A beginner's guide to brewing perfect butter tea

Butter tea, known as Po cha in Tibet, is prepared by churning together tea, salt, and yak butter. It has incredible benefits, especially in high-altitude regions. With its warming nature and calorie-rich content, butter tea keeps energy levels up. The butter in the tea acts as a shield against chapped lips in the wild, gusty steppes. Want to try it? Here's a detailed recipe.

To prepare butter tea, you will need four cups of water, plain black tea (two individual teabags, or two heaping spoons of loose tea leaves), one-fourth teaspoon salt, two tablespoons butter (salted or unsalted), a one-third cup full-fat milk. Utensils you will require include one churn, blender, or some other large container with a tight lid to shake the tea up with.

Measure out one teaspoon of tea per cup. Since our recipe makes two cups, we will use two teaspoons of loose-leaf black tea. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Next, add loose tea directly and let it steep for five minutes. Now, strain the tea using a fine mesh sieve to remove the tea leaves.

Add a generous quarter teaspoon of salt and one-third cup of full-fat milk. Transfer the tea mixture, along with two tablespoons of butter, to a churn. Alternatively, you can use a large container with a lid or a sipper bottle for shaking. Another option is to use a blender, which works effectively as well. Then, blend the mixture.

Let's give your tea a final touch! Take your churn, blender, or container and shake the mixture for two to three minutes. If you want your tea sweet, add raw honey or a sugar-free keto sweetener. However, in the traditional recipe, it's left unsweetened. Make sure everything is well mixed, then pour the tea evenly into the two cups. Serve it hot right away!

If you prefer using tea bags, start by boiling water in a small saucepan or tea kettle. Once boiled, divide the hot water into two cups and steep one tea bag in each cup. After steeping, remove the tea bags, squeeze out the water, and discard them. Add all the remaining ingredients to each cup, give it a good stir, then divide and serve.