Tea, t\u00e9, chai, cha, has become such an important ritual in many cultures. It\u2019s not just the act of drinking tea, it\u2019s the patience as it cools, the conversations in between and the warmth it gives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In West Asia, countries like\u00a0Turkey,\u00a0Tea (\u00e7ay)\u00a0is served to guests as a friendly invitation.\u00a0Hot black\u00a0tea,\u00a0which is usually served unsweetened, is\u00a0something important in the Turkish culture as it brings people together.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a moment of connection that symbolises hospitality and friendship.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tea\u00a0(ch\u00e1)\u00a0in\u00a0China, East Asia,\u00a0has been part of the Chinese culture for more than\u00a04,000 years.\u00a0Chinese teacups\u00a0are traditionally made without handles,\u00a0and the reason is that if\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0too hot to hold,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0too hot to drink.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a reminder\u00a0to slow down,\u00a0have patience\u00a0and enjoy the presence of tea.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In India, South Asia,\u00a0tea (chai)\u00a0means home.\u00a0A protector of the home which wards off viruses and boosts immunity. Teas such as turmeric tea, ginger tea and masala tea\u00a0are well known to be good for the health.\u00a0Chai is a mother\u2019s love in a cup. When\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0unwell, its protective warmth\u00a0consumes you and\u00a0makes you feel better again.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tea comes in different\u00a0flavours,\u00a0purposes\u00a0and\u00a0rituals, but in Asia it is much more than a simple sip from a hot drink. It brings families,\u00a0friends\u00a0and people together. As the Turkish proverb goes a conversation without tea is like a night without stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Words by: Kani Abdullah\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cover image by @ingeborgkorme via unsplash.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Several glasses of tea being poured<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":650,"featured_media":37350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1210,7710,7708,488,50,96,7709,1974,4452],"class_list":["post-37352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-asia","tag-black-tea","tag-chai","tag-china","tag-culture-2","tag-quench","tag-relaxation","tag-tea","tag-turkey"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n