While in Africa I got the great privilege of having Attaya tea. Usually a ceremony that men have, but I got to experience it. I was so excited!! The ceremony takes about 3 hours.
A group of us sat outside - talking, laughing, getting to know each other better and drinking tea, it was a great time. I love this memory and time here.
Making the tea is an experience and process in and of itself!
Round one you have the tea in the kettle on the fire- in the kettle is tea leaves and water. You let the water heat up and then once it is ready you pour the tea into a cup to make the foam. You will then add water back into the kettle to make more tea- this is steeping again while you make the foam.
There is a filter in the tea kettle to keep the leaves from coming out as you pour into the cup- but some leaves do come out. So, you take the cup of tea and slowly pour it into another cup letting the leaves stay at the bottom of the first cup. Once the second cup of tea is filled and there are no tea leaves in the cup, you take the first cup with the leaves and pour it back into the kettle to make more tea for the next round.
Then you take the two cups and pour back and forth and back and forth, repeating .....this makes your foam. You are making the foam- that is why you have two cups.
When you have enough foam you take the kettle of tea off the fire. You pour the tea into the individuals cups and then add the foam.
When serving it you also have peanuts that can be added into the tea.
Round two is like round one, but you are adding some sugar (1" of sugar in the cup) into the tea that makes the foam. The pouring back and forth also helps mix up the sugar.
You pour the tea into the individuals cups and then add the foam.
When serving it you also have peanuts that can be added into the tea.
Round three is unique and wonderful! It taste nothing like the other two rounds!!
Put two cough drops in the small kettle with a little water (no leaves)- jut enough water to make a syrup- keep close to the heat- but do not let it burn in the bottom.
Take the other pot with the leaves and steep, it could take up to 1/2 hour. Take your two plastic cups- in one cup put an 1" of sugar, in the other pour the tea slowly in- trying to keep the leaves out. Then pour the cup of tea into the cup of sugar, slowly still to catch the leaves. Throw the leaves out of the big pot. Clean out the large pot.
There is no foam in this round. You are pouring back and forth to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved pour the tea in to the big pot. Then add the condensed milk.
Check the small pot stirring to be sure the candy is dissolved, and not burning. Add the small pot of tea to the large top.
Crush the cookies into a fine dust and add to the large pot. Take the vanilla and add it the large pot too. Stir until dissolved as much as possible.
Put on the heat to warm, continue to stir so nothing burns.
You'll see a butteryness on the top, keep stirring so the cookies don't go to the bottom.
Then serve, this round is called White Hot. It is almost like a latte, it is completely different then the other two rounds.
The first round of tea was super bitter. I mean really bitter!! Life in Guinea is hard, so the first round is bitter like life and you just have to get through it.
The second round is love and it is a little sweeter.
The third round is friendship, it is the sweetest of all- also called White Hot
Making Round Two
Washing the cups for round three
Getting Ready for Round Three
I climbed a coconut tree between rounds two and three!
I brought home a complete Attaya tea set!! I can not wait to make some tea for my friends.
The Attaya Tea
The cough drops
The cookies
also can be the cookies
\The vanilla Sugar
You also need peanuts and condensed milk.
In Guinea they add Laughing Cow Cheese in the 3rd round. We did not do that when I was there, but it is something that they do there.
One of my favorite pictures from Africa. The beauty was all around us!!
