- 2 days ago
Ever wondered what a cup of tea looks like around the world? Epicurious brings together 14 chefs from 14 countries to showcase their tea recipes. From Chinese green tea and Indian masala chai to a classic English breakfast tea, discover how cultures around the world brew a cup of tea in their own mouthwatering way.
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00:01You are about to see 14 different chefs from 14 different countries make tea.
00:13Tea is from China, the south part of China. I'm going to make a green tea today,
00:18Bi Luo Chun, which is from my hometown Suzhou. The direct translation is green
00:22snail spring. It got its name from the shape. So when tea masters are roasting the tea,
00:28they will curl the tea leaves up a little bit. And then the more you see the fuzziness,
00:34the better because it's more fresh. We're going to add water in the tea bowl first. For green teas,
00:40175 degrees and clear glass tea bowls are recommended because you'll see the tea leaves
00:46sink to the bottom. It's like a show and you'll see the tea leaves and a dance in water. And
00:53make
00:53sure you don't cover the tea when you're steeping it to prevent overheating. For high quality fresh
00:59tea leaves, it only takes 30 seconds for the first steep. When most of the tea leaves are in the
01:05bottom,
01:05we can serve. So you can make two more steep from these tea leaves, but you can steep them for
01:12a
01:12little bit longer, the second and third steep, 30 seconds to one minute. Really good Bi Luo Chun is floral.
01:21It's a little bit of nutty, fruity. It has like a lingering sweetness to it.
01:27Today, I'm going to be making masala chai. This is also the tea that's most commonly made throughout the country.
01:33People start their days with it. People end their days with it. I have about three cups of water. I
01:38want it to be ripping hot. While my water is boiling, I have one and a half,
01:42inch knob of ginger. So I'm going to get that crushing in a mortar and pestle. So you don't have
01:47to make a paste out of it, but you do want to crush it. I also have about three pods
01:51of cardamom, which I'm just going to lightly crush so that they release their aroma into the water. You really
01:56need to make sure your water is boiling before you put your ginger inside. Otherwise, your water is going to
02:00turn bitter. I have some cinnamon, very small piece, a few cloves, and some black peppercorn. And you're going to
02:07get your heat down to a medium. Let this boil for about a minute or two. You can add
02:12as many aromats and as many things as you want. So the water's changed its color. As you can see,
02:16it's got this really nice yellowish hue to it. What I'm going to do is I'm going to go in
02:20with my tea.
02:22We use a certain kind, which is called CTC, which means crush, tear, and curl. These are tea leaves that
02:28are dry, they're crushed, they're torn, and they're curled. If you ever look at tea bags, the tea that you're
02:33going to find inside is usually always CTC. And you add three teaspoons of sugar. Let it boil for about
02:39three minutes. You're going to see it gets really nice and fragrant.
02:42I know the tea is completely infused because it's got a really, really nice dark color. Get the heat down
02:48to a low. And I'm going to add my milk in slowly. You want to have black tea without any
02:53milk, that's also completely an option.
02:55But I really like my tea a little milky. You let it come to the brim, you turn down the
03:00heat. You let it come to a boil again, you turn down the heat again.
03:03It's just a way of making sure that the tea leaves completely infuse in the milk. Smells exactly how my
03:09house used to smell early in the morning.
03:11To anyone watching this, they know the significance of this cup. All the tea stalls will always serve tea in
03:16this.
03:16And I'm going to hold it right here because it's too hot to hold at the base.
03:23It's milky. I taste the tea. It's the perfect sweetness. I feel the warmth of the ginger at the back
03:28of my throat. So comforting and just pure nostalgia.
03:32Today I'm going to teach you guys and talk a little bit about chimarrão.
03:37It's a tea made from yerba mate. Very traditional in Brazil. It starts with the indigenous people before the Europeans
03:45arrive in Brazil.
03:46They used to chew on this herb. Eventually they start drinking it before they go out for hunting at night.
03:53When you're going to work in a field, you're always carrying your yerba mate with your hot water.
03:59This is the cuya, the traditional cup that we use. It's made out of the porango. It's a fruit. And
04:07after it's carved and dried, we call it cuya.
04:10It comes with this metal straw. Please don't call it straw. We call it bomba.
04:14And this, it's where you keep your yerba mate. That is pieces of the wood and also it's like very
04:22fine grounded. This is a really good quality one. You see like how green it is.
04:27I grab a yerba mate and I don't feel it. I put it like two thirds of the cuya. And
04:34then why do I have this? I need a place to fill my bomba. So flip it. I shake it.
04:42Then I'm going to have the space on the other side so I can put my straw on it. And
04:46I'm going to press so I can add my water to it and it won't fall apart.
04:52The water has to be between 70 and 75 Celsius. So it doesn't burn the herb. And I'm going to
04:58fill on the side. Otherwise it's going to fall and I have to do it all over again.
