise of the billy (the container in which the water is boiled), and instructions for making ‘Billy Tea’:
Boil billy over the camp fire, putting a twig across the open mouth to prevent smoking. When boiling, throw in several generous spoonfuls of tea, then take the billy handle and quickly describe circles several times, so the leaves are sent to the bottom of the billy.
Wherever you are tea is wonderfully refreshing for a picnic; it is better to take the hot strained tea in one warmed vacuum flask and the cold milk in a second, chilled, vacuum flask.
China
Tea was grown in China long before it was known in any other country. It is still produced there today, both for home consumption and for export and China offers more varieties of tea than any other country. Tea is still the most popular beverage in China, for it blends so well with the food of the country. The age-old custom of serving tea to a guest on arrival has endured. Tea is drunk throughout the day and at the end of a meal. At elaborate dinners it is served throughout the meal, for tea is thought to refresh the palate and make the diners more appreciative of each course.
Perfectly made Chinese tea is crystal clear with a fine bouquet. It is taken without milk, lemon or sugar, although a little sugar may be offered, or added, if the beverage is served with sweet foods. Fresh flower or fruit blossoms are often added when brewing the tea, or in the manufacture of tea. That is why you will find tea with such exotic names as ‘rose petal’, jasmine’, ‘chrysanthemum’, ‘lychee’ and ‘plum’. Semi-fermented (oolong), green and black teas are used (although black tea is often called ‘red’ in China, for the tea made from this is reddish in colour).
The water for making the tea is boiled in a brass kettle, while in most homes the teapot will be of fine porcelain rather than silver for it is felt that metal imparts a ‘foreign’ taste to tea. The teapots are frequently encased in their own baskets, so the tea keeps hot for a considerable time.
Authentic Chinese cups have three parts: the handleless cup, a saucer and a concave lid, which serves a double purpose of keeping the tea hot and also acts as a strainer if the tea is made directly into the cup. This courteous arrangement allows everyone to enjoy their own freshly brewed tea. Teabags, now popular in China as elsewhere, simplify the process of tea making in a cup.
India
India is not only the largest producer of tea, but her inhabitants consume more tea than those of any other country. In most homes tea drinking begins first thing in the morning. In the villages and country districts a fire is lit and the water heated in a samovar, very like that used in Russia. In many parts of India the tea will be of the green type, similar to that used in Tibet and some of the tea used in China. This is sprinkled into the samovar, a little sugar added if required and the mixture heated. As the samovar is kept hot over the fire the tea can be enjoyed throughout the day. Sometimes crushed cardamom and crushed almonds are added to the tea for extra flavour. In more sophisticated houses in towns and cities, where modern appliances are available, the water will be heated in a kettle or a saucepan on the cooker.
Spiced tea (masala chai) is very popular. Heat the water in a saucepan with a few cloves, a small piece of cinnamon stick and 3 or 4 cardamom pods or a good pinch of ground cardamom. Bring the liquid to the boil and cover the pan. Simmer gently for about 8 minutes then add the required quantity of tea – black tea is generally used. Stir well and cover the pan. After a few minutes add milk and sugar to taste. In some cases the milk and sugar are simmered in the spiced water before adding the tea. Strain the hot tea into cups and serve.
Sri Lanka
Tea in the beautiful island of Sri Lanka is served in a similar way to the tea in India, although in both countries the British influence means you will also be offered traditional British-style tea as well as the other varieties. The tea grown in Sri Lanka is still referred to as ‘Ceylon tea’.
Japan
The Japanese tea ceremony is known as Cha-no-yu (tea hot-water). It is conducted with enormous precision and is based upon Sado, ‘the way of tea’. Cha-no-yu was first practised in the eighth century and during that period was closely connected with the worship of Buddha. For the next seven centuries the elaborate ceremonies continued with the use of gold and silver utensils.
The modern Cha-no-yu is based upon a ritual established by tea-master Sen-no-Rikyu in the sixteenth century. His descendants opened tea ceremony schools which exist today. Young women wishing to learn the art of the tea ceremony before marriage make up the bulk of the students.
The tea room, in which the ceremony is conducted, is small, with mats on the floor. The guests gather in the outer and inner gardens outside the tea house (sukiya). They wash their hands and mouths in water from a stone basin in the garden before entering. The tea-master and guests use different doors; frequently the doorway for the guests will be so low that they have to crawl or bend very low to go through this. This attitude is believed to encourage humility towards the ceremony. The emotions behind the ritual are the ‘Four Principles’ of harmony, reverence, purity and tranquillity.
