flipPo cha — Tibetan salted butter tea
Po cha — Tibetan salted butter tea
Why this dish? Butter tea accompanies every hour of Tibetan life, from the kitchens of Taktser to the audience halls of Dharamshala. The Dalai Lama has drunk countless bowls of it, and he cites it as the drink that warms the body and conversation.
A black tea churned with butter and salt until creamy and frothy: less a 'tisane' than a comforting broth, indispensable against the cold of the high plateaus.
In Tibet, we don't ask if you want tea — we fill your bowl, and as soon as it lowers, we fill it again! Real po cha is beaten long in a large wooden cylinder, the dongmo, until butter and tea become one. It is salted, yes, which surprises foreign guests, but believe me, after a day in the icy wind, this warm bowl is a blessing. Drink it slowly, and let it warm you to the heart.
- •Compressed black tea (tea brick) — one piece (strong infusion)
- •Yak butter — a good spoonful (richness and warmth)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- •Water — a large pot (infusion)
Po cha — Tibetan salted butter tea
A black tea churned with butter and salt until creamy and frothy: less a 'tisane' than a comforting broth, indispensable against the cold of the high plateaus.
Why this dish? Butter tea accompanies every hour of Tibetan life, from the kitchens of Taktser to the audience halls of Dharamshala. The Dalai Lama has drunk countless bowls of it, and he cites it as the drink that warms the body and conversation.
In Tibet, we don't ask if you want tea — we fill your bowl, and as soon as it lowers, we fill it again! Real po cha is beaten long in a large wooden cylinder, the dongmo, until butter and tea become one. It is salted, yes, which surprises foreign guests, but believe me, after a day in the icy wind, this warm bowl is a blessing. Drink it slowly, and let it warm you to the heart.
Ingredients (period version)
- Compressed black tea (tea brick) — one piece (strong infusion)
- Yak butter — a good spoonful (richness and warmth)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
- Water — a large pot (infusion)
Ingredients
- Strong black tea (like pu-erh or Assam) — 2 tsp (base)
- Water — 500 ml (infusion)
- Butter (semi-salted or unsalted) — 30 g (richness)
- Whole milk — 100 ml (smoothness (common modern substitute))
- Salt — 1/2 tsp (seasoning)
Method
- Boil the water and steep the black tea for about ten minutes to obtain a very strong, almost dark infusion.
- Strain the tea and pour it still hot into a blender (or a tall bowl with an immersion blender).
- Add the butter, milk, and salt.
- Blend/beat vigorously for 1-2 minutes until smooth, frothy, and homogeneous.
- Serve immediately in bowls, piping hot.
How it was made : Traditionally, tea arrived in Tibet in compressed bricks, traded for horses along the tea routes. It was boiled for a long time, then churned with yak butter and salt in a wooden churn called dongmo. Each family consumed dozens of bowls a day: it was both a drink, a source of fat and calories, and a gesture of hospitality.
The contemporary twist : Without a churn, a simple blender gives perfect foam; some soften the modern version with a splash of milk to accustom palates unfamiliar with saltiness.
Dalai Lama · Charactorium
