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TEA DRINKING CUSTOMS OF THE WORLD

THE TRADITION OF CHANOYU

RIKYU'S CHANOYU AND ITS LINEAGE

THE TEA ROOM AND THE TEA GARDEN

FORMS AND BEHAVIOR

TEA UTENSILS

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Tea cultures of the World

AFRICA
[MOROCCO] green tea zone
Mint tea is widely drunk. Green tea leaves are boiled in a pot with sugar and mint leaves and the tea is drunk from a glass. This kind of tea is also drunk in Tunisia and Algeria.

[ALGERIA] green tea zone
Mint tea is widely drunk, as in Morocco.

[TUNISIA] green tea zone
Mint tea is widely drunk, as in Morocco.

[LIBYA] green tea zone
As in Egypt, green tea is boiled with sugar and mint leaves and drunk after bubbles are produced.

[EGYPT] green tea zone
Green tea leaves are boiled with sugar. Bubbles are produced by pouring the tea vigorously from one pot to another before drinking. Mint is also sometimes boiled with the tea. Tea is also drunk this way in Libya.

[KENYA] black tea zone
From the 18th century Kenya was a colony of Great Britain and the custom of drinking tea spread as part of British culture. From this time, tea was cultivated in this country.



EUROPE
[GREAT BRITAIN] black tea zone
As a tea empire Britain had the well-known custom of taking afternoon tea with milk and sugar. South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and other countries which were colonies of Great Britain, still follow the British custom of tea drinking.

[POLAND] black tea zone
Strong tea made using a samovar, as in Russia, is widely drunk.



MIDDLE AND NEAR EAST
[TURKEY] black tea zone
Chai prepared in a Russian samovar is widely drunk. Little water is used as strong tea is preferred. Milk or lemon is not used, but it is sweetened with a lot of sugar. This kind of tea is drunk in Iran and Afghanistan.

[IRAN] black tea zone
Strong tea is drunk using a Russian samovar like the one used in Turkey.

[AFGHANISTAN] black tea zone
Strong tea is drunk using a Russian samovar like the one used in Turkey.



[INDIA] black tea zone
Milk and sugar are added to black tea to make chai. In the streets of Calcutta there are vendors who walk around with a simple portable stove, a pan and a kettle, selling chai.



ASIA
[CHINA] green tea zone
As a tea growing region, China, has a long history of tea drinking and various kinds of tea are drunk. Green tea is the most widely drunk, and jasmine flowers are added to create jasmine tea. In southern China Oolong tea and puerh tea are drunk. There are also various ways of drinking tea. Tea leaves are put into a tea cup and boiling water is added, or a small tea pot and a cup are used to enjoy the flavour and scent of the tea.
This is called kufucha.

[MONGOLIA] green tea zone
A tea much like the butter tea of Tibet is drunk. Bricks of tea leaves are boiled in water and cow or goat milk stirred in with salt to make a broth.
Scorched barley, beef and so on are also added.

[TIBET] green tea zone
A special kind of tea called butter tea is drunk. Bricks of tea leaves are put into tubular vessels called chaidon and domon and butter made from yak milk, rock salt, and so on, are stirred in.

[KOREA] green tea zone
Medicinal teas such as ginseng and corn tea are widely drunk. These teas are both made from something other than the tea plant, but recently green tea and black tea have become popular in Korea.



SOUTHEAST ASIA
[MYANMAR] green tea zone
As well as ordinary green tea being drunk, there is also lappeso a food made from pickled tea leaves. Tea leaves are roasted or steamed, then packed into bamboo tubes or into baskets and fermented. Various ingredients and salt are often added and it is dressed with oil.

[THAILAND] green tea zone
As well as ordinary green tea being drunk, pickled tea leaves called mien are eaten. Tea leaves are roasted or steamed then packed into bamboo tubes or baskets and fermented. It is chewed or eaten with rock salt or ginger.

[VIETNAM] green tea zone
Green tea grown in Vietnam and a fermented tea resembling black tea are widely drunk. There is also a green tea to which the fragrance of lotus is added. As with China's kufucha, a small tea pot and a tea bowl are used.
Vietnam is one of the few countries in Southeast Asia in which tea is established as a popular drink.

[LAOS] green tea zone
Pickled tea leaves called mien are eaten. Tea leaves are roasted or steamed then packed into bamboo tubes or baskets and fermented.



RUSSIA
[RUSSIA] black tea zone
Russian tea is drunk in a special way. The black tea that is prepared in a samovar is sweetened with sugar or has vodka added to it. Instead of sugar, jam is sometimes added. The samovar is a metal vessel made for preparing tea. Water is boiled over the charcoal fire that is lit inside it. A tea pot is warmed on the pipe and tea leaves decocted to make quite strong tea.
This kind of tea is widely drunk in Eastern European countries such as Poland.

[SIBERIA] black tea zone
Strong tea prepared in a samovar is widely drunk. Sugar is sometimes added.



[JAPAN] green tea zone
At the end of the 12th century, matcha (powdered green tea) was brought by Sung dynasty China and this has remained the culture of chanoyu until the present day. The drinking of sencha (green tea) was established in the 18th century and became widespread, so that it is now an essential element in the everyday life of Japanese people. Bancha (coarse green tea), gyokuro (refined green tea), hojicha (roasted tea), genmaicha (unpolished rice tea) and so on, are also widely drunk.



OCEANIA
[AUSTRALIA] black tea zone
Tea drinking spread through Australia, a former British colony, as part of British culture. There is still a culture of tea drinking like that seen in Britain.

[NEW ZEALAND] black tea zone
Tea drinking spread through New Zealand, a former British colony, as part of British culture. There is still a culture of tea drinking like that seen in Britain.



[CANADA] black tea zone
The Inuit who live in the far north of Canada and Alaska drink very strong black tea which has been thoroughly decocted and add neither milk nor sugar.
It regarded as a very precious drink.



[AMERICA] black tea zone
Tea drinking spread through America, a former colony of Great Britain, from the 18th century. In America it was common to drink tea with lemon and an American culture of tea emerged.

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