The ultimate guide to tea drinking in Spain

Local Spain

2 days ago

It's no secret that British people love their tea, so what about when they move to Spain or when they're here on holiday – where can they get their classic morning cuppa?
Of course, it's not just Brits that consume great amounts of tea, it's popular with the Irish, Turks, Moroccans, Pakistanis, the Japanese, Chinese, Kenyans and New Zealanders, among many others.
So what about the Spanish and their té (tea) consumption?
Traditionally Spain is a nation of coffee drinkers rather than tea. This is evidenced by the fact that kettles are very rare here, even in hotels. You're much more likely to find a coffee maker by your bedside.
If Spaniards want to make tea at home, they'll typically use the microwave or just heat water up in a saucepan instead. And though hotels give you tea sachets, many expect you to use hot water from the coffee makers, so that you get that lovely hint of coffee in your tea!
The Spanish in fact drink more herbal and fruit teas, which they call infusiones, rather than black teas with milk.
This will typically be for health reasons in order to help with digestion, sleep, or stomach aches for example, but having said that most bars and cafes around the country will several different types of tea.
Typically, the most common teas found in cafes here are menta poleo (mint), mazanilla (camomile), green and maybe red or black. You can often order South African rooibos in many places too as well as frutas del bosque (fruits of the forest).
Most of these are available in supermarkets too.
There are also herbolarios (literally herb shops)in many Spanish cities, which serve tea blends made from various herbs and spices to help with certain ailments.
And what about when it comes to classic English breakfast though?
Generally you won't find proper British-style tea – breakfast, builders or otherwise in traditional cafes and bars. It's likely to be Lipton or similar, and often served with a slice of lemon instead of milk.
Top tip - if you ask for your tea ' con leche ' or with milk though, be careful as many places will simply make your tea with hot milk instead of water – sacrilege for the British!
Make sure you ask for ' una gota de leche ' or a drop of milk to get it the way you're used to having it at home.
Many modern cafes or brunch spots in Spain's large cities will offer even more varieties including chai, ginger and other popular mixes and are more likely to know the British style of drinking breakfast teas too.
And if you go to El Corte Inglés you can find even more including Tetley's and Yorkshire Tea.
Large hypermarkets in Spain such as Carrefour will generally stock a fairly wide variety of teas. Photo: Christophe Simon/AFP
There are also specialised British supermarkets in most big cities in Spain which sell imported teas from back home, although at a slightly higher price.
If you're into your healthy and herbal teas, American brand Yogi Tea which has many Indian Ayurvedic blends is also available in most health food stores in Spain, as well as Carrefour.
When it comes to other types of teas, the availability and interest in them is rapidly increasing in Spain, particularly when it comes to Asian teas.
Bonsai Coffee & Matcha, Matcha Crew BCN and Usagui.
Of course there are many places to buy Asian teas in Spain's big cities too such as San Wei Tea Culture & Store, Lungch'ang Tea Store in Madrid and Tétere and Fresh Chinese and Tea and Tea House in Barcelona.
Most big cities in Spain including Valencia, Málaga and Seville will also have specialised tea shops and several come up if you do a search on Google. While these may not have your English breakfast style they will likely have many fruit and herbal teas, as well as some Asian style offerings too.