La boîte à thé

Each culture has its own festivals and celebrations. In the case of the Japanese, there is the "Japanese tea ceremony". It's a far more important moment than just putting hot tea in a travel mug to get to work as soon as possible. Indeed, tea brings the Eastern population a lot together, much more than at home.

The host, dressed elegantly with a magnificent kimono, receives his guests. It will reduce the green tea powder - we can now call it "matcha tea" - as the chocolate powder is for a hot chocolate (or cold). Thus, it does not require the use of a filter.

The term "ceremony" is ours, Westerners, who describe it as "accompanying the celebration of religious worship" (Larousse online).

However, even in the East, they wonder why to make simple when we can make complicated in our modern world? We like it, go through 36 different paths. That's why they named this "ceremony" in 3 different ways (two of which are variants of the same word).

1. Cha no yu ("hot water for tea"), describing the art around this celebration.
2. Sadō or chadō ("path of tea") which is the study of this ceremony.

As if it were not complex enough, each school of thought has its own little rules, each one has its own ritual. It's like the little routine we do every morning: no one does exactly like us.

To return to the ceremony itself, the host invites its guests to take a seat in a tea room that measures 4 tatami and a half, on average (yes, it is not only the Anglo-Saxons who use nonmetric measurement systems, but, in good French, it is equivalent to 91cm x 182 cm).

The tea ceremony is a bit like the Western etiquette at the table, its 50 knives and forks: everything must be done in the rules of art through a few steps summarized here:

1. All utensils are cleaned by the guest (tea bowl, whip and scoop) and placed on the table in a specific order.
2. The host will then dose the amount of matcha tea he wishes to incorporate into each of the guests' bowls.

Of course, a ceremony must have a golden rule (moreover, you should know that this rule should also be practiced in the West). This one evokes as follows: MINIMAL conversation. Calm down ! Yes, we should all get together like this, to relax! We have too little of that kind of moment in our culture.
On these beautiful words - the silence is golden - here is what puts an end to this brief interlude on the tea ceremony. It must be remembered that it looks strangely like a cake icing: everyone is a little in his sauce and there are many variations, but the base (sugar, here) remains the same.

Comme nous tous ici, les célébrités apprécient aussi leur tasse de thé, pour se détendre, pendant une pause ou simplement parce qu'elles l'adorent. Voici quelques célébrités qui aiment leur tasse de thé autant que nous faisons.

Les acteurs de James Bonds

James Bond peut aimer son martini - secoué, pas agité - mais il aurait aussi une préférence pour Yin Hao, un thé au jasmin. Mais n'oublions pas les trois acteurs Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan et Daniel Craig qui suivent également la méthode britannique du thé de l'après-midi.

Un animateur de talk-show

Le favori d'Oprah Winfrey est le chai indien pour son effet apaisant et sa richesse en goût et en saveur. Elle s'est même associée au développement d'un mélange spécial de chai!

Une actrice de sitcom

Tia Mowry, la moitié du duo des soeurs jumelles Sister Sister des années 90, non seulement aime boire son thé, mais a attribué sa peau éclatante à faire fondre chaque jour un glaçon de thé vert sur son visage.

Un auteur avec une imagination élaborée

Auteur des Chroniques de Narnia, C.S. Lewis a probablement écrit sa célèbre série en sirotant une tasse de thé. Il a clairement montré son appréciation pour la boisson quand il a dit "Vous ne pouvez jamais obtenir une tasse de thé assez grande [...] pour me convenir."

A Beatle

John Lennon appréciait tellement le thé que, selon sa femme Yoko Ono, il insistait toujours pour placer d'abord le sachet de thé suivi d'eau chaude et remarquait immédiatement si elle ne suivait pas cet ordre - jusqu'à ce qu'il apprenne qu'il le faisait mauvaise façon toutes ces années.

Même les stars du rock

Citant Mick Jagger, star des Rolling Stones: «J'ai des habitudes désagréables, je prends le thé à trois heures.» Ozzy Osbourne décrit aussi le thé comme étant une potion magique et il ne monte jamais sur scène avant d'avoir une tasse.

Un artiste extravagant

Lady Gaga est probablement l'un des plus grands fans de thé et ne manque jamais de le montrer. Elle aime tellement sa boisson chaude qu'elle boit toujours de sa propre tasse de thé de porcelaine partout où elle va. Lady Gaga a également une chanson appelée Tea, dont elle a tweeté les paroles suivantes: «Ça fait longtemps que j'ai bu une gorgée et j'ai ce sentiment, j'ai besoin d'une cure de désintoxication verte.

Un personnage fictif

Si vous regardez le Mentalist, vous avez certainement remarqué qu'il n'y a pas un seul épisode où Patrick Jane, consultant en police psychiatre devenu policier, n'est pas vu en train de boire ou de préparer une tasse de thé. Même Simon Baker, l'acteur derrière le personnage décrit ses joies dans la vie pour être ses enfants rire, danser avec sa femme et profiter d'une bonne tasse de thé.

Une actrice qui a joué une reine

Helen Mirren, lauréate d'un Oscar, ne se sépare jamais de ses sachets de thé. Elle les emmène partout avec elle, jusqu'à Los Angeles.

Une reine

Pas de surprise là-bas, mais la Reine d'Angleterre Elizabeth II commence sa journée tous les matins avec un plateau de thé à 7h30. Elle ne manque jamais d'avoir son thé de l'après-midi avec des biscuits à 17h. La boisson préférée au palais de Buckingham est Earl Grey.

Preparing the perfect cup of tea is not as simple as you think. For this, T-surprise gives you some tips and tricks for a better appreciation of your tea:

• Use a teapot, never your microwave to boil the water and even less to warm your cup of tea if it cools.

