Butter tea is a kind of Tibetan drinks. It is regarded as staple Tibetan food to have with tsamba. This kind of drink is made up from ghee and tea. The making method of butter tea is very traditional.
First boil the brick tea with water, add ghee into it (the butter extracted from yak's milk). Then, put them into a lathy bucket and use a bar to heavily stir it, make it become emulsion. There is another way to make butter tea. First put ghee and tea into a leather bag, and tie up the bag mouth. Then, use a wooden bar to knock it. We can see that making butter tea is a hard work for hostess. But now, there are some electric mixer can be used to make butter tea.
Due the brick tea is with rich tannic acid which can stimulate gastrointestinal motility and speed up digestion. But you will be hungry very quickly if you just drink brick tea. So, it is necessary to add some ghee or milk into it. In general, Tibetans will use butter tea to entertain guests. The butter tea is effective for replenishing physical strength and releasing high altitude sickness.
The butter tea is with extremely high calories, fragrant and delicious. Once you drink a bowl of butter tea, you will feel refreshed. The taste of butter tea is salty and sweet, with rich milk taste. It is really good for replenishing physical strength
There is a series custom about drinking butter tea in Tibet. In general, the host will fill up the butter tea bowl once guests drink, and guests should not drink it up once. If there are guests, the host will keep the butter tea bowl full all the time
Tibetans always use butter tea to entertain guests. When guest sits down at the side of Tibetan style desk, the host will take out a wooden bowl (or tea cup) and put it on the desk in front of guest. Then, the host or hostess will take out the bottle with butter tea in it (now, it often replaced by thermos bottle), shake it for several times, and pour the butter tea into the bowl in front of guest. Guests can not drink the butter tea once the host pours it, but first chat with host for a while. When the host stands in front of the guest again, the guest can take up the butter tea to drink. First slightly blow around the bowl to blow off the oil on the surface, sip and praise the butter tea. After guests put the butter tea bowl on desk, the host will fill it up. Just like this, the hospitable host will keep the butter tea in the bowl full. If you do not want to drink more, you could leave to bowl on the desk after host filling it up, and drink it for several times before leaving. It is polite that leave a little tea with little oil on it in the bowl bottom.