05:03Once you add the water, the tea has to absorb and infusion a little bit. I need to close this
05:09part of the straw so the water doesn't come inside of it. Flip it a little bit.
05:14And now I need to wait at least like two minutes. And then you sip it.
05:21It's for sure stronger than a cold brew.
05:26Back home in Britain, there is no problem too large that can't be solved by a good cup of tea.
05:31These guys are kind of fancy. They're in a nice little cotton pouch.
05:34You can also buy the tea that comes in bags of like a hundred. My personal favorite is Yorkshire Gold
05:39or Yorkshire Tea.
05:40You do one tea bag per person and you do an extra bag for the pot. So we're going to
05:45fill it up with some fresh hot water.
05:47It needs three or four minutes. If you're drinking tea out of a teapot, traditionally, in my house at least,
05:54the milk goes into the cup first.
05:56It's quite a point of contention, which goes first, the milk or the tea. Pretty much all teas in Britain,
06:01you're going to drink with milk.
06:03You can add sugar if you want. Super simple. I've done it here with some kind of posh snacks.
06:08You'll always have some kind of thing, treat, snack to eat with it, whether you're eating cookies or chocolate biscuits.
06:14So, cheers.
06:20Yeah, it's a good brew.
06:22Zobo is a hibiscus tea. It's always hot in Nigeria, very warm weather. So this is the number one go
06:29-to iced beverage that you can have.
06:31It's tarty. It's sweet. It's whatever you want to make it. It's very versatile.
06:35So we're just going to take some fresh Zobo leaves. We get it from the north of Nigeria and add
06:40that to some boiling hot water.
06:42This is pre-blended ginger. Then we're going to add just a little bit of cloves to give it that
06:48aromatic taste.
06:49And then lastly, we add pineapple rind because it gives it that extra tart on the edge flavor.
06:55Some people add lemon, but I just like to use the whole pineapple.
06:58Now we have our blended pineapple. Some people add the fruits after it's chilled, but I like to cook mine
07:05down.
07:06So now I'm going to add some sugar and we're going to let this dissolve in there.
07:10For this quantity, you would want this to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour and just keep adding
07:16water and water.
07:18The longer, the better actually, because you're extracting more of the concentrate from the leaves.
07:23Okay, so it's cooked long enough and now it's time to sieve it and let it rest to cool.
07:28You can serve it hot, chilled, frozen. I like to drink it cold with some ice, add a little mint,
07:34some cucumber on top of that.
07:35You know, look at how beautiful that color is. Cheese.
07:44I can taste the cloves, the spice from the ginger, the fruitiness from the pineapples.
07:50Like it is so, oh, I'm blushing. It's really refreshing.
07:53Clock it.
07:57So today we're making bush tea, a big thing in Trinidad. This one is more medicinal.
08:03You know, I'm going to joke in the Caribbean as tea fixes everything, right?
08:06So if you have a headache, your grandparents will prescribe tea. So we drink this all the time.
08:12We start with the garlic, smash it. A couple pieces of ginger, bay leaves.
08:18Not too much because bay leaf could be overpowering. Fever grass. This is called lemongrass here, but we know it
08:23as fever grass.
08:25So you just break it just to kind of get the oils out. Fresh mint.
08:29Real rustic, you just break it up and add it in here.
08:32You have cilantro. You have culantro, which is the shadow bennie.
08:36And you just wait for it to boil and then you take it off and then it's steep for a
08:40few minutes.
08:41All right, so it looks like it's ready. You see the color? It changed.
08:46So now you have to drink it, piping hot. So it's supposed to almost burn your lips.
08:51Another thing, this cup, the enamel cup, you can't drink bush tea in anything else.
08:57I don't know why. That's just how I was taught. So this one, the first one, that's the traditional way.
09:04That's the way the grown-ups drink it. You add some sugar, preferably brown sugar.
09:08And this, at least when I was a kid, they would add some condensed milk.
09:13This used to just make it more palatable for the kids, almost like a chai.
09:17This is the two versions of Trinidadian bush tea.
09:23Just as I remembered it. This is supposed to feel like a warm hug.
09:27Also, when you drink this, you're supposed to, you're going to burp.
09:30And that's when the elders said it's working, whatever it's working for.
09:34So the next time you have a headache, you should try some bush tea.
09:39So today we are making Algerian mint tea.
09:43It's like a super casual tea after dinner.
09:46Some people do drink it in the morning, but it's mostly in the afternoon during Ramadan,
09:51especially late nights. So it keeps up awake so we can fast later.
09:56So we are using this beautiful couple, but that it's very difficult to find.
10:01In Algeria, they can do it over top on the barbecue, in the Sahara, on the sand.
10:07And they're very solid for the fire.
10:09So the blend that I'm using, it's just dry mint tea and green tea from Algeria.