• Put some hot water in your teapot beforehand to warm it up. Empty the water and then put the tea leaves in bulk for a few minutes before filling the teapot with hot water again.

• If you have two teapots, use the second to serve tea. However, it will be necessary to warm it up in advance also before adding the tea already infused.

• It is preferable that the water is mineral or filtered. Avoid distilled water or water that has already boiled.

• A rule to follow especially for loose tea: a tea spoon per glass of water per person. Some add a tea spoon and more "for the teapot"

• Some tea leaves can be used several times. According to the Chinese, the second or even third infusion is the best!

• For loose tea, do not wait like bagged teas until the water reaches 100 degrees to brew. Stop your teapot just before the first bubble formation or let it cool a bit before pouring. For the meticulous, we recommend for:
  o White and green tea: 70-85 ° C
  o Black tea and Oolong: 85-95 ° C
  o Infusions: 100 ° C except for chamomile at 90 ° C

• All types of tea do not need the same brewing time. Note that for stronger tea, add more tea instead of infusing longer. You can let the tea infuse for at least:
  o One to three minutes for green tea
  o Three to six minutes for black tea
  o Six to eight minutes for Oolong tea
  o Seven to 10 minutes for white tea
  o Eight to twelve minutes for infusions

• If your teapot is without filter, you can use a separate filter to stop the brew on time.

It is time to ending exploration of tea around the world! And what better way to end it than in Europe, home to the United Kingdom, one of the most recognizable tea consumers in the world.

The United Kingdom

Afternoon tea is a ritual observed by almost the entirety of the United Kingdom. The beginning of this tradition is credited to the Duchess of Bedford, Anna, back in the 1840s. As dinner was served later during the day, the duchess found it difficult to wait that long and secretly ordered biscuits and snacks as well as a cup of tea to her room during the afternoon. After she was exposed, the habit ended up spreading instead of being criticized. As tea became more and more accessible to the middle class, this afternoon break became the perfect opportunity to relax and get together with friends and family after a long day. Another well-known fan of the afternoon tea habit was none other than Queen Victoria herself.
Besides the cup of tea in the afternoon, the British also drink tea throughout the day. Black tea is the favorite type of brew, but green and flavored tea are also appreciated and consumed.

France

Originally introduced as medicinal, tea remained the drink of the royalty and aristocracy for a long time. It is only in recent years that it has become more popular with the masses. Unlike the British, the French are very careful with their selection, carefully exploring the different origins and tastes of the leaves. There is also some evidence that they were the first to introduce milk to their cup. They nevertheless have a particular preference for herbal teas or tisane, during the afternoon or evening.

Russia

While famous for their love of vodka, one must not underestimate the amount of tea consumed by the Russians. Inspired by neighboring Mongolia’s stoves, the samovar, is a large urn made of silver or copper where tea leaves are brewed. The inside chamber is constantly heated to keep the water warm and ready. The teapot is placed on top of the samovar containing tscheinik, a very strong concentrate of tea. Since the samovar is always functional, they can have their cup of tea at any moment they want!

The fact that tea leaves are smoked is also a unique preference of the Russians. This started when the old caravan teas stopped for campfires along the road causing the leaves to progressively get smoked. After the concentrate is ready, it is poured in a cup and hot water is added depending on the personal preference of the drinker. When drinking tea, it is either sipped through a sugar cube placed in the mouth or by adding a spoon of jam in the cup.
The type of tea leaves used can be green or black, but several different blends and mixtures can also be used.

That rounds up our trip around the world! We hope you enjoyed it! Any other countries you know of with unique tea habits? Let us know!

We continue our trip exploring tea around the world this time in Middle East and African Countries! Are you ready to go?

Turkey

While Turkey may be famous for its black coffee, tea is also an important part of Turkish social life. Tradition also requires daughters to know how to prepare the perfect cup of tea before they’re able to get married. Cay tea is prepared in a double teapot: tea is brewed in the top one while at the same time steamed from the boiling water in the bottom kettle. For the perfect Turkish tea, pour into small tulip-shaped glasses and never add milk. Sugar, if needed, is not added directly into the drink, but placed under the tongue or between the cheeks while drinking.

Egypt

Another large importer of tea is Egypt and black tea is consumed several times throughout the day. Tea leaves are strongly brewed and boiled and the infusion is heavily sweetened. Dried mint leaves are sometimes added for additional flavoring.

Iran

Tea is the national beverage in Iran. Always sweetened, black tea is favored for warmth and comfort, while green tea is consumed for refreshment. Also known as Chai, it is served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, in between meals… all throughout the day! A pinch of rose petals is added to the tea leaves followed by hot water and the whole is left to simmer for several minutes. Transparent glasses are used so the guest can make sure the color of the drink is to their taste, as some prefer it light while other prefer a stronger drink.

North African Countries

In Morocco as well as other countries in the area, tea is part of the local people’s hospitality traditions. Any home, shop, hotel … that you will step in will serve you the country’s version of tea. Touareg tea is a highly sweetened green tea in which spearmint is added. Because of the high honor of preparing and serving tea, it is usually done by the man of the house. Guests at tea ceremonies are customarily served three glasses each one symbolizing life, then love and finally death. It is considered rude to refuse a drink or to not finish it!
Mauritania also has its own version of the Touareg tea service. Sweetening is done progressively with the three cups, making the first one bitter and progressively ending on a sweet note.

Africa

Africa is a fertile ground for tea production. Kenya for example, is the third largest producer of tea in the world. Being right on the equator, tea can be produced all year long! South Africa may not be a major exporter, but it is where the Rooibos plant can be found. While not exactly a tea, this infusion is prepared the same way as tea is, and milk and/or sugar can be added. As for Malawi, the red color of the soil is transferred onto the plants, giving the leaves a uniqueness that cannot be found in Kenyan tea.