Whether served with milk or with herbs, at weddings or every afternoon, purchased or smuggled, everyone drinks tea a little differently. Below are tea traditions from four countries around the world.

Britain

Britain might be the most famous tea-drinking nation in the world, but tea didn’t reach the island until the 17th century, when Portuguese and Dutch traders brought it back from China. Coffee houses became the first places people could purchase tea, and it soon displaced other beverages as the British drink of choice. 

The colonies weren’t the only ones to get upset about taxes on their tea—by the 1670s, King Charles II had caught on to tea’s rising popularity and began restricting and taxing its sale. Over the next century, taxes rose astronomically—in the 1770s, the British paid a 119% tea tax. Smugglers saw an opportunity, and they took it, sneaking tea onto British shores by the boatload. Dutch and Scandinavian ships would anchor off the British coast, where smugglers would then unload them. The tea was brought inland via hidden paths and underground passages, to the tune of 3,000 tons per year! Soon, the government realized they were losing more than they were gaining, and dropped the tax to 12.5%, effectively ending the illegal importation of tea.

Today, the British drink black tea brewed with loose leaves rather than teabags, and add milk to the brew. “Teatime” is a meal served in the late afternoon, featuring pastries, sweets, and sandwiches.

Morocco

It’s estimated that tea reached Morocco by the 1670s, and was documented as a widely popular drink by the mid-1800s. Today, tea is the drink of choice at the beginning and end of the day, as well as before, after, and sometimes during meals. Unlike the British, Moroccans prefer to add sugar or herbs to their tea—some of the popular ones being mint, absinthe, sage, or lemon verbena, depending on the time of year. Maghrebi mint tea, a green tea brewed with spearmint leaves, is one of the most popular varieties. The tea has spread throughout parts of Africa, and has even reached places like France.

The tea experience, not just the drinking, is a big part of the tradition here—often, the preparation and brewing is done in front of guests, and is considered as important as drinking the tea. In some areas, brewing requires pouring the tea back and forth between a cup and the pot to blend the flavors. When serving tea, an experienced host or hostess will be able to pour the tea from an impressive height—at least 12 inches—to create a foam on the surface. 

China

Legends date Chinese consumption of tea back to nearly 3000 BC, when the second emperor drank some boiled water before realizing a leaf had fallen into the pot. Although this happy accident is considered the traditional beginning of tea, the earliest historians can confirm tea plant cultivation is in Buddhist monasteries in the 3rd century AD. The earliest records come from a medical text, and today tea is still used to aid digestion and reduce the risks of some diseases. No matter when or how tea consumption began, by the 8th century, it had spread to most of China.

While today tea is served during meals, it is also part of traditional dowries, weddings, and new year celebrations. At a wedding tea ceremony, the bride and groom serve tea to their families. Though traditionally the bride’s and groom’s families were served separately, many modern couples choose to combine the ceremonies into one. The tea is sometimes seasoned with dates and lotus seeds as symbols for future offspring and a happy marriage.

Russia

Believe it or not, Russia is one of the world’s largest per capita tea consumers. Tea is estimated to have been introduced in the 1500s, when Russian military leaders brought it back from China. Other sources point to the following century, when a gift from the Mongols introduced roughly 150 pounds of tea to the country. Whatever its origin, by the 17th and 18th centuries, caravans regularly traveled between Russia and China importing tea. Increases in import volume and the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railroad made tea more and more affordable for middle-class Russians.

Today, Russians typically drink black tea imported from China and India. The tea is brewed with loose leaves, unless a person is making a single serving, in which case a teabag might be used. The traditional brewing container is a samovar, a brass urn with a cylinder full of burning charcoal in the middle, used to boil the tea water.

In Russia, a person might be more likely to ask a friend over for a cup of tea than suggest going out to eat at a restaurant. If that happens, the guest should remember to bring something sweet—tea is typically served with snacks like cookies, bread, cheese, chocolate, and pie.