Shaf'yr Al'Rahi - The sigh of journey's end

The negotiation in the noisy caravanserai had stalled, as all important negotiations do. The two merchants, Yusuf and his rival, sat across a low table piled with bolts of patterned silk, the air thick with feigned indifference. Yusuf's clerk poured the Shaf'yr Al'Rahi, steam rising from the heavy brass pot.   With a graceful nod, Yusuf accepted the tiny, fractured crystal of cane sugar, placing it carefully beneath his tongue before raising the cup. The first sip delivered the sharp bitterness of the smoked black tea, but he held his tongue, waiting for the sweetness to rise.   He watched his rival betray himself with a quick, impatient sip. "Chasing the quick reward," Yusuf thought   Yusuf continued his slow, measured sipping, letting the quiet balance of the cardamom and the melting crystal speak for his patience. He knew the terms he needed would be accepted before the last drop cooled.

  In Ri'kahar, a nation built upon the shifting currents of trade, few things are more essential than courtesy and respect - and sharing this beverage symbolizes both. The Shaf'yr Al'Rahi, or "The sigh of journey's end" in the common tongue, is far more than a tea. It is a moment of breath, the first taste of home after a long journey. It is rare to see a negotiation that does not involve Shaf'yr Al'Rahi.   Its base is a smoked black tea, aggressive and strong on the tongue, yet made rich by a layering of crushed cardamom pods, a splinter of warm cinnamon bark, and curled dried orange peel. And over all this hovers the subtle, creamy softness from a fine powder of ground dried camel milk. And while the brewing is a practiced art, the final cornerstone is a fractured crystal of cane sugar, the Shaf'yr Al'dur—a single, enduring gem offered to the guest first to be placed carefully beneath the tongue. This crystal is meant to dissolve with a graceful slowness, an unhurried tide of sweetness rising to meet the tea’s bitter strength. This deliberate, measured process makes it almost impossible to utter words and still savor the tea. The required solemn silence, respect and courtesy anchor every transaction and seal every word of the bargain struck.