The Most Popular Teas You Probably Never Heard About

Every country around the world does tea in its own way and has its own inventions and traditions. Have you had sweet tea strained through Nylons? How about a vibrant tea that’s as blue as a sapphire gemstone? 

Come with us and explore 14 of the most popular teas from around the world. How many do you think you’ll know?

  1. Hong Kong - Hong Kong Milk Tea

Hong Kong milk tea is smooth, strong, and creamy and has the perfect balance of texture and sweetness. The base is a blend of strong black teas and the rich flavor comes from the added evaporated milk or condensed milk. The tea is also known as “Pantyhose Milk Tea” for the type of cloth filter it’s strained through to achieve that ultimate refined texture. 

  1. Malaysia & Singapore - Teh Tarik

Teh Tarik translates to “pulled tea” and is very similar to Hong Kong Milk Tea but with a little twist. This strong black tea is given a healthy dose of sweetened condensed milk but what sets this tea apart is the way it’s prepared. The tea is poured dramatically from one container to another — back and forth in a long stream — until it gets its signature frothy consistency. 

  1. Argentina - Mate

It’s also known as Yerba Mate and is popular around Southern America including Brazil and Paraguay. Mate is not technically a tea because it doesn’t come from the Camelia sinensis plant — it’s actually a type of native holly. It’s an herbal tea but it comes with a strong dose of caffeine, antioxidants, and a plethora of other potential health benefits.

  1. Japan - Matcha 

Matcha is one of the most popular teas from around the world that can be used as an ingredient in so many recipes to add a grassy flavor and beautiful green hue. It’s also prized as a replacement for coffee because of its caffeine boost without the caffeine crash. What makes matcha unique is that the leaves are ground up into a fine powder. When you drink matcha the traditional way, it’s whisked into a frothy beautiful vibrant green broth. 

  1. Thailand - Thai Iced Tea 

Every excellent Thai iced tea from around the world starts with an extra-strong black tea base that’s sometimes flavored with spices. This decadent tea has a vibrant dark red and orange hue and is sweetened with a hearty helping of sugar. The traditional way to serve Thai tea is with a gently topped-off layer of half-n-half or light cream, which gives the beverage a stunning ombre effect when it’s served.

  1. China - Pu-erh 

Pu-erh is a strong and preserved tea that is usually formed into pucks and aged over years and sometimes decades. Some of the oldest pucks of pu-erh tea can be over 50 years old, but many are aged for just a few years. This fermented tea can be made from green, oolong, or black tea, and is a potent and robust drink that is said to help with good gut bacteria due to its fermentation.

  1. Morocco - Mint Tea 

Morocco is known for its signature mint tea that’s made with locally grown gunpowder tea, fresh mint, and sugar. Tea is a part of every facet of life in Morocco and is served all throughout the day and evening. So much of the Moroccan culture revolves around drinking this transformative tea from traditional tulip-shaped glasses. 

  1. Taiwan - Boba Tea

As one of the most popular new teas from around the world, boba tea is also known as bubble tea or pearl tea because of the chewy, honey-sweetened tapioca pearls. Boba tea is so much fun and comes in a variety of flavors from traditional black or jasmine tea to ube and mung bean. You can also switch up the texture and add different jellies, sea foams, fruits, and even popping boba balls to your drink. 

  1. India - Masala Chai

This aromatic and fragrant drink starts with a black tea base and is transformed with the addition of rich spices, milk, and sugar. “Masala” is the Hindi word for “spices” and “Chai” translates to “tea”. People who know find it a little silly that English-speaking people call it “Chai Tea” — which literally means “tea tea”. In India, Chai tea is just ordinary tea, whereas Masala Chai is tea made with spices. Some common spices are cinnamon, cardamon, and cloves. 

  1. United States - Sweet Tea

Traditional southern sweet tea is steeped in large quantities and stored in the fridge for those hot summer days. It’s different than regular iced tea that’s simply sweetened with a touch of sugar after the fact. When making sweet southern tea, you’ll add sugar to the strong hot tea before it’s cooled down so it mixes smoothly. Fun fact: sweet tea was originally made with green tea. But in World War II imported green tea became rare, and Americans switched over to black tea and never looked back. 

  1. Tibet - Butter Tea

This is one of the most unique teas from around the world. It gets extremely cold in high-elevated areas of Tibet, and the natives use butter tea — or Po cha — as a way to keep warm and add extra calories to their diets so they can power through the long freezing days. This tea is thick like oil and made with pu-erh tea leaves that are boiled for hours. The strong tea is mixed with salt and yak butter and has a smoky and bitter taste. 

  1. Southeast Asia - Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

This is a tea that is actually not a tea at all — it’s a plant that’s native to Asia and used as a detox tea for its potential health benefits. It’s caffeine-free and when it's steeped, the liquid is a gemstone-like blue with an earthy flavor. Its naturally blue leaves make it one of the most unique teas from around the world. If you add lemon or honey to it, the tea will transform into a purple hue because of the acidic chemical reaction. 

  1. China/Russia - Russian Caravan

This popular tea originated in China but has become a staple in Russian teas. This strong tea blend is said to have gotten its smoky flavors from the smoking and preservation methods used along the caravan while transporting the tea from China into Russia. The smokey signature flavor of this tea was a hit with the Russians who adopted it as their own. 

  1. Egypt - Karkade

This herbal tea is not made from tea at all but it’s made from the hibiscus flower — Karkade is also known as hibiscus tea and was served to the Pharaohs of Egypt thousands of years ago. This bright and vibrant ruby red tea is rich in antioxidants and is served hot or iced. The taste resembles the tartness of cranberry juice but it’s not as sour. It can be made with or without sugar or honey but hibiscus has a natural sweetness to it.  

Teaware For All of Your Wants and Needs

It doesn’t matter if you’re a sweet tea connoisseur or a butterfly pea tea aficionado — Teabloom has the perfect teaware for all of your teas from around the world.

Find quality, handcrafted iced tea all-brew pitchers to take your iced tea to new heights. Explore teaware that puts on the most extravagant show with blooming flowers — or display your jewel-tone hibiscus or butterfly pea flower teas and get ready to hear the oohs and aahs from your friends and family. 

With borosilicate glass teaware you can experience the beauty of your colorful and vibrant tea from start to finish — but this material is more than just for show. 

This superior borosilicate glass has been used in laboratories as a chemical-free, strong, and stable material for 150 years. Teabloom gives your teatime new meaning with chemical-free, non-toxic, and sustainable teaware that performs as beautifully as it looks. 

Elevate your tea collection with teaware that’s better in every single way. 

Discover your new tea set at Teabloom, today.

www.Teabloom.com