Drinks You Have To Try

Our last article was all about Food You Have To Try from different countries we’ve visited. We had so much fun sharing all our favorite foods in hopes that you will be inspired to try some either at your local restaurants or maybe even inspire you to travel to the country! So what pairs well with food, it’s beverages of course! We thought that we’d write the same article for liquids but beverages are interesting because even though there are relatively few categories (coffee, tea, water, juice, soda, and milk), the quality, flavor, and brands can vary so much by country. So we’ll do a categories list and talk about our favorite drinks you have to try by category. 

Josh and Dana’s List of Drinks You Have to Try by Category from Countries We’ve Visited

Drinks You Have to Try – Tea 

Chinese Tea – Hands down our favorite drink is Chinese tea. We like it so much we drink it daily even though it’s been a few years since we lived there. We get asked all the time why it’s so good and honesty it’s the purest form. The Chinese mastered the art of tea a long time ago. They have the right growing conditions, they’ve perfected their techniques, and they know what they are doing when it comes to quality tea. It seems that other countries tried to bring the same tea trees to their area but didn’t have as much success as the Chinese did. Good Chinese tea is subtle with incredible flavor profiles. It has a long lasting finish and delights the senses. Good Chinese tea gives you what they call cha qi (茶气) which is a warming of the whole body while drinking it. 

Our introduction to Chinese tea was when we visited a tea market in Beijing. Here there are hundreds of vendors selling tea and tea making equipment. This was the best place for us to practice our Chinese language skills because the shop owner would invite us to sit and drink tea with them. They don’t want you to buy tea you don’t like so they would let you try as many kinds until you found the one you liked. It was a great introduction to tea and to the people! 

We also took a tea tour of one of the most popular areas called Yunnan. This southern province produces some delicious teas including all Puer, wild black tea (our favorite), and dian hong which is a type of red tea. We learned so much by taking a tour, meeting the farmers, and picking the tea ourselves. 

Taiwan Boba Milk Tea – Taiwan grows its own amazing pure tea, like dongfang mei ren (東方美人) which is a delightfully sweet and flavorful bug bitten tea and High Mountain Alishan Oolong Tea (高山地阿里山烏龍茶). But the country is also the birthplace of Boba Milk Tea. Back in 1986, the boba tea was invented. Two tea houses both claim to have invented the drink: Chun Shui Tang in the city of Taichung and Hanlin Tea Room in the city of Tainan have been in a long standing battle as to who invented the drink. In 2019 a court ruled that it is irrelevant because boba/bubble tea is not a patented product. So I guess we’ll never know but we do get to enjoy the drink! 

When visiting Taipei, we fell in love with the Xing Fu Dragon brand of tea, specifically their Brown Sugar Milk Tea. The company hand rolls real tapioca balls in the front of the store and you can taste the freshness! Traditional milk tea is black brewed tea, combined with milk, ice, and sugar. There are many customizations you can make these days including: selecting the type of tea (oolong and green tea are also popular), selecting the type of milk used (powdered, fresh, nondairy), selecting the level of sweetness (usually done by percentage), and of course selecting all the additional toppings like: boba, pearls, jelly. or bubbles. The boba are chewy tapioca balls that have been simmering in a sweet sauce. It’s our favorite. 

Honestly, there are hundreds of stores selling boba in Taiwan. You can get it on any street corner and they are all delicious. It’s a great way to beat the heat and cool down. 

Thai Tea – This one is just a pure indulgence due to the sweetness level and it’s probably not good for you with all the sweetened condensed milk and artificial flavor but it’s so refreshing especially on the hot days in Thailand. Although you can get it hot, it’s almost always served over ice to beat the heat. This drink is distinctively bright orange in color which makes it fun but it’s not natural, it’s artificially colored. So what is Thai Tea? It is a creamy, sweet drink that is made by mixing black tea, spices, and sweetened condensed milk. Everyone from street vendors to restaurants will serve it. And it’s really reasonably priced. We found ourselves drinking two a day which quickly became a bad habit but you’re only in Thailand once so you might as well enjoy it! 

