The taste of butter tea is quite strange, and it is difficult for people who drink it for the first time to accept it. However, if you get used to it, it will be okay and it is quite delicious.

What does butter tea taste like?

Butter tea is a drink used in Tibet to greet guests. Its main ingredient is tea, and then butter, salt, etc. are added. For people, the taste is undoubtedly very strange, even unacceptable. Ghee is actually extracted from goat's milk or cow's milk by the Tibetan people. The ratio is almost 100:5, so ghee is still very precious. In the eyes of many people, tea not only quenches thirst but also relieves greasiness, but tea with butter added always feels greasy, and it also has a special taste. Many people from the mainland are not used to drinking. But you can’t help but refuse when they are entertained by enthusiastic Tibetans. When you take the second sip, you will completely overturn your understanding of butter tea in the first sip. You will feel that the butter tea is salty and fragrant, and the taste is very mellow!

How to drink butter tea

Tibetans often use butter tea to entertain guests. They have a set of rules for drinking butter tea. When the guest is seated at the Tibetan square table, the host takes a wooden bowl (or tea cup) and puts it in front of the guest. Then the host (or housewife) lifts the butter teapot (nowadays, a thermos is often used instead), shakes it a few times, and pours a full bowl of butter tea to the guests. If the guest doesn't drink the butter that has just been poured down, he should chat with the host first. When the host picks up the butter teapot again and stands in front of the guest, the guest can pick up the bowl, gently blow a circle in the butter bowl to blow away the oil flowers floating on the tea, then take a sip, and Praising: "This butter tea is so well made, the oil and tea are inseparable." The guest put the bowl back on the table, and the host refilled it. In this way, you can refill the tea bowl while drinking. If you don't finish it in one day, the enthusiastic host will always refill the guest's tea bowl; if you don't want to drink anymore, don't touch it; if you drink half of it and don't want to drink anymore, the host will Fill the bowl and leave it there; when the guests are ready to say goodbye, they can take a few more sips in succession, but they cannot drink it dry. There should be some tea base left in the bowl. In this way, it is in line with Tibetan customs and politeness.

Butter tea can keep out the cold.

Due to the high altitude in Tibet, the temperature is relatively low. Butter contains a lot of calories, and regular drinking can maintain body heat.

How to make butter tea

1. Brick tea is in solid form and needs to be cut with a knife, such as a wood chopping knife, etc. You have to cut hard.

2. Add 300 ml of water to the pot and boil, add 3 to 5 grams of broken brick tea, and cook until the tea turns black and turn off the heat.

3. After the tea changes color, add 0.5 grams of salt. You can also add more salt on cold days.

4. Add another 2 grams of ghee (about two-thirds of a tablespoon).

5. Pour water into the teapot through the tea filter and set aside. It is usually consumed in a small tea cup.