Su you cha (酥油茶, yak butter tea) is the traditional beverage of Tibet — black pu-erh tea (or another strong tea) brewed very strong, then churned vigorously in a long cylindrical churn (dogmo, 道木) with a large knob of yak butter (su you, 酥油) and salt until the mixture is completely emulsified, producing a thick, rich, slightly salty, fatty beverage. It is drunk throughout the day in Tibetan culture — at breakfast with tsampa, as hospitality for guests, and as sustenance for long journeys. It is an acquired taste for most non-Tibetans but is physiologically appropriate for high-altitude life — providing calories, fat, salt (for electrolyte replacement), and caffeine.
The tea: Pu-erh brick tea (or Tibetan tea, a compressed tea specific to Tibetan trade routes) is brewed very strongly — the bitterness and tannins of the strongly brewed tea are balanced by the salt and fat. Brew 200ml of very strong black tea. The churning: Pour the brewed tea into the dogmo (a tall cylindrical churn). Add 20-30g yak butter (or regular butter as a substitute — yak butter has a higher fat content and a gamey, grassy flavour note from the yak's alpine diet). Add 1/2 tsp salt. Churn vigorously by plunging the churning stick up and down 200-300 times — the butter emulsifies completely into the tea. The final beverage should be a uniform, slightly opalescent pale liquid. Home adaptation: Use a jar or blender. Brew 200ml of very strong pu-erh or oolong tea. Add 20g butter and 1/4 tsp salt. Blend 30 seconds until emulsified.
Fuchsia Dunlop, Invitation to a Banquet (2023)