Yangon's timeless tea houses

Yangon's fast-changing scenery still has a few teahouses up its sleeve

Modern-day Yangon is experiencing a period of unprecedented development and social change, but the tradition of sipping tea at streetside tea houses found throughout the city endures.

A Bold Brew: At streetside stalls, longyi-clad men perch on diminutive plastic stools around low tables to share tea from a battered aluminium kettle. The local brew is an acquired taste. Known as laphet yay, it’s a mix of black tea, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.

Talk Over Tea: Tea houses were traditionally a male preserve. During the years of Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest, they were popular meeting spots for artists, activists and “tea room philosophers”, who gathered to discuss politics in hushed tones. Today’s tea scene is adapting to changing times. New, fashionable venues such as Rangoon Tea House on Pansodan Road serve up teas and authentic fare in a more polished, air-conditioned environment.

Soul Food: Even the most basic curbside establishments serve up an array of tasty bites to accompany the tea. Favourites include fried pastries, spicy samosas, mohinga (rice noodle and fish soup), flatbreads with beans or lentils and more

SilkAir flies daily between Singapore and Yangon. To book a flight, visit singaporeair.com

This article was originally published in the May 2018 issue of Silkwinds magazine