This was published 14 years ago
World's best places for a cuppa
11 ImagesLonely Planet names the 10 best places in the world to enjoy a cup of tea.
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Fancy a cuppa? From highbrow salons to highland plantations, Lonely Planet lists the world's best places to have a cup of tea.Credit:iStock
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1. LONDON, ENGLAND. Ladies, don your gowns; gents, start pressing your ties. Afternoon tea at the Ritz is a splendid formal affair: silver pots and fine china chink at 4pm sharp under the vaulted glass and chandeliers of the Palm Court. It's not cheap, but you'll be in good company.
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2. TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY. Nonstop, the epic Moscow-Beijing train journey takes over six days. Each car has a samovar, a hot-water urn where you can top up your mug to ward off the Siberian chill. Samovars are more than kettles: entrenched in Russian society, they're made for communal drinking.Credit:Richard I'Anson/Lonely Planet
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3. PARAGUAY, URUGUAY & ARGENTINA. Mate is the national beverage - and a national obsession - across sacross swathes of South America. Made from the dried leaves of the yerba mate plant. To join in you need to get the right gear: a silver bombilla (infusion straw) and accompanying guampa (gourd). Credit:Michael Coyne/Lonely Planet
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4. YUEYANG, CHINA. Ever since a tea leaf allegedly floated into Emperor Shennong's cup of hot water around 2700 BC, the Chinese have extolled the beverage's virtues, medicinal and social. Credit:Oliver Strewe/Lonely Planet
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5. SAHARA DESERT. There's no such thing as a quick cuppa in the North African desert. For local nomads, tea drinking requires patience and dedication. Each sitting involves not one but three rounds, each with a distinctive flavor.Credit:Matt Fletcher/Lonely Planet
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6. UJI, JAPAN. Temple-strewn Uji is the tea capital of Japan. Green tea - which grows here abundantly - finds its way into everything, from the traditional wooden boxes lining the shop shelves to soba noodles and ice-cream cones.Credit:Greg Elms/Lonely Planet
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7. INCA TRAIL, PERU. Gasping for breath at altitude? What you need is coca tea. This bitter brew wins no flavor contests but its raw ingredients, coca leaves (also the basis of cocaine), increase oxygen absorption into the blood. It's nature's answer to altitude sickness.Credit:Anthony Pidgeon/Lonely Planet
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8. BOSTON, USA. In 1773, a band of angry Bostonians stormed three docked British ships, throwing the boats' precious cargo - about 24 million cups' worth of tea - overboard. Tea still holds a special place in the heart of Bostonians.Credit:Angus Oborn/Lonely Planet
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9. DARJEELING, INDIA. Here you're surrounded by the stuff: tea in the cafes, tea in the bazaars and a deep-green leafy profusion of tea cascading down the hillsides.Credit:Richard I'Anson/Lonely Planet
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10. HILL COUNTRY, SRI LANKA. Hover above south-central Sri Lanka and all you'll see is green. The cool highlands have been blanketed by tea plantations since the late 19th century - with just splashes of rainbow-sari-clad pickers disrupting the color scheme. Credit:Anders Blomqvist/Lonely Planet