Indian Chai – The word chai means tea so no need to ask for a chai tea, you’d be asking for tea tea. Most places in India serve plain black tea, milk tea, and the most popular is masala chai. 

Indian masala chai is known for being very flavorful and spicy. While every place you go makes their own version, the main spices used are cinnamon, fresh ginger, whole cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, star anise, fennel, and black peppercorns. This incredible flavor makes the tea really stand out.  

When we were in Kerala, India, we got treated to an afternoon chai and snack daily. It was a nice tradition to slow down and enjoy the afternoon but the chai was a nice sweet treat too. Always served hot, this drink goes down smooth no matter how hot it is outside. 

Turkish Tea – Turkey loves their tea and I don’t think I’ve seen a country that drinks more tea than Turkey. Every shop owner either brewed their own or had a waiter deliver it by tray throughout the day! Turkish tea is brewed in a double pot with the bottom boiling water heating the top pot with tea in it. The top pot of tea simmers for a long time making the tea strong and bitter. They serve the tea in these beautiful, small tulip shaped glasses. Fill the glass ½ full of strong tea and ½ full of hot water from the bottom pot to create the perfect cup of tea. Don’t make the same mistake we did and take a full cup of strong bitter tea! After the first time, we never made that mistake again. Locals will add a cube of sugar to it but we found it delicious just on its own. 

We love tea so much we’ve written a couple of articles on it so go check out this article on Teas From Around the World and Intro To Chinese Tea. 

Drinks You Have to Try – Coffee

Turkish Coffee – most people either love or hate Turkish Coffee. If it’s made well, it’s literally the best thing ever. However, if it’s brewed poorly, I wouldn’t recommend it. Turkish coffee is distinctive because it’s served with the grounds still in the cup. Yes, you heard that right, the coffee grounds are in the cup while you drink it. This means you have to let the grounds settle first before drinking it and you aren’t supposed to drink the bottom sludge. 

Turkish coffee is made by simmering ground coffee, water, sugar, and sometimes spices in a specific type of pot with a long handle called a cezve. The cezve is roasted over hot coals or in hot sand. You have to tell them your desired sweetness level when you order because the sugar is added during the cooking process, not afterwards. It’s very bitter on its own so I would recommend going with medium to light sugar. We generally look for places that specialize in making Turkish coffee (look for the hot sand/coals). Otherwise it can come out pretty gritty and gross. 

Arabic Coffee – Arabic coffee is a sign of hospitality. You will be offered a cup when walking into a store, a market, or someone’s home. And it’s rude not to accept. It’s always served from a beautiful pot called a dallah in small cups. You will also be offered a date alongside the coffee as the coffee itself is bitter. Sugar is never added to the coffee, instead, eat the date with the coffee to add some sweetness. So what is Arabic coffee? Arabic coffee is unique in its color and smell. The arabica beans are lightly roasted which gives Arabic coffee its distinctive blond/green color compared to other styles of coffee that dark roast to give the coffee a black color. The ground coffee is then mixed with cardamom giving it a unique and comforting smell. 

Vietnamese Coffee – Robusta beans are used in Vietnam and dark roasted which give the coffee a strong and intense flavor. The brewing method is a drip method into a cup which contains sweetened condensed milk. The sweetness balances out the dark roast so perfectly. There are hundreds of small store fronts where you can walk up and have a cup on a stool on the side of the road. But there have also been many big brands that have popped up serving this delicious drink on a big scale like Phuc Long and Highlands, Vietnam’s own take on Starbucks. 

