As early as three or four thousand years ago, our people began to drink tea. With the gradual spread of tea to all parts of the world, tea also has a global character. However, due to the difference of nationalities, various tea-drinking customs have been formed.
Japanese tea drinking is famous for the “tea ceremony”, and people who are more particular have tea rooms. When the host welcomes the guests into the tea room, he must kneel at the door of the tea room and let the guests enter one by one. When the guests pass the door, they should wash their hands beside the door, then take off their shoes and enter the room. The host enters the tea room at the end and bows to the guests. When the host starts to make tea, the guests should leave the tea room and walk to the back garden or stone road, so that the host can freely and calmly prepare tea sets, brew tea, and make tea. After the host has made the tea, he will let the guests go back to the tea room, and then start drinking tea together. After drinking the tea, the host will kneel outside the door and say goodbye to the guests.
Indians love milk tea, and they also like to drink a “samara tea” with ginger or cardamom. The traditional way of drinking tea in India is quite special. Pour the tea on a plate and lick it with the tongue. In addition, never use the left hand to deliver the tea set, because the left hand is used for bathing and going to the toilet.
Russians like to drink black tea. They first make a thick pot in the teapot, pour a little into the teacup when they want to drink it, and then pour boiling water. When guests come, pour the strong tea in the teapot, pour it with boiling water, add jam or honey to the tea, make jam tea, and drink it to your heart’s content.
The Mongolians, who mainly eat meat, drink tea and brick tea at almost every meal. This brick tea is a block-shaped tea. When brewing, knock a small piece into a pot and add water to boil. It cannot be simply brewed with boiling water. This tea is added with some salt, milk, goat milk, and cream. It became milk tea.
Thais love iced tea. i.e. put some ice cubes in the tea. In the hot climate of Thailand, drinking this iced tea is refreshing and comforting.
The history of American tea drinking is not long, starting in the 18th century. However, when “bag tea” appeared on the market in 1902, tea sales increased significantly. Americans drink tea, pay attention to efficiency and convenience, and do not want to waste time for brewing tea leaves and dumping tea residues. They also do not seem to want any traces of tea leaves in the teacup. Therefore, they like to drink instant tea, which is similar to drinking coffee. The principle is almost the same. Therefore, there are still many people in the United States who only know the taste of tea, but do not know its content. In the United States, tea consumption ranks second after coffee, but not Chinese, but European. Tea drinking in Europe also has a long history. After some people immigrated to the United States, they brought their habit with them. There are hundreds of Chinese oolong teas and green teas on the American market, but most of them are canned cold teas. Americans and Chinese drink tea differently, most people prefer to drink iced tea instead of hot tea. When drinking, put ice cubes in the cold tea first, or put the cold tea in the refrigerator in advance, smell the cold fragrance and refresh the nose, sip the cool teeth, and feel the coolness in the chest, like a spring breeze. Unfortunately, because this tea is mainly cold, it does not have the taste, warmth, and leisure of Chinese tea, and the mood of drinking tea is greatly reduced.
Germans also like to drink tea. There is something funny and cute about the Germans drinking tea. For example, Germany also produces scented tea, but it is not tea made from jasmine, magnolia or Milanese in my country. What they call “scented tea” is made of various petals plus dried fruits such as apples and hawthorns. There is no tea either, it is really “there is no tea without flowers”. Chinese scented tea pays attention to the fragrance of flowers; German scented tea pursues the authenticity of petals. German flower tea needs sugar when drinking, otherwise it will have astringent and sour taste due to the strong floral fragrance. Germans also buy Chinese tea leaves, but to drink tea at home, the tea leaves placed on the fine metal sieve are continuously washed with boiling water. The washed tea water flows into the teapot through the funnel installed under the sieve, and then the tea leaves are poured out. . There are Chinese people who visit a German home and find that the tea taste is light and the color is light. When I ask, I know that the Germans have a unique habit of “brewing tea”.
A trip to Turkey without apple tea is like a trip to Turkey. The Turks are hospitable and warm, and it is a traditional custom for them to drink tea. The host is often kind enough to offer a cup of Turkish tea, Turkish coffee or apple tea. Turkish tea is bitter to drink, and although the tea has a strong taste, it is not so flattering; Turkish coffee is fragrant, but the feeling of being too strong is not acceptable to every first-time taster. Only Turkey is rich in apple tea, which can be said to be suitable for all ages, and is loved by both men and women. The sweet and sour apple tea, with the strong apple flavor and tea fragrance, is especially refreshing to drink on the cold autumn day.
Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, etc. in North Africa all like green tea, but always add a small amount of brown sugar or ice cubes to the tea when drinking, and some like to add mint leaves or mint juice, which is called “mint tea”. The reason is that the climate in North Africa is hot and dry, people eat more meat, and drinking mint tea is good for relieving heat and helping digestion. This tea is fragrant and sweet, and it has a feeling of cooling the heart and moistening the lungs when you drink it. Because most North Africans believe in Islam, they are not allowed to drink alcohol, but they can drink tea. Therefore, drinking tea has become a good treat for guests. When guests visit, meet “three cups of tea”. According to etiquette, the guest should drink it in front of the host, otherwise, it will be considered rude.
