In the cold, high-altitude conditions of the Himalayan region, the salty, caloric, and energizing po cha — or butter tea — is a daily ritual, forming a large part of the often-sparse Tibetan diet.

Tea was first brought to Tibet, legend has it, when Tang dynasty Princess Wen Cheng married Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo in A.D. 641. Tibetan royalty and nomads alike took to tea for good reasons.