A scroll hangs in the tea house and the guests are expected to pay their respects to this before they sit along the east side of the room to wait for the tea-master, who is their tea-host. Before the tea ritual begins a light meal of soup, pickles and other delicacies is served. The guests are then invited to retire to the inner garden until summoned back by the striking of a gong. After purifying their hands and mouths again, they return to the tea room to find the scroll replaced by a vase of flowers, and the tea utensils, which have been laid out by the tea-host. There is the beautiful tea container, kept in a silk bag, and the scoop for spooning the tea into the bowl. Nowadays this is generally made of bamboo, while earlier ones were of ivory. There is a white cloth for wiping the bowl, the exquisite bowl itself and a very fine bamboo whisk. There will also be a pitcher of water and a ladle for the water.
Japanese green tea (matcha) that has been steamed, dried and ground to a powder, is used for the ceremony. The kettle of water may be heated on a hearth sunk in the floor or on a ceramic stand over a brazier. The powdered tea is placed in the bowl, the water from the kettle added and the tea whisked until foamy. It is passed to the first guest with the part of the bowl with the most beautiful design on it towards him or her. Tradition decrees that the guest takes the bowl in the right hand, rotates it with the left hand clockwise, drinks a little tea, wipes the bowl, rotates it clockwise once more and passes it to the next guest. After the end of the first ceremony the guests may handle the utensils themselves.
A second tea ceremony begins, using a thinner tea (usucha). The complete Cha-no-yu can last for between three and four hours.
Arab Countries
Mint tea is an important beverage in the Arab countries of Africa, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, the Maghreb and Sudan. Although available in all Arab countries, it is less popular in those east of Suez. In some countries it is served both before and after a meal, while in others it is customary to finish a meal, rinse mouths and hands and then relax over the mint tea.
In affluent homes the teapot is made of silver plate, while poorer people would use pottery or china. Green tea is generally used (see page 8) and great attention is paid to the quality of the mint, dark green mint or spearmint being the favourites. In summer orange blossom may be added to the mint and in winter, if mint is not available, sage, sweet marjoram or sweet basil will be substituted.
To make mint tea, boil the water, rinse out the teapot and throw this away. Put in the required amount of tea, a handful of mint leaves (or the alternative) plus about 1 oz/25 g (2 tablespoons) cane sugar; the tea is always very sweet. Pour on boiling water and let it brew (stand) for at least 3 minutes. Stir just once or twice, then pour into glasses. Add more sugar if required.
When shopping in Arab countries you may well be invited to partake of mint tea as you bargain with the retailer, for this is an accepted part of the purchasing process, which can take a considerable time.
USSR
Tea is one of the national beverages in Russia and few homes are without a samovar – the traditional, and well-loved, receptacle for boiling water in for making the tea. When the tea is brewed the pot is placed on top of the samovar to keep the tea hot. In the past the samovar was heated by charcoal but nowadays electric models are available.
In Russia many people drink tea with, or after, a meal. The usual way of drinking tea is to pour a little from the teapot into a glass or cup then fill this with boiling water from the samovar. Tea is generally served with slices of lemon and it is quite commonplace to have a spoonful of blackcurrant or other jam to sweeten the tea instead of sugar.
In the vast expanse of the USSR you will find various regional customs associated with tea drinking. The Buryats, from eastern Siberia, serve green tea at the start of a meal with bread or biscuits and butter. Only after this is the meat dish brought in. The name of the Buryat green tea is nogoon sai. It is boiled in water before cream or milk is added, and the liquid is then allowed to simmer for a short time. It is then salted.
In the region which was originally Astrakhan, the Kalmyks follow the same method of making tea as the Buryats but they also add pepper and a little clarified butter.
By the camp fire in Siberia, no conversation takes place without tea. In the north the distance covered in a day is measured in terms of the number of tea breaks needed.
In the book Tibet is My Country written by Heinrich Harrer, the elder brother of the Dalai Lama describes the tea he enjoyed at home when he was a young child before he went into the monastery to begin the training for his future life:
Our first tea of the day was drunk at breakfast. It was always mildly exciting to watch the water
beginning to boil in the copper kettle, and then see mother break a piece off from
the tea brick, rub it between her palms and then throw the curling leaves into the bubbling water.
After that she would add a little salt and then let the tea boil for a moment or two.
In our province the Amdo people used dried tea leaves pressed into bricks which were imported from
China throughout the province of Kham. It was a rather coarse kind of tea, and these bricks
often contained whole leaves, and sometimes even stalks.
He recalls that later in the day the children could sometimes wheedle their mother into allowing them to add a little butter to their tea. This is a custom still followed in Tibet.