During a video chat with my parents last weekend I tried to explain the attaya tea drinking culture here in The Gambia. This week, I decided to record my host-dad brewing attaya. In this video, he explains a little bit about his attaya drinking as he brews ‘second barrada.’ The same tea leaves are used three times for brewing ‘first, second, and last barrada.’ To mix in the sugar and to cool down the tea, the tea is poured back and forth between the two glasses and the barrada. The attaya is then poured two glasses at a time and served to anyone and everyone that is in the compound. It is usually served to guests first and then by age seniority. When I asked the teachers at my school about what hobbies they have outside of school, most of them said brewing attaya. I think that the appeal is partially the sugar and caffeine, but most Gambians will tell you that it is the sitting around chatting during the slow brewing process that really makes the tradition special. And I have to agree. Even though I do not drink attaya everyday, I enjoy sitting around while it is being brewed and shared because of the conversation and companionship.
For more information about attaya, check out this website:
The Gambia Files 
Watching that video was so cool! You sound very fluent! Anything to compare the taste of the attaya?
Just think of really sugary green tea. Sometimes they add mint or basil leaves and sometimes they add vanilla flavored sugar.