Egyptians love sweet tea. They entertain guests, often put a lot of sugar in the tea, and at the same time send a cup of raw cold water for diluting the tea. As long as two or three cups of this strong sweet tea are consumed, the mouth will feel sticky and sticky.
Malaysian Bak Kut Teh, its reputation is indeed good. Bak Kut Teh is a unique way to eat. Its soup is served with pork loin, and then dipped in bean curd or fried dough sticks. You can eat large pieces of meat or not. In addition, the pork loin and meat bones prepared for the guests are even more appetizing and can’t stop.
Afghans believe that “Chinese tea is number one in the world”, and they love to use Chinese tea. In Afghanistan, teahouses can be seen everywhere. People use tea instead of wine. No matter how hard life is, they still drink several cups of tea every day.
In Pakistan, known as the “Kingdom of Milk Tea”, teahouses abound. Every morning, most Pakistanis drink a cup of milk tea. This milk tea is made from tea leaves (mostly black tea) and boiled with water, then take out the tea leaves and pour in fresh milk and sugar.
The Kurds regard tea as life. “It is better to go without food for a day than without tea for a day.” Their tea drinking habits are somewhat special. Although they must drink strong tea every day, they can only drink one or two cups at a time. This strong black tea is made by boiling water and tea leaves and adding sugar.
Burmese people love to drink a strange tea. It is strange because of its special preparation method and taste. The tea leaves are first soaked, then mixed with soybean powder, minced onion, dried shrimps, soy sauce and fried chili powder, and sometimes salt is added. This tea is spicy, astringent, fishy, sweet and salty. They drank with relish, and others had to be amazed.
Before the 17th century, the British did not know what tea was. It is said that tea was brought to England by Catherine, Queen of King Charles II (1630-1685). Catherine was born into the Bragancha family in Portugal. When she got married, she bought 100 kilograms of Chinese black tea from the East India Company and brought it to the British Royal Palace. She regarded drinking tea as a kind of palace pleasure. Soon, British court ministers, nobles, and celebrities followed suit. Over time, the ethos of drinking tea gradually spread throughout the UK. To this day, tea drinking is not only a favorite pastime for the British, but also an important business, with many tea companies in the UK. Tea is the most popular drink in the UK and is enjoyed by nearly half of the population. It is generally believed that tea can cure all diseases, and some people have reached the point where they can skip meals and drink tea. An English playwright once said: “Where there is tea, there is hope”. Drinking tea has become a habit and a custom in the UK, and the British have been inseparable from tea. The importance of tea is also reflected in the British language – English, and gradually integrated into British culture. There are also many phrases related to tea in English, such as: sb.’ s cup of tea (someone’s cup of tea), refers to “just right in the taste, right in the heart”. There are also many phrases related to tea in English, such as: tea cup (tea cup), tea caddy (tea container), tea pot (tea pot), tea tray (tea tray), teapoy (tea table), tea garden (tea garden), tea cake (a kind of cake used for tea), tea dealer. The British drink tea more regularly, unlike the Chinese who can drink tea anytime, anywhere. The British are used to three meals and two teas. Every day, after working and studying for a period of time, people need to stop and rest for about a quarter of an hour, drink a cup of tea, and have something to eat. This period of time is called Tea Break (tea break). The tea break is usually twice a day: Morning Tea (Morning Tea) ) and Afternoon Tea. Morning tea is usually around 10:30, and afternoon tea is usually at four or five in the afternoon. The habit of drinking afternoon tea originated from a duchess in England in the 18th century. She always felt a little hungry between lunch and dinner every day, so Just drinking tea between 4 and 5 pm every day, eating snacks, sandwiches, etc., this diet immediately became popular in the UK and became today’s Afternoon Tea. Tea break is an “unbeatable” break in the UK, which is not found in other Western countries. The British drink tea differently than the Chinese. Most Chinese people like to drink clear tea, that is, do not add anything to the tea; while in the UK, people mainly drink milk tea. When brewing tea, put a little milk in the tea first, and then put hot water in it. It is said that they are afraid of boiling water to fry the cup. Some British people also like to add some sugar to milk tea. Of course, whether to add sugar or not depends on personal preference; some people like to add some lemon juice to clear tea, but they cannot add milk and milk to tea at the same time. lemon juice. Etiquette-minded English gentlemen believe that it is unethical for Englishmen to drink tea while eating in small restaurants or fast food restaurants, and they think that tea cannot be drunk with meals. British family and friends, most like to invite friends for tea. Some families like to invite friends to share refreshments and hold a small Tea Party on weekend afternoons. This informal tea party can range from two or three people to dozens of people. Most families have tea, tea sets and refreshments. Afternoon tea must be strong. After the host prepares the tea and various desserts in the kitchen, he pushes the tea wagon into the living room or outdoors for guests to enjoy. The guests enjoy the tea while chatting and enjoying the tea.
