Butter Tea, have you tried ? | Chai प्रेम : Chai | Travel | Stories

Masala tea, milk tea, green tea, and other types of tea may be familiar to you. Do you know what Butter Tea is? When I first heard about it, I looked it up on Google to see what it was all about. Let's learn more about the history of butter tea, the legend behind it, and how to make it.

Butter Tea, also known as "po cha," is a popular beverage in Nepal, Bhutan, India (especially Ladakh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh), Tibet, and parts of China.

Tea leaves, yak butter, water, and salt are traditionally used to make it. Butter tea is thought to have originated between Greater Tibet and the Indian subcontinent in the Himalayan region.

The Butter Tea Myth

According to legend, a Chinese princess married a Tibetan king, paving the way for trade routes between the two countries. Tea from China was brought into Tibet through these trade routes. Later, since butter is and was a staple in Tibetan cuisine, butter was added to the tea that was brought from China. Butter tea is still common in Tibet today, with residents drinking up to 60 cups per day.

Tibet's Traditional Tea Preparation Method:

Credit: Google Image

Butter tea of the highest quality is made by steeping pu-erh tea leaves in water for half a day until they turn a deep brown color. After that, it's skimmed and poured into a cylinder with fresh yak butter and salt, which is shaken. As a consequence, you'll have a liquid the consistency of a stew or thick oil. After that, it's poured into teapots or jars to cool.

Another way is to boil water and then drop handfuls of tea into it, allowing it to steep until almost black. The salt is then applied, as well as a splash of soda if desired. The tea is then strained into a wooden butter churn through a horsehair or reed colander, and a large lump of butter is added. After that, the tea is churned until it reaches the desired consistency.

Credit: Google Image

Outside of Tibet, how to make Butter Tea:

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups of water
2. Plain black tea (2 individual teabags, like Lipton’s black tea, or two heaping spoons of loose tea)
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 2 tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted)
5. 1/3 cup half and half or milk
6. Materials needed: One churn, blender, or some other large container with a tight lid to shake the tea up with.

Steps:

• First bring four cups of water to a boil.
• Put two bags of tea or two heaping tablespoon of loose tea in the water and let steep while the water is boiling for a couple of minutes.
• Add a heaping quarter of a teaspoon of salt.
• Take out the tea bags or if you use loose tea, strain the tea grounds.
• Add a third to a half cup of milk or a teaspoon of milk powder.
• Now turn off the gas.
• Pour your tea mixture into a chandong, which is a kind of churn, along with two tablespoons of butter. Since churns are uncommon outside of Tibet, you can do as some Tibetans do and use any large container with a lid to shake the tea, or you can simply use a blender, which works well.
• For two or three minutes, churn, combine, or shake the mixture. In Tibet, we believe that churning the 'po cha' for longer makes it taste better.

Since 'po cha' tastes best when it's really hot, serve the tea right away.

Reference:

Wikipedia

https://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/butter-tea.html

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