7-color tea is a hot drink made from typical Bangladesh tea, characterized by 7 rainbow-colored layers, different flavors and densities
To look at it almost looks like a cocktail, but the Bengali tea with 7 colors it is one of the many colorful tea-based drinks spread in Asia, including the much more popular Bubble Tea that has recently landed successfully in Taiwan in the West. The lesser known but equally fascinating Seven-Color Tea is typical of Bangladesh, not surprisingly one of the countries with the highest high consumption of tea in the world. This multicolored drinks it has a fascinating history and a special, partly secret recipe, which includes multi-colored layers based on different blends and different tastes.
Invention and history of the Asian rainbow drink
No wonder that the creation of such a complex drink was due, years ago, to a "tea alchemist": Romesh Ram Gour, owner of two tea shops in Srimangal, in the north-eastern region of Bangladesh, Sylhet, about 200 kilometers from the capital Dhaka. Gour, in fact, years ago made an extraordinary discovery; pouring different varieties of tea, containing different spices, tea leaves and milk into a glass, he noticed that they were going to create distinct layers, each with a different color and density. Starting from this intuition the owner of the Nilkantha Tea Cabin has carried out his experiments for about a year, until he achieved and perfected what is the secret original mixture. Since then, many people go to the stalls adjacent to its two shops to taste the now famous drink, as many are those who try to reproduce it or buy it.
7-color tea has become so popular over the years that it has also attracted the attention of important international media, including "The Wall Street Journal" and "The Guardian", and that of famous people. The first of these, in 2012, was none other than the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, who summoned Gour to have the famous drink prepared for him personally. A few years later, in 2017, it was the turn of the Qatari ambassador to Bangladesh, Ahmed bin Mohamed al-Dehaimi, who not only visited Gour at his store, but decided to pay for a 7-color glass of tea 7 thousand taka, about 70 euros.
The formula for making tea with seven colors
Although the original recipe is still shrouded in mystery, long ago Romesh Ram Gour decided to reveal some ingredients and part of the process. What is known is that to make tea from 7 colors serve local leaves, condensed milk, lemon, various aromas and spices and finally green tea and three different types of black tea. It is also known that the surface of the drink is covered with cinnamon, that the fourth layer is a black tea mixed with condensed milk and that the final one is made with fragrant green tea with cinnamon, cloves and a secret ingredient. The result is one drink composed of colored levels and clearly distinguished from each other, ranging from bright green to dark brown to burgundy red. The classic mix requires that there are seven layers, hence the name of the drink, but sometimes Romesh Ram Gour has managed to reach up to ten.
One last curiosity: once the various types of tea are poured into the glass, the rainbow effect with the distinct strips remains intact for about 30 minutes, so if you ever happen to go to Bangladesh, you have plenty of time for take good pictures and then drink it calm!
Photo: 7 Bengali 7 color tea_Te colors_Salim Khandoker Wikipedia Commons.jpg
Photo: Seven_Layers_Tea_Te with 7 colors © Moheen Reeyad_Wikimedia Commons_CC BY-SA 4.0.jpg
Photo: Tea from 7 colors_Sylhet, _Bangladesh_George achik.jpg
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