It’s tea time!
It’s true that Portugal was very important for the history of tea around the world, but they are much more “coffee people” than “tea people”. in here. Ok, they also drink tea and, of course, they have a lot of different types of tea available to buy in supermarkets, but if you go to a regular “café”, you’ll see how easy is to order a cup of a tea. Usually what you get is a tea bag (um saquinho). So, let’s make a quick list:
- An English / British tea – Um chá preto
- A tea with milk – Um chá com leite
- A tea with cold milk – Um chá com leite frio
- A green tea – Um chá verde
- A white tea – Um chá branco
- A lemon tea – Um chá de limão or “Carioca de Limão” (this last one is a coffee cup with a lemon peel in hot water)
If you’re a fan of herbal tea, the most common ones in Portugal are the following:
- Chamomile tea – Chá de camomila
- Melissa tea – Chá de cidreira
- Mint tea – Chá de menta
- Verbena tea – Chá de Lúcia-Lima
- Lime tea – Chá de tília
So, how to order a cup of tea in Portuguese? Like this…
Queria um chá preto com leite frio, por favor. (I would like a tea with cold milk, please.)
Queria um chá para dois, por favor. (I would like a tea for two, please.)
Queria um chá de camomila, por favor. (I would like a chamomile tea, please).
Well… it’s easy, isn’t it?