Tibetan Butter Tea 酥油茶
Tibetan Butter Tea is featured among the local specialties of Gansu.
Tibetan Butter Tea (酥油茶) is strong brick tea churned with butter and salt into an emulsion. Chinese Wikipedia describes it as the traditional drink of China's Tibetan areas, naming Tibet, Qinghai and Sichuan among them.
How it is made
Brick tea is first boiled in water to make a strong brew. Butter and salt are then added, and the mixture is poured into a long, narrow wooden churn, where it is beaten hard with a plunger until the tea and the butter combine into an emulsion.
How it is eaten
Tibetan Butter Tea is usually taken as a staple food together with tsampa (糌粑, roasted barley flour). Chinese Wikipedia explains why the butter is never left out: brick tea is high in tannin, which stimulates the gut and speeds digestion, so drinking it plain leaves people hungry very quickly, and butter or milk has to be added.
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Fermented-grain milk tea 甜醅奶茶 →
Tianpei milk tea combines tea with milk and sweet fermented grain, whereas Tibetan Butter Tea is seasoned with salt and churned with butter.
Source introduction: Wikipedia contributors: 酥油茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0. English translation and adaptation of the cited encyclopedia revision.
Sources & reading
Adapted into English from the cited encyclopedia revision and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer on 2026-09-23. Recipes and servings vary between kitchens.