Time for Tea
Destination: India
From bustling train station platforms and street corner chaiwallas (tea sellers) to cozy tile-clad home kitchens and trendy restaurants, masala chai can be found everywhere in India.
The black tea leaves simmer with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and ginger, and are eventually brought to a frothy boil with milk. This “liquid gold” is strained into a narrow glass or dainty cup, its heady aroma wafting through the air.
A waiter offers an elegant tea service in Jaipur. Image credit: Alamy
Dating back more than 5,000 years, a non-caffeinated version of chai was first steeped as a hot, spice-laden beverage to promote digestion and relieve pain in the courts of Indian royals. This early emergence of chai coincided with the rise of Ayurveda, a holistic system of medicine that relies heavily on the healing powers of botanicals, herbs, and spices.
Masala chai, as we know and enjoy it today, grew popular during India’s colonial days. It was the British, fond of adding milk and sugar to their tea, who cultivated vast tea plantations in Darjeeling and Assam, northeastern regions well suited for growing tea leaves, as well as in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It’s worth noting that the Camellia sinensis plant, a flowering evergreen shrub whose leaves, buds, and stems are used to produce black, green, and white tea, originates from China. In fact, the term chai, translating to tea in Hindi, is derived from chá, the Chinese word for tea.
The lush, green tea plantations of Munnar, Kerala. Image credit: Shutterstock
CHAI’S ORIGINS
TEA REGIONS
Image credit: Shutterstock
Image credit: Shutterstock
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Nestled in the foothills of the majestic Himalayas, Darjeeling caught the eye of the East India Company, which promptly went on to plant tea on the mineral-rich slopes. For context: by 1850, the annual consumption of tea in Victorian England was about two pounds per person. Wary of continuing to depend on China as its sole tea supplier, the British wanted to establish sources of their own. Darjeeling tea quickly began to distinguish itself as the cream of the crop. The cool, misty climate and high elevation produced a distinct flavor that would seal the fate of the area.
Lush, verdant, and wild Assam also flourished as a tea-growing region under the British. Once populated by tigers and leopards, the area is now synonymous with black tea with floral and caramel hints. Monabari, Halmari, and Mangalam estates are among the oldest and most visited tea gardens. Further south, in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the mountainous areas of Nilgiri and Munnar also boast dozens of tea plantations. At 7,130 feet, Kolukkumalai Tea Estate in Munnar is considered to be the highest tea garden in the world. Visitors can explore the estate and sample different teas as well as stay overnight.
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Women harvesting tea leaves in Darjeeling. Image credit: Shutterstock
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For Indians, a cup of tea is not just about the tea; it is also the ritual, the hospitality, and the company. It’s about a shared moment among friends, family, colleagues, and schoolmates. I have fond memories of grabbing a glass of cutting chai (because the two sips’ worth quantity is just enough) with my cousins during visits back home to Bombay. I can easily conjure images of hawkers selling clay cups of tea to us through train windows as we pilgrimaged to Jain temples. And I can recall arriving at a sari shop and the salesperson insisting on a refreshing cup of tea as spools of brocaded silk in peacock greens and fuchsia pinks were unraveled before me.
Chai inherently allows for a fantastic diversity of blends and flavors, and families often create their own special recipe, passing it down from one generation to the next. Some tea drinkers prefer a generous spike of grated ginger, others a dash of black pepper, or they add a piece of fresh lemongrass as the tea brews for an earthy touch. Some enjoy a milkier, creamier elixir, while others indulge in the sweetness. Whatever the preference, a side of buttery biscuits or tangy snacks such as chivda (made with crispy rice flakes, shredded coconut, spices, and nuts) are a must.
India has developed its own distinctive tea culture over 5,000 years. Image credit: Alamy
In recent decades, several artisanal tea growers focusing on crafting small-batch, high-quality, loose-leaf tea have emerged in India. Among them are Tea Trunk, founded in 2013 by Snigdha Manchanda; The Hillcart Tales, based in Darjeeling; and Goodwyn Tea, specializing in single-origin teas from estates in Assam. A passion for tea, a spirit of experimentation and entrepreneurialism, and eye-catching design have made these newcomers especially popular with the younger generation.
Though chai undoubtedly reigns as the king in India, its cousin and rival, coffee, is also grown in India and loved by millions. Indian coffee plantations are largely concentrated in the southern subcontinent, where the rich soil, humid temperature, and rainfall have allowed the plant to thrive.
Filter coffee, made from chicory-laced ground coffee powder (not instant) that’s passed through a filter and then mixed with milk and sugar, is especially common in southern India and at all South Indian restaurants, where it’s the perfect finish to a meal of steamed idli (savory rice cake), crunchy dosa (savory crepe), and spicy sambar (stew). Typically, servers will pour the coffee from one cup into another at great height for extra froth and theatrics.
THE ART OF TEA . . . AND COFFEE
An array of coffees and teas for sale at Anjuna flea market. Image credit: Shutterstock
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For Indians, a cup of tea is not just about the tea; it is also the ritual, the hospitality, and the company. It’s about a shared moment among friends, family, colleagues, and schoolmates. I have fond memories of grabbing a glass of cutting chai (because the two sips’ worth quantity is just enough) with my cousins during visits back home to Bombay. I can easily conjure images of hawkers selling clay cups of tea to us through train windows as we pilgrimaged to Jain temples. And I can recall arriving at a sari shop and the salesperson insisting on a refreshing cup of tea as spools of brocaded silk in peacock greens and fuchsia pinks were unraveled before me.
Chai inherently allows for a fantastic diversity of blends and flavors, and families often create their own special recipe, passing it down from one generation to the next. Some tea drinkers prefer a generous spike of grated ginger, others a dash of black pepper, or they add a piece of fresh lemongrass as the tea brews for an earthy touch. Some enjoy a milkier, creamier elixir, while others indulge in the sweetness. Whatever the preference, a side of buttery biscuits or tangy snacks such as chivda (made with crispy rice flakes, shredded coconut, spices, and nuts) are a must.
Image credit: Alamy. India has developed its own distinctive tea culture over 5,000 years
Image credit: Shutterstock. The lush, green tea plantations of Munnar, Kerala
In recent decades, several artisanal tea growers focusing on crafting small-batch, high-quality, loose-leaf tea have emerged in India. Among them are Tea Trunk, founded in 2013 by Snigdha Manchanda; The Hillcart Tales, based in Darjeeling; and Goodwyn Tea, specializing in single-origin teas from estates in Assam. A passion for tea, a spirit of experimentation and entrepreneurialism, and eye-catching design have made these newcomers especially popular with the younger generation.
Though chai undoubtedly reigns as the king in India, its cousin and rival, coffee, is also grown in India and loved by millions. Indian coffee plantations are largely concentrated in the southern subcontinent, where the rich soil, humid temperature, and rainfall have allowed the plant to thrive.
Filter coffee, made from chicory-laced ground coffee powder (not instant) that’s passed through a filter and then mixed with milk and sugar, is especially common in southern India and at all South Indian restaurants, where it’s the perfect finish to a meal of steamed idli (savory rice cake), crunchy dosa (savory crepe), and spicy sambar (stew). Typically, servers will pour the coffee from one cup into another at great height for extra froth and theatrics.
THE ART OF TEA . . . AND COFFEE
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