In the dizzying altitudes of the Himalayas, modern Tibetans proudly consume their traditional beverages བོད་ཇ or bö cha. In English, this drink is salt butter tea–the name infers its three main ingredients. For many Tibetans, bö cha is a daily breakfast thickened with barley flour to add caloric value. During cultural occasions such as funerals or weddings, salt butter tea is a traditional refreshment. Meanwhile, commercial tea houses, which are so central to modern Himalayan life, tend to sell sweet tea rather than the salty stuff. Tibetans have a second salted drink too. Cha thang or ཇ་ཐང་། is a black tea that is lightly salted. “Chinese Tea Culture,” Li claims that Tibetans will serve the most distinguished guests salt butter tea, ordinary guests plain salt tea, and Han guests who are from the East plain tea. 

The ethnic neighbors of the Tibetans have their own rendition of salted tea unique to their cuisine. Between the mountains of Yunnan where the first tea bushes grew and the slopes of the Himalayas where the Tibetans enjoy bö cha, live the Nakhi (pronounced na he). This ethnic minority drinks ma’ley. Similar to the Tibetan drink, ma’ley is a salt butter tea, but with more ingredients. After brewing a strong base tea, the Nakhi mix in powdered hemp seeds, chilis, ground peanuts and raw eggs. They add butter and salt and thrash the mixture in a wooden vase.  The drink may not be as common today, but it combines the caloric load of buttered tea with the medicinal qualities in its herbs and seeds.