Once a nation of tea lovers, Iran is witnessing a quiet revolution as coffee culture seeps into daily life, reshaping habits, businesses, and even social spaces from Tehran to the smallest towns.
Nothing hits the spot like a hot glass of strong Persian tea after a rich plate of chelow kebab. The steam curls upward from a slim-waisted glass in front of me, its amber colour glowing under the dim lights of one of Tehran’s few surviving traditional tea houses, Azari Teahouse.
Finding this place wasn’t easy. Unlike around two decades ago, teahouses are no longer ubiquitous. Instead, as Persians say, as long as your eyes work, you can see cafes…
