A World of Tea: Africa

African tea culture is a fascinating and diverse part of the continent's rich cultural heritage. Tea culture has deep historical roots and has been shaped by a wide range of traditions, rituals, and local variations. African tea culture goes far beyond merely drinking a hot beverage – it is an important part of society's social, cultural, and ceremonial life.

Tea Culture in Africa

Tea has an exciting history in Africa, where it was introduced in the late 1800s during the British colonization of Africa. Today, Africa has become the fourth-largest tea producer in the world, primarily producing black cut-tear-curl tea, CTC tea, which is a special method of processing tea.

Tea culture in Africa is rich in diverse flavors and traditions. It is an important part of many Africans' daily lives and festive occasions. So, even though some African countries do not produce tea on a large scale, they have a strong tradition of drinking tea. Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Senegal are some of these countries. Typically in these countries, it is popular to drink green gunpowder tea, which is green tea rolled into small pellets.

However, Egypt has slightly different tea cultures, as a lot of black tea called shai is drunk in the country, which comes in two varieties: Kashary Shai and Saidii Shai. Kashary Shai is a milder black tea where the tea leaves are steeped in hot water, while Saidii Shai is a strong, bitter black tea where the tea leaves are boiled in hot water for a long time. Sugar is added to both teas, but especially a lot to Saidii Shai, to balance the bitterness.

Then there are countries like Ethiopia, known for its coffee, where they mix tea with coffee in a drink called spreeze. Or countries like Libya, where they serve tea in three rounds, with peanuts added to the tea in the third serving.