"This is the way in Iran," he says, placing a cube between Stella's own teeth for her. His finger brushes against her bottom lip. She puts the cup to her lips and drinks. Then she holds the cube between her thumb and forefinger.
"It's good," she says, "but what about conversation?"
Ushman smiles, displaying his own sugar cube.
"Yeth, ith ith juth thumthing you learn to do. A wight of passagth."
-The Rug Merchant [1] by Meg Mullins
I usually don't mind reading sad books, but I'll admit that I was relieved when I closed The Rug Merchant [2] and switched my focus to what I would prepare. It reminded me of when I was dating, when cultural differences and lack of authenticity were part of whatever relationship I was in at the time. Thankfully I'm no longer dating, and thankfully there were a few happy moments in the book, including a moment with tea.
I was first introduced to the concept of loose tea in the late nineties, but didn't actually get hooked on it until more recently. A few years ago my husband worked at an internet cafe and coffee shop where they served many varieties of loose tea. I now keep several varieties at home and try to have at least one cup of tea a day.
Even though this scene with Stella and Ushman was very helpful in showing me how to drink tea the Iranian way, I wanted to learn more about what kind of tea would be best to prepare. After browsing the internet for a bit it sounds like Iranians prefer plain black tea - no flavorings, no additives, just loose black tea in its simplest form.
Because I already have black tea on hand, I decided to just use that, although it is flavored. It is actually my favorite tea - black vanilla.
Persian Tea
For one generous cup:
- 2 heaping teaspoons loose tea, black
- Boiled water
- Tea strainer, infuser, or ball
- Large measuring cup (2 cup minimum)
- Spoon for stirring
- Coffee or tea cup
- Sugar cubes
In a large measuring cup put two heaping teaspoons of loose tea. After the water has boiled, let it sit for 30 seconds to a minute (the taste of tea can be altered if you pour boiling water onto it), then pour it into the measuring cup that holds the loose tea. Steep the tea for at least two minutes, but I often let it steep for five to ten minutes. Stir at least once or twice.
Put the tea strainer over the coffee or tea cup and pour the steeped tea into the cup. (If you have a ball or infuser place the loose tea in there and let it steep directly in your coffee or tea cup.)
Put a sugar cube in your mouth - I put it in the side of my mouth next to my cheek, not between my teeth, because I knew that I'd have a mess on my hands if I did it that way - and drink some tea.
To be honest, I am not a big fan of white sugar and I do not believe that I have ever bought sugar cubes before, but I did want to try this method of drinking tea. It was very sweet, and I abandoned it after the first sugar cube. I did enjoy it, though, and may try it again at some point...especially now that I have a whole box of sugar cubes!
Some alternate ways to make your tea:
- Use agave nectar as a sweetener.
- Try using loose black tea as a base and try adding a flavored or fruity loose tea as complementary flavor. I enjoy using mostly black vanilla with a little orange rooibos tea.
- Add spices to your tea. I have not really done it myself, but it might be fun to try some cardamom or cinnamon.
- Make your tea creamy with some milk.
