Putting into practice what I learned in Kurdistan and making tea for a friend.

                                    

Abby came over for Kurdish tea!!  This was my first time serving Kurdish tea since being home.  

We also tried some of the additions that Kurds add to their tea…rock sugar sticks with saffron, boiled sugar, Ceylon cinnamon, saffron, and a rose bud.

I boiled water in both kettles.  In the smaller kettle I added 3 spoon full of the black cardamom tea.  I steeped for 5 minutes. 

         

When in Kurdistan I was invited to a Kurdish home for dinner and to learn to make tea.  Then they actually gave me the tea that they use to make their tea.

They take these two kinds of tea and mix them together.  My understanding is that it is common for people to blend their own tea.  My friend over there says she does the same thing.  The base of the tea is always a black tea with cardamom though. 

They call tea Chai over there.  When you order tea, you say Chai.

                

It was so fun to use the new tea, tea pots, and teacups.

 We did 6 cups hahahaha, surprisingly I was not up all night. 😂☕️😂

For the first 4 cups we filled the tulip cups 3/4 full of the tea concentrate and then hot water in the remaining 1/4 cup.

Chai wanted to be close, but not too close.  She settled in on the papasan and watched from a distance.

I loved the date cookies I brought back with me.  I was not able to find the exact ones, but I found some that were close on Amazon.  Abby and I taste tested them.

I also brought back a package of dates, but I have not opened those yet.  That is what is pictured in the upper right.

I liked that they both come individually wrapped.  Keeps them fresher longer and easy to share.

AUTHENTIC MAAMOUL COOKIES: A Lebanese favorite savored by foodies around the world, Baraka maamoul cookies are sweet Middle Eastern cookies made from Dates, Wheat Flour, Unsalted Butter (Cow Milk), Ghee (Palm Oil), Sugar, Semolina & Cocoa Powder.

HB Halwani Bros Cookies, 100% All Natural Assorted Mini Mamoul Date Filled Shortbread Biscuits, Slightly Sweet, No Additives, 20ct. 7.05oz diabetic friendly, short bread, bitesize, all natural, dates

I think that the larger shortbread cookies might have been my favorite of the two.  

Orange Pekoe is in the background.  He really wanted to join the tea party.

Cup one was regular Kurdish tea - with the rock sugar sticks. 

Cup 2 we added cinnamon - with boiled sugar.

I added cinnamon to the teapot with the tea.  *I needed to check and see if I should have added it directly to the teacup.  I also wasn't sure if I should ground it or used a mortar and pestle to crush it a bit.  These are things I guessed on, lol.

*I confirmed the cinnamon does go in the teapot and steeps with the tea.

Cup 3 was cinnamon and saffron - with boiled sugar. 

I am not sure we noticed any difference with the saffron.  Next time maybe we will add 2-3 pieces in our cup.

The boiled sugar does not dissolve as quickly as sugar from the US.  Or so it appeared.  We stirred it a lot.  

Cup 4 was rose -with boiled sugar (and the other items we added previously- the cinnamon and saffron).

Cup 5 was after it all steeped together 😂😂😂- with boiled sugar. 

We both ended up liking cup 5 the best.  It seemed a really nice blend.  The tea was getting stronger and more bitter, so by cup 5 and 6 we did half tea concentrate half hot water. 

Play around with your tea, it could be fun!!  We found each cup a little different and we enjoyed adding different spices and such.  Explore the possibilities!

Let me know if you would like me to teach a Kurdish Tea Class with you and your friends.  I think you would enjoy it.  

Things I learned about Kurdish Tea while I was in Iraq:

Tea here is called Chai.  It is a black Ceylon tea with cardamon.

A teahouse is the second most visited place in Iraq, just after the mosques.

Tea is the number one drink in Iraq.

There are tea houses all over Erbil and some are for men only.  The men sit around- drink tea, play games, talk business, and politics.  

Tea houses in Iraq are called chai khana.

It is becoming more acceptable to women to be allowed in some teahouses.

Iraqis are said to drink 1 pound of tea a month.  In 2021, Iraq was the largest importers of Ceylon tea.

Tea is for rich and poor, old and young.  It is a part of the culture in Iraq.

In the 19th century the governor of Bhagdad turned all the coffee houses into tea houses.

But tea really gained it's popularity when the British army came to Iraq.

 I've heard that people will start their day with Kurdish tea too.  That if they don't they believe they will often have headaches and become dizzy.

If you buy tea along the streets here it is less and .50

Iraqi tea is served in a small cup made of glass called “Istikan” and this word means “East Tea

Can”.  In other countries, I have heard them called Tulip cups, because of the shape.

 Tea is made in a Samovar.  The bottom kettle has the hot water, the top, smaller kettle has the stronger tea concentrate.  You would fill the cup up with around 3/4 of the black tea and then the rest with hot water.  You try to fill the cup up as full as you can.

When tea is served it comes on a saucer, with the cup and a spoon.  The spoons can stick together.  If a man receives two spoons that means he will have two wives.

