A few pieces of butter, a spoonful of salt, a bowl of tea, and an appropriate amount of hot water poured into the tea churner – before long, a pot of rich and fragrant Butter tea is ready. The phrase “Gyatong” (which means both ‘to drink tea' and ‘to eat') connects life with tea. Whether it's the old brands that are always packed as soon as they open their doors in ancient alleys or milk tea shops on pedestrian streets, all elements related to tea in Tibet are always favored. Market demand drives industrial development; now, tea is grown in many places in Tibet, with Nyingchi City being particularly notable for its favorable environment for tea growth, allowing Tibetans to enjoy locally produced tea. So what are Tibetan drinking habits? How is the current economic development of tea in Tibet? And how does tea contribute to increasing the income of Tibet's people? Recently, reporters visited the market and interviewed the current state of tea industry development in Metog County.

Staff at a sweet tea shop using instruments to pack sweet tea. Photo by Deji Yangzong and Huang Fan, reporters.

The Charm of a Thousand Years: Tibetan Tea culture and Unique Flavors

From the beautiful legend of “the divine bird bringing tea to save the king,” to the long history of the “Tea Horse Road,” and the interesting proverb “without tea for a day and one feels sluggish, without tea for three days and one falls ill,” tea has been inseparable from the lives of local people since it was introduced to Tibet over 1,000 years ago. Nowadays, with the development of the economy and transportation, the beverages available in the daily lives of Tibetans are “overwhelmingly diverse,” but tea remains an irreplaceable presence.

Due to the high-altitude, oxygen-poor, and highly radiated environment where Tibetans live, tea is a necessity that can replace fruit and vegetable fibers and supplement vitamins. “The tea consumed in Tibet is usually fermented brick tea. Due to limited preservation technology and transportation development in the past, it was unrealistic for us to have tea year-round if we wished,” said Langcuo, a tea merchant on Zangre Road in Lhasa. Since the tea leaves are tightly compressed in blocks, this prevents mold growth, so brick tea has a longer shelf life. Over time, this became a unique method for making and preserving tea in Tibet, which is also the most common form of tea in the daily lives of Tibetans.

In daily life, there are four common types of tea: clear tea, butter tea, sweet tea, and salty milk tea. “We first boil and thoroughly simmer the brick tea in a large pot to fully extract the tea broth. We then store the tea broth in separate pots and use it as needed when making tea.” Auntie Zhuomayangzong fills a glass cup with amber-colored clear tea, lifts the cup and takes a sip, the sweetness of the tea and the saltiness of the salt bursting on her taste buds.

Tibetan-style brick tea for sale. Photo by Deji Yangzong and Huang Fan, reporters.

The Fragrance Fills the Streets: The Pulse of Tradition in Tea Shops and Milk Tea Stores

When the first rays of sunlight fall upon the Himalayan peaks, the snowy land has yet to awaken from the remnants of the night, and the streets are quiet, but tea shops everywhere are already busy brewing tea and preparing meals to welcome guests coming to drink tea. “I feel like I haven't eaten if I don't drink tea for a day,” said Uncle Dorje, 68, holding a cup of sweet tea and smiling at the reporter. By 9 a.m., the tea shop is bustling with voices, some elderly people sitting together with their children, a pot of sweet tea and a few bowls of Tibetan noodles marking the start of their day. “We usually open around 8 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Our eyes open to the task of brewing tea, pot after pot, without any notice of how many pots we sell each day,” said the owner of Zaxi Huanju Tea Shop on Dobi Road in Lhasa.

Whether it's the sweet tea shops visible on every street corner, small restaurants in remote towns providing a place to rest, or temporary tea shops set up in tents on the pasture, tea shops in Tibet seem to have become another kind of label. According to statistics from the Lhasa City Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, as of now, there are more than 4,000 tea shops in Lhasa alone. “I came to Lhasa from Zhejiang for tourism, and visiting sweet tea shops was one of my must-visit locations. During the experience, I found that there were not a few tourists who, like me, enjoyed sweet tea!” Ms. Bai, a tourist, said happily. Apart from sweet tea shops, there are also many milk tea stores here, “Almost all of the well-known domestic milk tea stores are available here.”

As Ms. Bai mentioned, whether in large shopping malls or small street shops, more and more milk tea stores appear in the everyday alleys of Tibet. On weekends and holidays, there are often long lines outside some milk tea stores. “I've liked drinking butter tea since I was young, and butter tea with plain rice or butter tea with steamed bread are my favorite breakfasts. However, as a beverage, both butter tea and clear tea have a somewhat monotonous taste, but I love tea, so it's not surprising that I like milk tea with its rich flavors and tea fragrance,” said citizen Purbuzhuoma, holding a cup of iced milk tea and jokingly remarked.

As an economic crop, tea has carried a certain mission of economic exchange since its introduction to Tibet. Whether it is the Kangxi Tea Horse Road that has continued for thousands of years and still rings with the sound of horse bells, or the Green Tea gardens on the high plateaus of Qamdo and Nyingchi, tea continues to fulfill its economic mission on the plateau of snow.

Sweet tea. Photo by Deji Yangzong and Huang Fan, reporters.

A New Chapter for the Tea Industry: The Prosperous Picture Drawn by Tea Trees on the Plateau

Metog County is located in Nyingchi City, Tibet, like a blooming lotus flower hidden among the mountains surrounding the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River. Here, the altitude is moderate, the forests are dense, and the forest coverage rate is as high as 78%, combined with its unique geographical location and climate, creating ideal conditions for growing tea trees.

An aerial view of the tea gardens in Metog County, Nyingchi City. Image provided by Metog County.

Wandering through the tea gardens built along the mountainside in Metog, layer upon layer of verdant tea trees sway gracefully in the breeze, rustling softly. In April, the hills of Metog are covered with tea trees and mist, resembling a fairyland. Tea farmers move among them, carrying bamboo baskets and skillfully picking tea leaves, their faces filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

It is understood that since 2012, Metog County began trial tea planting in Metog Town and started large-scale planting in 2013. Ciren Qiao, director of the Metog County Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, introduced that currently, 103 high-standard high-mountain organic tea gardens have been built across the county, covering a total area of 18,000 mu, of which over 15,000 mu are suitable for picking. “The tea gardens are leased out to tea companies, generating a stable annual income of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan per mu for tea farmers. According to statistics, the income generated from tea garden leasing for the people is at least 1.72 million yuan annually, while the revenue from tea picking in 2025 reached 5.1258 million yuan,” said Ciren Qiao.

Nima Renqing, a tea farmer from Deji Village, Gedang Township, Metog County, proudly told reporters that his whole