To the Tea

The coffee-shop culture my have shifted the attention away from tea but the beverage is slowly and surely gearing up for a comeback.

When he was a boy of 12,Nikhil Merchant hated the green tea that his grandmother brewed. For one,it was green in colour,and if that wasnt bad enough,it was also bitter and drunk without milk and sugar. Walking through his familys garden one day,he chanced upon some jasmine and,while taking in the sweet smell of the fragrant white flower,he wondered if the flower would make the concoction taste any better. It seemed bizarre to my family at the time. But now I realise that it was the first time I actually drank jasmine tea, he laughs.

Now,a man of 29,a food blogger and gourmet consultant,Merchant feels like he has come a long way since his adolescent days of detesting tea. He now has a variety of blends from all over the world,stacked as abundantly as the spirits in his cabinet. But the one thing he has retained from his childhood is his love for experimentation,a trait that has made him quite popular. Flavoured teas go very well with spirits such as vodka,gin and rum. They are a hit at all my parties, he says. I also love making Sangrias with seasonal fruits and vodka or gin. But instead of wine,I use tea.

While Merchant is quite content with his own approach to tea,brewed without milk and sugar for his daily cuppa,many Indians are now attending a series of appreciation workshops to get their palates accustomed to blends,such as Japanese Cherry Blossom and Ceylon Breakfast. But sitting at a tea appreciation workshop,it seems rather ironic that an Indian might need to be educated about the finer points of tea drinking. Being the largest producer of tea in the world after China,the fun of dunking biscuits in our tea is part of many childhood memories.

While Chai Latte has now become popular in the international market,the last 10 years have seen Indians turn to hot chocolate mocha and cold coffees with whipped cream for their daily fix of caffeine and conversations.

Despite this shift,master blender for The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf (CBTL),David Da Candia,believes that of all the countries he visits to discover different blends China,Taiwan,Turkey,Sri Lanka Indias tea market holds maximum potential. India is still a predominantly tea-drinking country,but the American coffee culture has really picked up among the younger generation over the last few years, he says,adding,With the amount of unhealthy food coming in,its only a matter of time before Indians recognise teas health properties and switch back to it.

In addition to CBTL,which is currently promoting its various home blends,such as Honeydew Oolong and Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl,other sources have started stocking up on black,green and oolong varieties from all over the world.

Tea Culture of the World,which imports from Egypt,China and Turkey,delivers all over India. Whereas Arome,a lifestyle brand that deals in dry fruits and spa products,retails an exclusive variety known as flowering teas that bloom when added to a pot of hot water.

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This works really well for all those who want to return to drinking tea as part of their daily routine. But for writer Snigdha Manchanda Binjola,just appreciating different blends wasnt enough. That is why she travelled to Sri Lanka on a tea trail that took her to 12 different estates. The 28-year-old,who is now a qualified tea sommelier and conducts tea appreciation workshops,believes that coffee shops are part of a yuppie culture that will soon blow over. At the sessions I conduct,I find so many people,who want to understand tea,find the best qualities and learn to brew it right, she says. Most people drink tea at home anyway. Its only when they go outside that they need to drink coffee, she says.

Final-year engineering student Vinda Dravid,who has been exposed to a wide variety of blends by her father,a tea collector,concurs with Snigdha. But Dravid,who spends a fair amount of time at coffee shops herself,feels that she has no choice. Most coffee shops have very little variety when it comes to tea. Some places offer Earl Grey and Darjeeling tea,but people still veer towards coffee, she says.

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Tea