Tea- totally!

Posted on by Sushmita Sahay

How do you like your tea?

With lots of love?

and some milk n sugar, maybe?

There is something about this golden liquid. It envelopes you and your mind.There is no right and wrong about it.”I like it this way” be it black, green, gold, lemon,brewed, boiled, cured and baked😳… ‘am sure everyone I know can add something of their own to this tale of the tea.

Tea– Puritans love it orthodox. The picks and the blends… A couple of strands of those curled tea leaves soaking up in a tea cup, slowly unfurling and releasing their heady flavour!You sip the light flavoursome gold…or

Go the real Indian way…

We like to call it “Chai“! We drink the liquor, we drink the concoction- first we cook it and then we also like it spiced up. It is a balm for our souls.If it ain’t coating your tongue, it ain’t Chai!! But then, we have tea and we have chai!! To each his own…What’s your pick?

Green?

Is it the antioxidants in it or its ‘belly fat burning claims‘ driving you?

English?

with its accouterments of scones and clotted cream!( can’t comment on the practitioners of this style, I am a full blown ‘desi‘ (of the country, simply put)

Masala?–

Every proud housewife has her favourite pick from the larder as she brews a special for you with ginger, cardamom,cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, saffron, jaggery as choice additions.Are you the one for it?

Or Dhaba-chai?

Only to be found in roadside kiosks…ultimate sweet nectar, which is loved more for its glass tumblers😁 and the peculiar chummy clattering noises the tumblers make in the background as they get washed for the next service. I love it!

Or mom’s Regular, hm?

M for mom, M for moderation! Always served in the same tea cups till they die a slow death, in the wash basins due to frequent scrubbing… accompanied with rusks and biscuits only. Morning or evening, same taste@ your home brand!

Or the South special–One meter chai?

By the way, tea is consumed in copious quantities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as both the states boast of tea gardens and tea factories. Yes! As much as coffee, if not more!

Enterprise has no bounds when it comes to tea and its preparation in India. The latest kid on the block being:

Tandoori chai!

Is it taking tea to its zenith before it commits self annihilation- Suicide? 😬

So, which tea gets you?

19 thoughts on “Tea- totally!”

  2. Sus! !!!! Love you for this. Loved your write up on my fav chai. That too with my picture. Can’t ask for more. Tea has a very important position in different cultures all over the world!
    Not to mention the “bhar ” e cha ( aka kulhar chai. While touring Rajasthan I had come across ” khari chamach chai ” . This means the sugar content in the small glass is so much that you can’t stir with the spoon….chamach khari reh jati hey!
    But I assure you “green tea ” is not strong enough to flatten my tummy!
    Furthermore, let me ask you, Did you have anything political in your mind while choosing this topic as we are gearing up for the forthcoming polls?
    Phir kyun. …Chai pe charcha? ????

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. Sus! !!!! Love you for this. Loved your write up on my fav chai. That too with my picture. Can’t ask for more. Tea has a very important position in different cultures all over the world!
    Not to mention the “bhar ” e cha ( aka kulhar chai. While touring Rajasthan I had come across ” khari chamach chai ” . This means the sugar content in the small glass is so much that you can’t stir with the spoon….chamach khari reh jati hey!
    But I assure you “green tea ” is not strong enough to flatten my tummy!
    Furthermore, let me ask you, Did you have anything political in your mind while choosing this topic as we are gearing up for the forthcoming polls?
    Phir kyun. …Chai pe charcha? ????

    Like

    Reply

  4. Bongs have their unique way here too. The bong name for black tea is ….liquor cha. My dad’s friend asked a tea stall owner in Goa, ” Do you serve liquor tea bro?”.
    And prompt came the reply : sir this is a tea stall..we don’t serve liquor!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Beautiful write up my friend on my soulful beverage. Brought so many memories of my ‘tall cup with little tea’ and the time spent at Ganga Dhaba over two decades ago. Remember? : )
    My favorite is still ‘adrak wali masala chai’

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Beautiful write up my friend on my soulful beverage. Brought so many memories of my ‘tall cup with little tea’ and the time spent at Ganga Dhaba over two decades ago. Remember? : )
    My favorite is still ‘adrak wali masala chai’

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  10. I used to envy the connection between mummy and chai…Then in college I got to know why… Whenever we friends go out…”Chai pila bhai”, we shout…😅😅😅

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Published by Sushmita Sahay

Expressed words carry a world of meaning in them. I love to read, write and speak. Sharing my random musings here is a pleasure 😊