Drinks You Have to Try – Milk Products

USA Fresh Milk – In the US, dairy is a big industry. Since cows are bred locally, the most popular type of milk is fresh dairy milk. A big cold glass of milk is perfect with a chocolate dessert in my opinion. Many people grow up drinking milk with meals. While it’s not as common to be served in a restaurant, you can still ask for it if you want to try it. There are different ranges of thickness of the milk that range in their percent of fat: skim (less than 0.5% milk fat), 1%, 2%, or whole milk (3.25% and unaltered). We recommend drinking skim milk if you are going to drink a lot but 2% and whole milk are a creamy delicious treat! 

That being said, our favorite milk product from the US is a good old fashioned milk shake. It starts with thick delicious ice cream, blended with a little milk to keep the thickness and then adding whatever flavors you want. Our go to is chocolate and peanut butter. 

Arab Countries Ayran – Ayran is a local favorite but for us it’s an acquired taste. Served like a glass of milk, it’s actually a salted laban or yogurt drink. When I see milk in a glass, my mind normally goes to sweet (like with desserts or coffee) so the first time we had ayran, we were shocked to find out it’s salty. The traditional drink is served with spicy meals, in convenience stores as grab and go, or during Ramadan to break a fast. People claim it’s refreshing during the hot days but we’ll leave that up to you to try!

China Soy Milk – while you can find some dairy milk in China, it seems that the preference is for soy milk. Everywhere you go, you will see vendors selling cups of soy milk. In the morning, it’s served steaming hot to complement breakfast items. In stores, you’ll find cold bottles of Vitasoy. It’s a staple whether boxed off the shelf or served fresh in homes. And don’t knock it till you try it. I was expecting the boring, bland soy milk I tried in the US in the 1990’s but this stuff is so much more robust. It’s actually quite delicious and flavorful! 

Indian Lassi – Most people have heard of a mango lassi but did you know that in India you can get a sweet lassi, a salty lassi, a spicy lassi, or even savory lassi. This fresh yogurt drink with a smoothie-like consistency is made by blending yogurt, water, and your desired add-ins. Fresh fruit is a popular choice but cumin seeds, ginger, or spicy peppers can also make a splash! There are many health benefits to the lassi drink including probiotics for your digestive system, calcium for bones, and vitamin D for your immune system.

Drinks You Have to Try – Pop / Soda

We honestly aren’t big soda drinkers. For some reason when we travel, a cold refreshing Coke sounds good but our normal beverage is not usually a pop or soda. That being said, we have found two really unique brands that are worth giving a special shout out. 

Saudi Arabian Kinza – Saudi has recently started producing a lot of their own products and one we really enjoy is the Kinza brand which was launched in 2022. They make all the normal flavors of soda from cola, diet cola, lemon lime, and orange, but they also have some interesting flavors like blackcurrant and citrus. They produce a sparkling water that has a great bubbly hit as well. Look for it in local grocery or convenience stores in the Middle East. 

China Arctic Ocean (北冰洋 Beibingyang) – China is not really known for it’s soda industry but it does have one refreshing shining star that you have to try if you go to Beijing in the summer. Beibingyang is a delicious orange soda. It’s served cold with spicy meals and a great way to cool down to beat the summer heat. Now, is it any better than any other orange soda? We were never able to do a side by side comparison but the nostalgia of drinking a beibingyang with friends over a grill in the Beijing summer heat will stick with me. 

Drinks You Have to Try – Water

The drink we buy most often when traveling is water. This happens to be the most boring of beverages but hydration is so important especially when traveling. We find ourselves always stocking up on water. We buy liters and liters of water while traveling. There isn’t much difference in the bottle water so not much to recommend but definitely make sure you stay hydrated while traveling. One special award goes to the most unusual water: While in Tbilisi, we found a local Georgian water brand called Borjomi. Cracking open a cold can of sparkling water is one of my favorite things as it’s so refreshing but when the salty water hit my lips, I was shocked. It was so wildly salty, I could hardly drink it. Someone may like it but it was not my preference! 

So all in all, beverages from around the world are fascinating. I think we most often associate the beverage to an experience and a memory which makes it all the more fun. Hope you enjoy and get to try some of these drinks! Let us know what you think.