“SHALL we have some tea?” This is a question that can be answered in many different ways in China.

There’s more to consuming tea than just choosing between black or green, fermented or blended. The scope of tea culture also extends to how it is served and prepared, and its significance to various ethnic groups.

The Chinese tea ceremony is a formal and artistic ritual that turns the tea making process into a spectacle. But while the customs of the tea ceremony are an invaluable part of Chinese heritage, they are not for everyday tea drinking.

Gai wan cha, on the other hand, is one of the most down-to-earth tea drinking traditions in China. Translated into “tea cup with cover,” it involves a simple teaware set that includes a saucer, a cup and a cover to help brew the tea and filter the tea leaves.

The cover has more uses than making the tea as well. In tea houses, guests place the cover on the table to signal to the waiter to refill their cup with hot water. Or, when leaving one’s seat temporality, one can place the cover on their chair to indicate that it is still occupied.

There are several simple steps to make and enjoy gai wan cha. After rinsing the teaware with warm water, tea leaves are added in the cup, which is then filled to the edge with boiling water. The cup is then covered to let the flavor fully infuse before being enjoyed.

In addition to the common green, black and floral blends, the Sichuan people also add sweet ingredients believed to have medical benefits — like dried goji berries, boat-fruited sterculia seeds, dried hawthorn fruit, jujube and dried longan.

Such ingredients are especially popular in Sichuan Province, where many tea houses sell very affordable gai wan cha.

In Chengdu, the province’s capital, drinking tea is not only about slacking thirst. It’s also an integral part of local social life.

In Ningxia Province, gai wan cha is generally a sweet beverage that locals call babao gai wan cha, which means mixed ingredients. Traditional recipes include brown sugar with black tea brick, white sugar with green tea; and fruity blends that add jujube, goji berries, sesame seeds, longan, raisin and candied fruit.

You may be familiar with Japanese matcha, which is a finely ground green tea powder used in beverages and cooking. In China, one kind of ground tea is called lei cha, a traditional drink of the Hakka people that is said to have originated in the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220–280).

However, lei cha is not made with tea only, but a blend of many other ingredients including herbs, nuts, seeds grains and seasonings.

The Hakka people use different types of tea leaves, including green and oolong.

Sometimes ginger, rice, salt and even cilantro are added to the powder mix, making the tea more like a thick soup than a beverage.

In many places where lei cha is widely consumed, different households also have their own recipes, most of which are either grain-based or herb-based.

The Bai people in Yunnan Province have a tea drinking tradition called san dao cha, or “three course tea.”

This folk custom follows the instructions “first is bitter, second is sweet, third brings the aftertaste” and is part of local cultural ceremonies and to honor guests in the Dali region.

The first tea course is often a fragrant roast with a bitter taste, called lei xiang cha (“sound of thunder tea”). The green tea leaves are first baked in a clay pot over low heat until they turn brown, then boiling water is added to make the drink.

The second course is a sweet blend made with walnut, brown sugar and ru shan, a Dali specialty diary product; and the third course is a more interesting mixture as Sichuan pepper, ginger and cassia are added along with honey.

Kungfu tea, a tea drinking tradition in Guangdong Province, is an important part of local social etiquette and many families will offer guests at least one round of Kungfu tea upon arrival.

The primary emphasis of Kungfu tea is the quality of the leaves, temperature control and preparation skill. The beverage is made in a teapot and served in very small tea cups. As Kungfu tea is more about the meditative process of making it than quenching one’s thirst, it’s seen as an effective way to ease mental and physical wariness.

The concept of milk tea has been diluted over recent years by the wide variety of chain stores which sell it in a variety of flavors and styles. In fact, some cheap bubble milk teas are made with no tea at all — just water and flavored powder.

Chinese milk teas are not limited to the well-known Hong Kong and Taiwanese varieties. Rustic milk teas from regions like Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Tibet are indispensable beverages all year round in local households, and also hospitable offerings upon receiving guests.

In these regions where the weather and living conditions are harsh, milk tea is a daily necessity to bring warmth and energy. In many cases, it also comes with an unexpected flavor: salty instead of sweet.

Xinjiang milk tea has a savory taste as it is made with dry hard bricks of black tea, cow or goat milk and salt. Preparation is simple: break the tea into smaller parts and boil in a copper pot, pour in the milk and season with salt.

The tea is made for immediate consumption and often served in bowls many times throughout the day.

In the high altitude region, milk tea can drive away the cold in winter and heat in summer. And given the meat-heavy diet of many locals, such teas are a helpful source of minerals.

Herdsmen in Xinjiang usually go off in the early morning and return at dusk. While away from home, they bring simple tools to make milk tea and eat staple foods like tandoor bread and meat.

Mongolian milk tea, which is also called suutei tsai, is similar to Xinjiang style milk tea. It uses slightly different ingredients including water, cow, goat or horse milk, brick black tea and salt. People in Mongolia who draw water from local wells always boil it before they make tea. The traditional way of preparing the tea is to stir in long sweeping motion using a long metal ladle.

Served at most meals, suutei tsai is a good protein source as well as a great beverage to drive away the cold. It is a staple of hospitality in a ger, the portable round tent where suutei tsai is always served for guests. Some households even keep a hot pot of tea on low heat so it can be enjoyed at any time of the day.

The milk tea of Tibet is also distinctive. The thick beverage is also called butter tea (suyou cha) and is very common in the Himalayan regions. The traditional butter tea is made with black tea bricks from the Pemagul area, yak butter and yak milk, water and salt. Today, cow’s milk and butter are also used to make the tea.

Like in the Xinjiang and Mongolian milk tea varieties, butter tea is also part of everyday Tibetan life and served to guests at all times. It is particular suitable for the high altitudes as both the milk and butter can provide large doses of calories and energy.