Q:
A: If you don't have access to a Persian grocery where you live you can buy Persian tea, you make your own by blending Earl Grey and Darjeeling tea. We usually make tea on a samovar, all Iranian households have at least one. If you don't have a samovar you can improvise! Boil water in a kettle and add your tea leaves (loose, not in the teabags) to a porcelain tea pot. You can put it in a drop in tea leave holder if you've got one. Once the water in the kettle is boiling you can pour that water into the tea pot and let the leaves steep or sit for about 5-10 minutes. The tea might get too strong and bitter if it sits too long (like 30 min). When the tea in the tea pot is rust color you will pour the tea into a clear glass tea cup about half way, and then fill the rest of the glass with the boiled water. Let it sit and cool a bit so you don't burn your mouth. Persians never add milk. They usually have tea with sugar cubes (called "ghand" in Persian)or hard sugar infused with Saffron (you buy that at Persian grocery stores). You put the sugar cube in your teeth ( I just put it on my tongue) and drink the tea. As you drink the sugar melts and makes the tea sweet while you drink it. Heres a pic of a glass of tea I made, the color should be like this. http://www.flickr.com/photos/le_shirin/2537319025/ Hope this helps.