This Tea Was Picked in Sri Lanka and Now It’s Cooling Down Cairo

This may come as a shock to lifelong shay b laban drinkers, but here goes: the tea you’ve been dramatically sipping at 1 a.m., while contemplating the universe or texting your ex, probably didn’t grow in your cousin’s backyard in Sharqeya. In fact, it most likely came from a country with more rain, fewer potholes, and a lot more hills (even though we’ve somehow claimed the breakfast, brunch, lunch, and post-lunch munching accompaniment as entirely Egyptian - national identity pending).

Tea, it turns out, has always been a globetrotter. But now, thanks to Island Tea in New Cairo, those far-flung tea-growing nations have been condensed into one spot - no passport, visa, or emotional support teapot required. It’s Sri Lanka in a cup, just with more AC and fewer elephants.