Can you guess who drinks the most tea
per capita worldwide? East Frisia is a region in Lower Saxony in the north-west
of Germany on the coast of the North Sea in the middle
between West Frisia in the Netherlands and North Frisia in Schleswig-Holstein. It also includes the (in Germany famous and loved) islands Borkum, Juist, Norderney, Baltrum, Langeoog and
Spiekeroog.
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| The Bare Necessities |
The Tea must be like Oil, the Rock Sugar like a Grindstone and the Cream like a Cloud
If you think of Japan you can’t help but
think of sushi, with Italy it is pasta, with Australia it is coffee (or
Pavlova), with France it is the baguette, with Greece it is feta … and the list
goes on. If I think of East Frisia I think of tea. The tea culture is firmly
anchored in the life of East Frisians. Typically, East Frisian tea, a mixture of mainly Assam varieties is sipped. Ceylon, Java and Darjeeling is added. Overall, ten to 20 different types of tea are selected and mixed by so-called tea blenders who have good noses and a trained taste. The East Frisian tea has a copper-brown colour and a strong and aromatic taste. East Frisians say “the tea must be like oil, the rock sugar like a grindstone and the cream like a cloud” when they talk about their favourite drink.
anchored in the life of East Frisians. Typically, East Frisian tea, a mixture of mainly Assam varieties is sipped. Ceylon, Java and Darjeeling is added. Overall, ten to 20 different types of tea are selected and mixed by so-called tea blenders who have good noses and a trained taste. The East Frisian tea has a copper-brown colour and a strong and aromatic taste. East Frisians say “the tea must be like oil, the rock sugar like a grindstone and the cream like a cloud” when they talk about their favourite drink.
The Best Time for a Cup of Tea
Tea fans drink their cuppa at fixed times. The main time is at about 3pm. Wait, to call this the main time is not
entirely true, because tea in the morning and a midmorning-tea-break are just
as common. The time for tea in the evening is usually between 8 and 9pm.
East Frisian Tea. Layered not Stirred
There, it sounds a bit, James Bond. The
East Frisian tea is not stirred (but it is also not shaken). It is enjoyed in
three layers of tea, cream and rock sugar. Three cups are East Frisian custom,
cups are small and fragile. Only the host pours the
tea, and there is no need to be offended if you are the last one to get it.
This is to cover the rock sugar of the guest with the best. The teaspoon
will be dropped (cautiously) in the cup to indicate that one had enough tea for
the time being.
East Frisian Mariners Grew Tired of Beer
The beginnings of East Frisian tea
culture date back to the early 17th century. From 1610 the first ships of the
Dutch East India Company brought tea to Europe. Soon after that, likely by East
Frisian mariners who worked for them, the first tea arrived in East Frisia. Tea
was at first administered only as a medicine and by 1720 an extensive tea trade
existed in East Frisia.
Before the introduction of drinking tea
in East Frisia, freshly brewed beer was the drink of choice, but the tea was
cheaper and people discovered it as a way to save money. The government in
charge tried to tame this new found love for tea and to hinder the money-flow
out of East Frisia, they promoted beer consumption (obviously very different
times). To no avail, to this day East Frisians love to drink their tea.
Who Drinks the most Tea per Capita Worldwide?
East Frisians drink roughly ten times as
much tea as their peers in the rest of Germany. On average each one guzzles a
whopping 300 litres of tea a year. Who would have thought that they have the
largest tea consumption per capita worldwide? As I found out from the German
Tea Association, the English each drink on average around 213 litre tea a year.
The East Frisian Tea Culture is listed in the inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
The East Frisian Tea Culture is listed in the inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.
Read here about one of my trips to East
Frisia. Norderney: 20 things to do on an island in the North Sea. Trust me when I say it is heaven.
And now make yourself a cup of tea, I know you simply have to. I drank three cups East Frisian tea while I wrote this. What is your favourite tea?
Read Travel South Africa - Visiting a Rooibos Tea Farm in the Western Cape to see how the tea gets from the farm into your cup.
And now make yourself a cup of tea, I know you simply have to. I drank three cups East Frisian tea while I wrote this. What is your favourite tea?
Read Travel South Africa - Visiting a Rooibos Tea Farm in the Western Cape to see how the tea gets from the farm into your cup.
From Berlin with love