10:14And two tablespoons of sugar.
10:16You want to put the sugar with the water, so it helps the sugar to melt.
10:21And usually they like to make it like most on the sweet side.
10:24I don't like when it's too sweet.
10:26Once it starts steaming out, your tea will be ready.
10:29Turn it off now.
10:31And I'm going to add the fresh mint because I like it super strong.
10:35And then you're going to let it sit for a few minutes to have the flavor being like all together.
10:40I brought this special glass, Heritage for my mom, because the sugar is in it.
10:46Push up arms up and down and pour it back.
10:49It helps the tea to mix.
10:51And once all the bubbles are fully full, it means that the tea is ready to go.
10:56So you usually have like some Arabic songs, you know, with the vibe, dancing.
11:01And I love drinking tea with the Algerian crepe called the Barlil.
11:08The move.
11:10The tea is amazing.
11:11It's really good.
11:12Very strong, the way I like it.
11:13And it's not too sugary.
11:14Today I'm making tea de Jamaica.
11:18Hibiscus tea.
11:19Because that's how my grandma used to do it.
11:22So we're going to do some water, piloncillo, raw sugar, and then hibiscus flour.
11:27Tastes like cranberry and it's very aromatic and it's very refreshing.
11:31A little bit of ginger because ginger helps digest.
11:34We use this as a medicine.
11:36My mom and grandma used to make me this when I used to eat too much.
11:39And then cinnamon as the aroma of comfortness.
11:42See, I feel good now.
11:44Bay leaves, another aroma.
11:46And oranges.
11:47It needs to add some acidity and another type of sweetness.
11:51Now I'm just going to simmer this for 10-15 minutes.
11:54It's been boiling for 15 minutes already.
11:57Let's strain it over here.
11:59Smells like home.
12:00Like grandma is here.
12:02That looks phenomenal.
12:04And then we're going to finish it with a little bit of lemon.
12:07And there you have it, my hibiscus tea.
12:11Salud.
12:13It's tart.
12:15It's lemony.
12:16It's sweet.
12:17So delicious.
12:19Today I make Apfel schnapps tea.
12:22And it's apple black tea with schnapps and other spices.
12:27It's a very common thing in Austria.
12:29You go skiing, you come back frozen.
12:32And that really makes it nice and cozy.
12:35Let's start with the tea.
12:36Hot boiling water.
12:38And then we have here the apple skin dried out.
12:42After the war, there was not a lot.
12:43And they used really everything.
12:45Two cinnamon sticks in there.
12:47And a star anise.
12:49If you want to have your little caffeine,
12:51you can put in a little bit of black tea also.
12:54Let it soak a little bit.
12:55It will give you just another undertone of flavor.
12:58And now we let it steep 10-15 minutes and you will have all the flavor there.
13:04Check in here.
13:06Oh yeah.
13:06The apple is soaked in here.
13:08I'm gonna pour it right into my cup.
13:11We do need a little bit of sweetness.
13:13Here we have just simple syrup.
13:15As a kid, we had this.
13:16We can drink it anytime we want.
13:18Grown-ups.
13:19They had the little speck with the good schnapps.
13:22Because as soon as it gets hot, the quality of the schnapps will get better.
13:27Or if you have another good schnapps, it will get worse.
13:29For this one, I had the perfect cup.
13:33It's the naughty cup.
13:34That's what I use.
13:37It's really good and it calms me down.
13:40So today, I'm gonna make cha đá.
13:42Very iconic tea drinks in Vietnam.
13:45But my favorite drink whenever I go back to Vietnam is cha chanh tắc with young coconut meat.
13:51In Vietnam, you will see Thai Nguyen green teas a lot.
13:55Today, I bring in Anna Thai Nguyen Tôm Nảo.
13:59They particularly pick only one tea leaf and the bud on top.
14:02After they harvest everything, they will put in ovens.
14:06One of the things that difference between this kind of tea and mass production,
14:10the farmer use wood fire.
14:13So the process, it will take a lot longer.
14:16It will develop different layers of flavors.
14:19I will just pour the water and brew here.
14:22The temperature is 185 Fahrenheit.
14:26Brew it for only two minutes.
14:28You will see the color is lighter.
14:32I just show you the simple version of tea.
14:35And now, I'm gonna show you my favorite version of cha tắc.
14:39So first, we're gonna crack the coconut.
14:42Pour the coconut juice in here.
14:44So with this particular tea, you want the coconut meat not too old.
14:49It's a lot more tender.
14:50You can pour tea in here.
14:53And I will add calamansi.
14:56Out of all the citrus fruit, this is one of my favorites.
14:59It's not overwhelming.
15:01And it just balances everything out.
15:04It has very beautiful floral flavor and smell to the dish.
15:08I love to eat the skin too.
15:10Add more floral to the drink.
15:13And add ice.