To cool the tea, some pour the tea in the saucer to drink it.  Some also keep the teacup in the saucer and lift the saucer up to drink from the cup, since the tea can be so hot.

There are a few things that can be added to this tea...a cinnamon stick, a rose bud, saffron, and even a  tea perfume.

Tea is served with dates, sunflower seeds, pistachios, cookies, and other sweet treats. 

The teaspoon is left in the cup when the tea is poured, if left out they think of you as inferior to them.  (I also read that you never serve the spoon in the cup.  It all depends on what part of Iraq you are from.  When served in Erbil, it always had a spoon in the cup when it was brought to me. Yet, when I went to a Kurdish home, he made the tea without the spoon in it.)

People love the clinking of the teaspoon along the teacup as the sugar is stirred in.  The clinking sounds are heard all over shops and bazars.

You will find kiosks of tea sellers on the side of streets, in the bazar, and all along the roads in villages.

Picnics always includes tea.  People will grill their food over wood and charcoal and then put the kettle on.  Some say tea over wood or charcoal is the best.

If you go to someone's house, it is rude for them not to offer tea.  And you usually will have at least 2 cups.

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Kurdish Tea, Chai Mama

 My friend gifted me this tea. She said it was one of her favorites in Kurdistan. 

ChaiMama (@chaii_mama) • Instagram photos and videos

Here is the fun package I received when I arrived in Kurdistan.  Earl Grey toothpaste!!  How great is that?  She found it in Erbil, it is from Italy. 

Being home just two days and I was ready to get back into Kurdish tea drinking.

I am not sure what all is in this tea.  I can tell it is a black tea with cardamom, but then I think maybe cinnamon and saffron is added too.

I am using my new teapot. (I love this birthday gift from my friend) It is a double teapot.  You put the water in the bottom, bigger teapot.  Then in the top teapot you add the tea.  I did 4 scoops of tea and filled with boiling water.

I boiled the water on the stove and then to keep it warm I placed it on a tea light in the living room.  The candle stays lit for about 2 hours.  And that is about how long I drank tea for.

I let the tea steep for at least 5 minutes and then I pour it out.  It does continue to steep which is hard for me, lol.  I want to put a tea bag of tea in and pull out at 5 minutes, but I also want to make it authentic, so I leave the tea in the teapot.  I then just add less and less tea- since it is so strong, and I just add more hot water.

I bought these pistachio treats in the airport.  

They are fantastic!!!!!!  They have almost like a shortbread covering and they are filled with pistachio goodness!

I put the pistachio treat on my plates I bought at a second hand store.  I am going to use these with my tea to put dates, nuts, or other treats on.

I place the tea strainer on the cup, and pour the hot tea into the cup.   I start with the first cup being about 3/4 full of tea and 1/4 hot water.  And then each time it is less and less tea.

I added one sugar cube.  It is a boiled sugar.  

I don't know anything about boiled sugar.  My friend just told me people use it here, so I bought it, lol!  If she said it was tea related and to buy it I didn't question her, I just purchased it.

My cats, Orange Pekoe and Chai Latte love a good tea party. They were sad that they didn't get to drink any though.

Just looking at this makes me happy and I haven't even drank anything yet.

It was such a wonderful trip and drinking the tea takes me back there with every sip.

Things I learned about Kurdish Tea while I was in Iraq:

Tea here is called Chai.  It is a black Ceylon tea with cardamon.

A teahouse is the second most visited place in Iraq, just after the mosques.

Tea is the number one drink in Iraq.

There are tea houses all over Erbil and some are for men only.  The men sit around- drink tea, play games, talk business, and politics.  

Tea houses in Iraq are called chai khana.

It is becoming more acceptable to women to be allowed in some teahouses.

Iraqis are said to drink 1 pound of tea a month.  In 2021, Iraq was the largest importers of Ceylon tea.

Tea is for rich and poor, old and young.  It is a part of the culture in Iraq.

In the 19th century the governor of Bhagdad turned all the coffee houses into tea houses.

But tea really gained it's popularity when the British army came to Iraq.

 I've heard that people will start their day with Kurdish tea too.  That if they don't they believe they will often have headaches and become dizzy.

If you buy tea along the streets here it is less and .50

Iraqi tea is served in a small cup made of glass called “Istikan” and this word means “East Tea

Can”.  In other countries, I have heard them called Tulip cups, because of the shape.

 Tea is made in a Samovar.  The bottom kettle has the hot water, the top, smaller kettle has the stronger tea concentrate.  You would fill the cup up with around 3/4 of the black tea and then the rest with hot water.  You try to fill the cup up as full as you can.

When tea is served it comes on a saucer, with the cup and a spoon.  The spoons can stick together.  If a man receives two spoons that means he will have two wives.

To cool the tea, some pour the tea in the saucer to drink it.  Some also keep the teacup in the saucer and lift the saucer up to drink from the cup, since the tea can be so hot.

