Tea rituals

How do you take your tea? The answer actually depends a lot more on geography than you may think. The experience of drinking tea has become enriched with ceremonies in some countries and spices in others.

In Japan, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony is a graceful, tranquil and carefully choreographed ritual with strong ties to Zen Buddhism. Powdered green tea leaves are used to produce a frothy bitter-tasting tea.

In China, gongfu tea refers to a formal method of preparing black and oolong teas. The same batch of loose tea is infused several times in a small unglazed teapot. Gongfu indicates any skill developed through extensive practice such as painting and tai chi.

In Russia, tea time occurs throughout the day. Traditionally, a samovar (a metal urn with a spigot, heated by coal) provides the hot water used to brew strongly concentrated black tea. Additional water may be added to each cup, as well as a sweetener such as honey or sugar.

In India, chai tea is the national beverage of choice. Known as masala (a mixture of many spices), it’s served from tea carts on virtually every street corner. Tea leaves are brewed with hot water, milk, honey and a variety of spices, so recipes can vary from region to region – and tea cart to tea cart.