Tibetan Tea Culture
Updated: 2007-12-17 09:54
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The Tibetans are addicted to tea drinking. Such a habit has given birth to their unique way of making tea. Tibetans in the Amdo area love broad-leafed tea. They also love tea brick from Yiyang, Hunan Province. A tea brick, which is rectangular in shape, weighs two kilograms apiece. Such tea brick can withstand long journeys.
Tibetans mix tea with cold water in a teapot. It is then heated over a small fire. When the water takes on a brown color, good tea is ready. When served, most Tibetans love to have salt in their tea.
In some areas, the Tibetans love to put fruit, ginger, and peppers in tea. Such tea is believed to be curatives for headaches and colds. Some Tibetans love to have milk and sugar in tea. When brown sugar is added to tea, such tea is believed to be good for lying-in women.
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The way to sip tea
People of Gannan drink tea three times a day. In the morning, they drink morning tea containing fried flour, milk dregs and butter. After lunch, one often drinks several bowls of tea in order to beef up the stomach's digestive ability as well as to perk the person up. after supper, the whole family usually sits around the table, talking while drinking tea to their hearts' content.
Tibetans pay close attention to sipping tea. For instance, bowls used to contain the tea should be flawless and the tea bowl held with both hands.
When refilling the bowl, the palm of the left hand should face the sky, and no tea should spill out of the bowl. If lamas are invited to recite sutras in the home, tea utensils used by the lamas should not be touched by others.