Tea Served Haute

At the Chandigarh Baking Company (CBC),a deli and patisserie housed in the newly launched JW Marriott Chandigarh in Sector 35,teas have gone gourmet. CBC offers a selection of Ronnefeldt teas,a premium German brand of tea with a variety of unusual blends. With a history dating back to as early as 1823,Ronnefeldt teas offer high-grade leaf teas culled from the world’s most popular tea-growing regions.

“There’s an element of wellness associated with tea drinking these days and perhaps that’s the reason tea is back on the stove,” feels Marriott’s executive chef Pallav Singhal. The ones that catch your attention here include ‘Vanilla Roibosh’ — a herbal infusion tinged with the delicious richness of creamy vanilla,‘Herbs & Ginger’ — very different from the adrak-wali-chai one would have recovering from a bout of flu!

The Ronnefeldt version,though based on Ayurveda,promises to infuse some freshness and vitality to the body,which comes from a combination of genuine ginger root,lemon grass,liquorice and verbena.

But if you are looking for a truly new flavour to sip on,go for the Red Fruit tea. Priced at Rs 125,it arrives in a percolator with cookies on the side. The taste and aroma remind you of wild berries. The best part is that the fruity notes don’t take away from the tea flavour and the longer you let it brew,the better it tastes. The more adventurous can also sip on a blend called ‘Get The Power’,an exquisite fruit composition with pure red currant juice and cola nuts that claims to give you energy boost that lasts the entire day.

“The teas are flavoured naturally by mixing various ingredients with tea leaves. The experience is quite comparable to a glass of wine,” says Singhal,as he talks about some forthcoming events to popularise tea drinking at Chandigarh Baking Company.

And CBC is not alone. Tea and tea flavours are the “hot trend” internationally,according to Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef Vibha Pahwa,who hosted a series of her ‘vAnila’ baking classes in the city recently. “There’s a visible dip in coffee drinking and tea is being favoured for its naturally beneficial properties,” says Pahwa. On her part,she’s introduced muffins with a distinct tea flavour. “I use homemade chai masala as one of the main ingredients,” she says.

Seeing a spurt in tea drinking,Pahwa also put together ‘The Perfect Tea class’ for those who are looking to host a fun tea session. “The aim is to turn a casual tea/coffee session into a sensation with tea cakes,shortbreads tarts and brownies,” says Pahwa,who will be hosting another workshop in the city soon.

And that’s not all. Cafe Nomad,a Mediterranean bistro in Sector 7,has come up with a new tea menu. “So far,we have had a good selection of coffee,with a few tea choices. But seeing the new craze for tea,we have decided to offer some exotic additions,” says Priya Jagat,owner of the cafe.

Launched a few weeks ago in collaboration with premium tea brand Dilmah,Cafe Nomad offers a range of ‘exceptional’ and ‘gourmet’ teas. For Rs 65,one can try out the Caramel Tea. It’s essentially high-grown Ceylon black tea complemented with the aroma of caramel and English toffee. The tea boasts of a strong toffee note with a gentle sweet finish.

Another unique flavour is the Moroccan Mint Green Tea. The soft,gentle taste of green tea is married to the sparkle of pure peppermint leaves. Jagat says Moroccans welcome guests with this drink.

And those who want to take tea drinking to another level should try infusions such as pure Camomile flowers,which are gentle and aromatic. The clear infusion is tinged with a fruity note for some sophisticacy. “We have also rolled out a special “small bites” tea menu,which offers sandwiches,cold and hot Mezze platters and desserts to complement the tea menu,” says Jagat.

What if you like the fragrance of green tea more than its flavour? Well,you could bring home some green tea candles,available at The Vanity Box in Sector 9. The refreshing fragrance is ideal for this damp rainy weather. The candles include glass jar candles,pillar candles,taper and votive candles.

Time for some novel-tea!

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