We love flavorful fruit tea and go nuts about creamy hot chocolate, especially when wintertime’s chill keeps us looking for ways to warm up while out and about around Hungary’s capital. However, when we want steamy sips of something new or exotic, Budapest’s varied cafés and tearooms also offer fascinatingly tasty cups of cozy delights like Japanese matcha, Indian chai, and more – we explore some of the city’s hotspots for extraordinary hot drinks, leaving out alcoholic variations (for now..).
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Baked tea
Baked tea is actually not a tea, but caramelized fruit pieces diluted with hot water; Czech grandmothers have been stocking up on these for the winter for 150 years, in the same way we do with jams and bottled fruit. The drink, available in several flavors (e.g. aloe vera, black chokeberry, sea buckthorn, vanilla and strawberry, apple, ginger, etc.), is all-natural with no preservatives – it does not contain flavor enhancers, or even sugar. The sweet flavor is caused by the fruits’ fructose content alone.
- In Budapest, we can taste this tea at the rustic tables of Patrisa Provence – we recommend the plum-currant-apple version.
- We can also find this Czech specialty on the smoothie and protein shake-dominated drink list of One Million Shake Bar.
- We can also make our own baked tea at home by ordering a bottle online.
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Cascara
The beverage made from cascara, the dried berries of the coffee plant, is often called coffee cherry tea, as well. Soaking cascara in hot water results in a rather thick and invigorating drink, which is something halfway between coffee and tea. Note that this infusion contains much more caffeine than a cup of espresso.
- Mantra near Egyetem Square is a real coffee sanctuary, where experts mix up cascara drinks in both hot and cold versions. In the summer, we recommend the cool, spicy cascara cocktails, but in the winter, the hot, deep burgundy version is a better choice.
- We can explore the fruity and tangy flavor of cascara at both units of Madal Café, located at Jászai Mari Square and Ferenciek Square. The drink is usually served hot in a jug.
- Coffee cherry tea can also be found in Tamp & Pull’s Czuczor Street shop, and can drink it either as a simple infusion or as a warm winter lemonade, with added dried fruits and cane sugar molasses.
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Chai Latte
Chai latte is a genuine wintertime soul-warmer. The light-colored warm drink, sweet even without sugar, is actually an Indian spiced milk tea. Its base is black tea, which is seasoned with fragrant spices, such as star anise, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. It is prepared by mixing the leaf tea or pre-packed grist with hot steamed milk.
- In Stika, the boys use leaf tea to prepare the spicy beverage – more specifically, premium quality Dilmah tea from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Their chai latte can also be ordered with plant milk.
- In Matinée, located at Oktogon, we can choose from various chai lattes: some are made from the powder-based tea of the American brand David Rio, while some are prepared with green or black tea, but there is an espresso-infused version, as well.
- The powder-based, milky drink is available in a pre-packaged version as well, for example, at Kávétársaság in the city center. It is perfect for binge-watching films while wrapped in a blanket.
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Matcha
Matcha, a finely ground green tea exclusively produced in Japan, has been popping up at more and more places in Budapest. It is a perfect coffee substitute, since its invigorating effect is as strong as five cups of traditional green tea, and gives us an energy boost without the usual caffeine crash. When preparing it, the ground tea powder is first mixed with hot water, then milk foam, resulting in a slightly grass-flavored drink rich in antioxidants.
- The popular Japanese tea is available in Budapest as well – in WarmCup, for example, where we can order matcha as latte or lemonade. Its preparation is completely authentic; the staff makes the smooth, sweet green beverage using traditional tools, and the tips of a Japanese friend.
- We can also sip on milk-infused matcha at Fény Street Market’s health-conscious confectionery Mahalo. The small family deli also offers gluten- and sugar-free cakes to go with our drink, as well.