There are a few things that can be added to this tea...a cinnamon stick, a rose bud, saffron, and even a  tea perfume.

Tea is served with dates, sunflower seeds, pistachios, cookies, and other sweet treats. 

The teaspoon is left in the cup when the tea is poured, if left out they think of you as inferior to them.  (I also read that you never serve the spoon in the cup.  It all depends on what part of Iraq you are from.  When served in Erbil, it always had a spoon in the cup when it was brought to me. Yet, when I went to a Kurdish home, he made the tea without the spoon in it.)

People love the clinking of the teaspoon along the teacup as the sugar is stirred in.  The clinking sounds are heard all over shops and bazars.

You will find kiosks of tea sellers on the side of streets, in the bazar, and all along the roads in villages.

Picnics always includes tea.  People will grill their food over wood and charcoal and then put the kettle on.  Some say tea over wood or charcoal is the best.

If you go to someone's house, it is rude for them not to offer tea.  And you usually will have at least 2 cups.

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Dallmayr and McDonalds tea in Vienna Austria

              

 Traveling home, I must admit seemed to take a long time.  The traveling was easy and uneventful- it was just long. Thursday, I left for the Erbil airport at 1:30pm, traveled on a 4-hour flight to Vienna Austria and had to spend the night there.

When I booked the ticket months ago, I thought I was getting into Vienna at 7am and I would have until 10pm to travel around the city.  But I was wrong. I got in at 7pm and left at 10am the next morning.  That was okay, I was tired and happy to just get a hotel and spend the night.  And even happier that my luggage was safely under the plane, and I did not have to lug it around the city with me.

  I found an inexpensive hotel ($43 US) in Vienna, grabbed a free breakfast and traveled back to the airport.  I then flew 9 hours from Austria to Newark and an hour from Newark to Cleveland and I did not get home to my house until around 8pm Friday night.

Thursday night I knew I had a short window to make the bus to my hotel.  I looked at several options online.  One option took me right to the hotel, the other options meant changing subway lines or trains. I was praying I would make the bus Thursday night, and I did.  It was a $10 round trip ticket. A great way to travel!  And the bus dropped me off right at my hotel, Lenas Donau.

Nothing fancy, but it was clean and had what I needed. 

Friday morning, I was excited to have my free breakfast...with lots of bread.  This is the last bread I will be eating for a long time!  I can eat gluten anywhere but the US.  

I did enjoy the croissants with some tea.  Okay, a couple cups of tea.  And yes, I had four croissants, but they were small.  The first two I did with meat and cheese made them into sandwiches.  The second two I had with butter and jam.    I miss bread, lol!

Dallmayr tea: discover it online now | Dallmayr

Dallmayr is a German company that has been in business for over 300 years (coffee) and 130 years in the tea business. They have over 120 tea varieties. 

These are the two varieties I tried.

Alpine Herbs Tea- Fennel (21 %), rosehips (19 %), peppermint (18 %), apple pieces, aniseed, blackberry leaves (6 %), lemon verbena, sage (2 %), thyme

Fruits of the Forest Tea- Hibiscus blossom, apple pieces (28 %), blackberry leaves, flavoring, acidifier: citric acid, blackcurrant fibers, rosehip peel, strawberry fibers, blackberry fibers

Fruits of the Forest was my favorite of the two teas I tried.  I liked them so much that I took a few extra from the restaurant to enjoy at home.  I shared one with my mom and she loved it too.  She liked it so much she looked to see how much the tea was on Amazon. I plan on checking the website for US shipping to see if it is cheaper and maybe mom will get some for her birthday.  Or maybe they will see this post and send her some tea, lol.

The hotel's restaurant was really cute.  I loved the blue overhead lights.

I needed to catch my bus at 7:05.  Thankfully the bus stop was right beside the hotel and a McDonalds.  I thought I would go in an get an ice tea. However, I went inside and saw they had more tea drinks than the US did.  I wanted to take a closer look.

This McDonalds had all kinds of yummy looking treats.  If I had been hungry, and not just ate, I would have tried a wrap with avocado...I hope we get these in the states soon.  They also had really delicious looking muffins.  But what shocked me most was that they were selling Matcha's and Chai Lattes. 

I decided to get a chai latte.

McDonalds Chai Latte. 3.60 Euro

The chai was okay. It was on the sweeter side.  It tasted like an instant mix. It was just alright, I would get it again, but it is not something I would search out.  Maybe if they do bring it to the states, they will get a better flavor.  They sure have iced tea down right!

I was in a cute area.  My hotel was nice, especially for being only $43 US.

I snagged my Vienna Starbucks mug, yay!!!

Now Newark to Cleveland.  Grabbed my bags in Newark- opened them and confirmed nothing was missing or broken.  Went through customs again and put them on a plane to Cleveland.

Safely Home!!  What an incredible 10 days.  I loved every minute.

1 Peter 4:10-11, ESV

10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.