The Tea Story

WHEN 22-year-old Gunjan Jindal hit upon her Big Idea, she did a market survey of sorts to back up the brainwave: She asked her friends. The ...

WHEN 22-year-old Gunjan Jindal hit upon her Big Idea, she did a market survey of sorts to back up the brainwave: She asked her friends. The result was Passion, a tea cafe in the capital8217;s upmarket Basant Lok complex.

Jindal and her pals agreed that there was definitely space for a new sort of hang-out8212;a place with the comforts of home and the casualness of a coffee bar. Just somewhere to hang loose and sip cups of their favourite liquid8212;tea. 8216;8216;It8217;s what everyone drinks at home. So why wouldn8217;t they have it outside?8217;8217;

Jindal8217;s idea was corroborated by market research firm IMRB, which quotes a 8216;8216;high likeability8217;8217; in the 26-35 age group for a premium tea parlour with good ambience. Almost 80 per cent of the respondents, aged between 18 to 55 in socio-economic categories A and B, said they would 8216;8216;definitely8217;8217; visit such a parlour8212;70 per cent of them at least once a week.

So, granny chic is finally in vogue. Just as the sheen begins to wear off neighbourhood Baristas, tea is catching on as the tipple of the trendy. Away from the polished silver and lace doily world of five-star lounges, or roadside dhabas, where the thick taste doesn8217;t quite drive away the bug scare, tea cafeacute;s are emerging as the new alternative.

8216;8216;It8217;s about removing preconceptions and presenting tea as a young drink,8217;8217; says Gaurav Saria, 25, who set up Infinitea8212;arguably India8217;s first stand-alone tea bar8212;in Bangalore two years ago. 8216;8216;Apart from the iced teas, mocktails and herbal teas, we8217;re always looking at new ideas. For instance, we have something called the Stupa. Fine tea leaves are tied together and placed in a transparent cup; pour hot water on it, and it blossoms like a flower.8217;8217;

GREEN TEA MARGARITA

Chef Dean8217;s DIY-guide to an
at-home mocktail
INGREDIENTS
Chinese/Kangra/Jasmine tea,
1 cup strained after brewing for three minutes
Pink guava juice, 120 ml
Orange juice, 120 ml
Sugar syrup, 50 ml
Mineral water, 300 m
METHOD
Shake it all up in a large container and refrigerate. Fill a tall glass almost to the top with crushed ice and pour in the mixture. Serve with a slice of lemon and a sprig of mint.
Makes 5-6 glasses

At the Cha Bar, the Oxford Bookstore adjunct that pioneered the concept of the in-shop eatery, supervising chef Baksheesh Dean places a lot of emphasis on developing blends and authenticising the look. 8216;8216;We are looking at an experience,8217;8217; says Dean, who downs up to 15 cups a day.

8216;8216;Our Chai Hindustani, a readymade tea, comes in a dhaba glass with an aluminium spoon and a monkey holder; you hold the glass by the tail. The Thai lemon grass tea comes in a special elephant pot with an incense stick and a dried peepul leaf, which is considered auspicious in Thailand.8217;8217;

Story continues below this ad

	CHAI CHIC

	Tea cosy, Rs 200, Yamini stores

	Jay8217;s Kashmiri Kahwa tea bags, Rs 50 for 25, at health stores

	Brass tea kettle, Rs 553, FabIndia stores

	Chai glasses, Rs 500 for six, by Bask 8211; Abstractions, call 98200 24791

Baljit Kohli, another tea entrepreneur in his early 20s, set up the Tea Centre in Churchgate, Mumbai, after rediscovering the beverage during travels abroad. Even at Le Chocolat, his gourmet chocolate shop, Kohli stocks 29 kinds of tea, from ginseng, basil, mint and camomile to premium Darjeeling.

But for hardcore tea snobs, the extras are mere fripperies. If some are horrified at the thought of boiling their Temi with milk, others can8217;t get going without their chai. 8216;I cannot think without chai,8217; began Mira Nair in a 1,200-word New York Times eulogy to her favourite drink last year.

In fact, despite the fancy blends and tea mocktails on offer at these yuppie tea bars, their biggest seller continues to be masala tea. The concoction varies vastly from region to region, but almost always includes cardamom, cinnamon and clove. Optional add-ons: Peppercorn, ginger, fennel, bay leaves, nutmeg, poppy seeds, even licorice and vanilla beans.

And oh yes, the water. Tea fetishists turn up their noses at tap water, finding it too mineral-laden. Mineral water8217;s the way to go. And as for sugar and milk8230; well, there are almost as many preferences as there are people!

With inputs from Debanjana Chaudhuri Mumbai