What kind of tea? Milk Tea, Butter Tea, etc.

Thank you to Sangmo for posting about those last few days in India, allows me to continue with the lighthearted posts about India:) I have just woken up...yes I know that it is almost 8pm here...but I am having a much more challenging time switching back to Wisconsin time and culture...making progress though, I was up for the majority of the day.

Anyway, today's post wil l be about (drum roll please, non-Chod damaru though) TEA., and not just any tea...tea in India. What prompted this post? you might ask. Well, I just attempted to make milk tea here in America...and it is close, but not quite the same. And then there is the fact that Sangmo has been wanting me to write the infamous "milk tea" post since we arrived in Amsterdam...or maybe even before that...so here it is.

The first Indian tea that I experienced was at Potala guest house in Manjukatila the first day of the retreat. It was listed on the menu as "milk tea" and it was a wonderful and comforting blend of milk, sugar, and a familiar Chai taste...I however think that there was more sugar and milk in the tea than tea...if there was any tea at all:) We came to know this tea under many names: milk tea, sweet tea, milk and sugar tea, and masala tea (I was told at some point by a local that masala was the Indian version of Chai) Everyone in India seems to drink Masala tea, and we had it everywhere...I even had a cup sitting with Sonam in a tiny backroom apothecary filled from floor to ceiling with spices, essential oils, and incense.

The next tea I also had at Potala guest house, after Karma ordered milk tea and received this by mistake (a common occurence at meal times...I remember ordering a cheese omlette and recieving a chesse sandwich...but it was ok)...and it was Tibetan Butter Tea. Now, for anyone who has ever tried this tea...I found it much more helpful to drink it as you would a soup, rather than a tea, and in that context it was a very comforting and filling...ahh...liquid. We also were served Butter Tea at the monastery at Mahakala cave as well, which was a warm welcome.

Next up, was a hot lemon tea, again at Potala guest house, which was very good, but not all together unusual. I think that I came close to exhausting every version of tea on that menu, but not quite...I don't think that I had needed ginger tea yet...:)

At Ganpati guest house in Varanasi I discovered a new kind of tea with much delight, mint tea...which wasn't like mint tea you buy here...it was the actual plant in the hot water and it was delicious and refreshing and a wonderful adjunct to the spicy food (which really wasn't all that spicy, but by my standards it was plenty spicy) Later on in the trip, at Sarnath I discovered the benefits of ginger tea for nausea and later lemon-ginger with honey for colds.

And to think, I brought tea with me to India (laughing)...but in reality I was glad that I did...the lavender-chamomile and peppermint herbal teas came in handy on multiple occasions...especially with the convenience of a water coil (which heated water alot faster than my stove, I might add) and a ceramic cup:)

Blessings to all,
Menma