Tea Drinks

Tea Drinks

　　The Mongolian people particularly enjoy drinking blue brick tea and flower brick tea, regarding brick tea as a premium part of their diet, and they cannot go without tea for any of the three daily meals.

　　Tea is referred to as a "miraculous herb and elixir." Tea contains tannins, amino acids, essential oils, caffeine, and rich nutrients such as vitamins C, D, and B. It has medicinal functions such as strengthening the heart, promoting diuresis, invigorating the spleen, producing blood and bone, refreshing the mind, strengthening blood vessel walls, as well as dissolving fat and aiding digestion. Therefore, tea, especially brick tea, has gradually taken on an important role in the lives of the Mongolian people.

　　Among the types of brick tea commonly consumed by the Mongolian people, the most popular is the brick tea produced in Hubei, marked with the character "Chuan" (川). They use brick tea to brew various kinds of tea such as plain tea, milk tea, butter tea, and flour tea. These diverse types of tea, each with its unique flavor, offer a truly special enjoyment when savored carefully.

　　There are many particularities in the tea-drinking etiquette of the Hulunbuir region:

　　When guests come to the home, it is essential to serve them tea, as this is a form of welcoming etiquette. Once the guests are seated, the host should stand up, hold the teacup with both hands, and offer it to the guests.

　　When refilling tea for elders or honored guests, the host must take the teacup first before adding more tea; guests should not hold the cup while the host pours. Each time tea is poured, it is offered starting with the eldest according to age. Tea should be refilled once it is drunk halfway.

　　In places like Xilin Gol, the host first serves the guests a bowl of tea, then places the teapot in front of them so that they may pour and drink at their leisure.

　　The choice of teacup is also something that cannot be overlooked:

　　The teacup must not have any cracks; it must be intact and unbroken. Having a chip is considered inauspicious.

　　When pouring tea into the cup, the copper teapot or spoon must be held in the right hand and poured from the inside into the teacup.

　　Tea should not be poured too full, nor should only half be poured.

　　When offering tea by hand, fingers must not dip into the tea. It’s okay to slightly shake the cup, but tea must not be spilled.

　　When pouring tea, the spout or spoon head should face north or inward, not south (toward the door) or outward, because facing inward means fortune comes from within, while facing outward means fortune flows away.