15:15And then we also pickle dragonton melons.
15:19Super sour.
15:20But we have been pickled it for three months.
15:23And it turned really nice flavor.
15:26And if you want, you can just add a little bit of juice.
15:31It's good.
15:32Nothing can beat it in hot weather in Vietnam.
15:35So today, we're making aromáticas.
15:38Aromatica doesn't have a specific list of ingredients.
15:41It's more about the technique of brewing different fruits and herbs and spices.
15:47Aromáticas are usually by and the streets.
15:50You will see like a big pot boiling, boiling, boiling.
15:53So we have water boiling.
15:56Gonna start putting our panela.
15:58The sugar cane juice that has been reduced and shape is also called piloncillo.
16:04For my own version of my aromatica, I will add some hibiscus flowers.
16:09Some cinnamon.
16:10So we're going to add some ginger as well.
16:14And then I'm gonna add some red apples.
16:17And now I'm gonna add some citruses, oranges, lemon, and some delicious blood oranges.
16:25I will add any delicious thing that I think that will go really nice and also how beautiful it is.
16:33It is already done.
16:35It's already brewed.
16:36For this recipe, I'm gonna put some strawberries, blackberries, and some raspberries.
16:43Let's see.
16:44Look how beautiful this color is.
16:47So now we're gonna add some of like lime juice.
16:53Mmm, so yummy.
16:55It is sweet for sure.
16:58But I know it's not the sweet of like something that is being added like a lot of sugar.
17:03It's more about the sweet of fruits.
17:04It feels super warm.
17:06Reminds me home for sure.
17:07So today we're making hojicha.
17:10It is everyday drinking tea in Japan.
17:14It's made with the same leaves as green tea, but it is roasted.
17:19And it brings out a sort of nutty, almost sweet quality, similar to chocolate.
17:25Right now I have a tablespoon and a half of tea leaves.
17:29And we'll be pouring in about two and a half cups of water.
17:33The ideal temperature is 80 degrees Celsius.
17:36I'm gonna let this steep about a minute and a half.
17:39The color has turned a really nice, rich brown.
17:45It's really beautiful.
17:48This is a great mellow, wind-down tea.
17:52Today we are making some Thai tea.
17:54You can find Thai tea anywhere on the street, but most famous in southern part of Thailand.
18:01People would think about making tea.
18:03You need like tea leaf, but Thai tea has a little bit different way to do it.
18:07This is the Thai tea powder.
18:08So the way they roasted them, they keep stirring until it's powdered.
18:13And it breaks out more flavor from the tea leaf.
18:16And now we're gonna add hot water into it.
18:19You can see the color come out right away.
18:21We will stir a little bit and then we will leave it five minutes.
18:25Alright, so now I think our tea is ready.
18:28So we're going to separate the tea leaf using this tea bag.
18:31The amount of sugar really depends on how sweet you like it.
18:34Transfer the tea into two crafts back and forth to create some air.
18:39And you will get even stronger aroma from the tea.
18:42This is what we call the pineapple bowl.
18:45You can see the shape of the bowl looks like pineapple.
18:48And the print to make Thai tea even more fun.
18:51You'd like it to be lemon tea.
18:53You can squeeze some lemon juice into it.
18:56But I like it creamy way.
18:57So now I will use evaporated milk into it.
19:01Ooh, now the color has changed again.
19:05So beautiful.
19:09Oh my god, so good.
19:11Thai tea is just for people who like to have fun.
19:13Today we'll be making southern style sweet tea with a little bit of lemon.
19:18I've started by bringing a gallon of water to boil.
19:20But you don't want to add the tea bags when it's boiling.
19:23I'm going to take orange Pico tea, which is my favorite strand of black tea.
19:27We're going to start by dunking our tea bags so they get nice and saturated.
19:30Then for funsies, I go once around.
19:33And now we're going to let this sit and brew for at least 10 minutes.
19:36So we've steeped the tea for about 20 minutes and it's cooled down to a nice handable texture.
19:41Give them a nice little squeeze.
19:43Next up is going to be whisking in a ton of sugar.
19:45You should make sure the tea is still warm enough to dissolve by the sugar.
19:48For one gallon of tea, I'm using two and a half cups of sugar.
19:53And yes, you heard that correctly.
19:55And you want to make sure you're whisking.
19:58Moving the tea around to make sure all of the sugar gets dissolved.
20:02I'm going to let this cool to about room temperature.
20:04So when we pour it over ice, we don't dilute the tea.
20:07A few slices of lemon in there.
20:12Mmm.
20:13Right back home to Virginia.
20:15Yeah.
20:16Just as I remembered it.
20:17Give it to grandma.
20:18Give it to grandpa.
20:19They'll enjoy this.
20:20I'm thinking about my grandma right now.
20:22Hold on.
20:26That's a topic song.
20:28You know that song, no?
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