Drinking tea is a very popular tradition that is dating back to 2737 BCE. According to legend, dried leaves fell from a plant into his Chinese emperor Shennong's cup which greatly improved his hot water. Since that moment, drinking tea became an extremely popular tradition around the world. Ever since its amazing taste and health benefits were first discovered, tea traditions have taken on a life of their own. More than just a drink, different tea traditions are now famous around its preparation, presentation, and consumption in literally every part of the world. So, here are some of the most interesting global tea traditions that are increasingly popular worldwide.

India: The land of Chai tea

India is really popular for the tea production. It produces and consumes more tea than any other country. Not only that, but Chai is the national drink in India - it is served literally on every street corner. You can literally see people selling Chai tea at all times of the day and night at crowded train stations. If you ever go to an Indian house you can expect to try a sweet and a little spiced milk-tea. Being the country of tea, similar tea traditions are very usual happenings in India.

Moroccan Tea Traditions

Touareg tea which is also known as Maghrebi mint tea is the customary blend in Morocco. It represents a mix of  green tea leaves, mint, and sugar. It is generally poured from up high into very small, delicate glasses and served three times. A very interesting thing about this tea is that each time the flavor slightly varies. Refusing a serving of Touareg tea qualifies as breaking the Moroccan tea traditions.

Japan

Chinese monks and Zen Buddhists introduced tea in Japan in the 12th century. In the beginning, only emperor’s court and high officials could drink tea. Sen Rikyū modified Japanese tea principles in the 16th century and only after that tea became a normal part of the Japanese culture. From that moment on, The Japanese considered drinking tea as high art. They emphasized the beauty in simplicity and the appreciation of the moment. Moreover, they incorporated many ideals of Zen Buddhism into the practice of drinking tea. The Japanese tea ceremony called Chanoyu (‘way of tea’) is one of the most popular tea traditions in the world. In Chanoyu, using matcha powder (ground green tea leaves) enables brewing a frothy, ethereal tea. It represents a very popular Japanese tradition.

England’s Afternoon Addiction

There is a high chance that when you think of tea England comes to your mind right away. In England, "afternoon tea" has been a way of life since the early 1800’s. During the time when two meals per day was the usual norm, the breakfast-dinner gap was huge for many people. So, Anna, 7^th Duchess of Bedford, had a solution at hand. She thought that tea accompanied by a light meal in the late afternoon would be a great solution. This soon became one of the most popular tea traditions among the upper class, and the English afternoon tea tradition was born.

Russian tea

Tea is an extremely important part of Russian culture. Russian caravan tea is the name that carries because of its rich history. A very fun and interesting ritual of the Russian tea tradition is the famous two step brewing process. First, there is a preparation of a concentrate from the zavarka tea leaves. Immediately afterwards, the quantity according to the number of people is brewed in a small pot. The next step involves pouring the concentrate in the cup as desired and adding hot water. This is the right way to prepare Russian tea.