Brewing Change: How Coffee Is Challenging Iran’s Tea Tradition
Iran, long known as a nation of tea enthusiasts, is undergoing a quiet transformation as coffee culture slowly reshapes everyday routines, businesses, and social spaces—from the busy streets of Tehran to small provincial towns.
Few things feel as comforting as a steaming glass of strong Persian tea after a plate of chelow kebab. In one of Tehran’s few remaining traditional tea houses, Azari Teahouse, the amber liquid glows in a curved glass under low lights, a nostalgic emblem of the past.
Finding such a place now requires effort. Unlike two decades ago, teahouses are no longer everywhere. As Iranians jokingly say, “as long as your eyes work, you can see cafes.”
“Once you could see one street with several teahouses,” says Hadi Azari, owner of Azari Teahouse. “People would drop in three times a day to catch up. Now, I feel like I’m curating a museum.”
Azari and his brothers inherited the teahouse from their father. The family has been running it for nearly eighty years. Behind the counter, brass samovars emit soft streams of steam, while on wooden benches, mostly older men sip chai and share stories over ghelyoon—the Persian hookah.
This image captures the fading essence of Iran’s teahouses, once bustling hubs for conversation and community, now quietly fighting for survival in the age of espresso and cappuccino.
Author’s Summary
Iran’s cherished tea heritage faces a cultural shift as coffee’s rise redefines daily habits and social spaces, leaving traditional teahouses grappling with a modern identity.