India

Masala chai is everywhere in India, but calling it just a "popular drink" is a statistical error. Rather, it serves as the fuel of a nation. This decentralised, unregulated economic engine runs on millions of gas burners simultaneously.

Tibetan butter tea (Po Cha) is not a beverage in the Western sense; it is a caloric intake strategy. If you have spent time above 3,000 meters, you understand why. In the high Himalayas, oxygen is scarce, wind is constant, and the body burns energy simply trying to stay warm.