Over the course of over a millennium, as tea spread around the world through trade, rituals and traditions relating to tea have become deeply embedded in food cultures around the world. For me, drinking tea can feel like a respite as a warm, soothing beverage on a cool day. Within NYU Abu Dhabi’s diverse student body, the beverage holds a unique meaning to different individuals.

Farah Elmowafy, Class of 2023, recalls the important role tea plays in her and her roommate’s lives. “We always drink tea together, several times a day, and when we have people over we ask them for tea.” They often prepare tea by heating up a kettle and putting tea bags in a French press. “Our favorite is mint tea,” adds Elmowafy.

Mint tea is a favorite of other students as well, such as Milena Baghdasaryan, Class of 2023. She regards the preparation and drinking of the beverage as an integral part of her self-care time. “The mint leaves with which I make my daily tea have been grown and collected from my grandma's garden, so every time I drink mint tea, I get nostalgic flashbacks to that peaceful, beautiful and delicate place that my grandma's garden is.”

Image courtesy of Milena Baghdasaryan

Mint tea relaxes her as she gets lost in her memories. “The warmth of the tea reminds me of the warmth of the sun which used to caress my hair and skin when playing in grandma's garden as a child, and gives me that enjoyable, cozy feeling of being at home, thousands of miles away. Every time I drink mint tea, I feel a sense of calmness, peace and harmony that no other drink can offer.”

Youmna Elrasheed, Class of 2023, also associates tea with her family. “Whenever I have milk tea, I’m reminded of Sudan, and all those mornings and evenings I’d sit with my grandmother and drink it.”

Elmowafy highlights how she never drank much tea before this year, and how tea, to her, is significant as a social affair with her roommates. “We generally don’t care about the taste of the tea,” she says. “It’s just the social event, [a reminder] that we are roommates when we are here, all in the same room at one time of the day [and] we’re just going to have tea together.”

Amina Kobenova, Class of 2023, is another student who only started regularly having tea when attending NYUAD. “I was trying to stop drinking coffee in my freshman year, and the only thing that could kind of keep me alive and I like the taste [of] was matcha,” noted Kobenova. “In my sophomore year ... I started to order matcha from Japan … and I started to prepare it the right way.”

Image courtesy of Amina Kobenova and Aiya Akilzhanova

“After that, I kind of became addicted to it. It’s a part of my everyday life now. I [drink] matcha on campus and sometimes I buy it in Blacksmith … tea is important to me just because I feel like it calms me down and especially the process of making it, it’s really aesthetically pleasing.” Kobenova also appreciates tea consumption as an opportunity to bond with other students. “Sometimes, my friends and I go to a cafe that serves matcha … a friend of mine and I went to a matcha cafe in Abu Dhabi a few days ago and it was so good!”

Students vary in the methods they use to make tea. Some use tea leaves, while others use powders. Faisal Quadri, Class of 2023, shares his tried and tested method of tea consumption on campus. “Usually I just put a teabag in a cup of hot water [because] it’s easy and fast.” He remarks on how other familiar tea brewing methods compare. “When my grandma makes chai, it’s a lot more of a process but it’s also a lot tastier”.

Image courtesy of Faisal Quadri

Mayher Matharu, Class of 2024, also finds tea bags most convenient to use on campus, but she loves open pot tea at home. “At home I’m used to my dad or grandpa’s “patili chai” ... which usually means black tea with spices like black or green cardamom, anise, fennel, sugar and milk.” Tea played an important role in her life growing up and still does so today. “I grew up loving the sweet, milky tea served at our Gurudwara (Sikh temple), which is very similar to karak. When my grandpa came to live with us a few years ago he would make us all tea regularly — when he moved away for a time I missed him calling out ‘anybody for chai?’”

On campus, she has a favorite tea for every mood — “earl grey to wake me up, jasmine to calm me down and lemon ginger to boost me through homework ... now I like offering tea to friends who are over too, so I’ve amassed somewhat of a collection.”

Image courtesy of Mayher Matharu

There are students who don’t regularly drink tea, but still perceive it as a reminder of home. Xiaohui Liu, Class of 2023, notes that while she doesn’t normally drink tea on campus, she still holds the practice of making tea in high regard. “At home, we have many fancy tea sets and this whole ceremony of preparing tea … [it] is definitely an important part of Chinese culture and I love it.”

Ultimately, whether tea is a gateway to wonderful memories or an opportunity to connect and bond with fellow students, it is a significant part of many students’ everyday lives. It is a source of exploration. It is a way to attain comfort. It is home.

Quadri reflects on the importance of tea to his life. “Tea … connects me with my grandmother and sister. So even when I’m away from them, it reminds me of them. I’m actually going to make a cup now!”