Cha

Maya’s post on tea pots got me thinking on tea. Cha.   

That’s what we called tea back home. Having cha was a ritual. And an elaborate one at that. This is one bong trait I am rather thankful to have- the ‘cha’ drinking trait. And like most bongs, I love my everyday cup of freshly infused Darjeeling cha. The entire cha drinking experience, right from preparing it, has a very calming effect on me. I remember, for the longest time my parents got the Darjeeling leaf tea from Kolkata – we generally got Orange Pekoe. It was a luxury in those days, when leaf tea cost four times the price of regular dust tea. But ma, Pa always

about maintained their Cha standards. We stocked enough to last us for months. And if we did run out of it, we always had the Lipton- Green Label. Now of course, we have more options- Fab India stocks the finest Makaibari Darjeeling tea, in beautiful wooden boxes. A perfect gift for a tea drinker. Makaibari tea estate is said to be the best tea garden in the world. And if you ask me, their tea leaves are the best of all the Darjeeling/Himalayan/Assam varieties. Besides, Fab India, most departmental stores in India stock a variety of leaf tea from Nilgiris, Assam and Darjeeling blends.

 

China, from where tea originated has some very invigorating varieties. Though I have absolutely no knowledge about the names of the tea gardens there, we all know that both the Chinese and Japanese are known to love Green tea. Not all like the taste of Green tea. Though these days its being promoted for health reasons, to absolutely love Green tea one must acquire the taste. Be it Green tea, Jasmine, Chamomile, or the flavored teas available around Europe, and the very popular English breakfast tea, I love them all. I remember buying packs of flavoured tea from Istanbul– Apple, Rose, mixed herbs.  Oh and there’s more - have u heard of the chocolate tea- Lhamsa Chocolate tea? I am not so fond of the fruit infusions, but totally totally toallly love the herb teas. Fab India stocks some real good Tulsi tea. Just dump a Tulsi tea bag in a big mug of hot water and infuse it for a while. Lo! its all ready to take you to serene land! I remember Sue and I loved sharing a mug o Tulsi tea, in her balcony.

 

And what of our regular Masala Chai? Oh I love that too. On a chilly, wintry afternoon, there’s nothing like a steaming hot cup of Masala Chai. And I always stock a good amount of this chai, lest someone drops in and cringes at the mention of leaf tea. I believe Masala Chai is for those true connoisseurs of life- who live life king size, and like their chai with full fat milk, 3 teaspoons full of sugar, and tea brewed for atleast 15 minutes with Sanjeev Kapoor’s chai masala! This is fit for a royal guest, and is best enjoyed with Alu and Onion bhajjis. I remember, in Cuttack during our summer holidays, a huge aluminum Kettle would sit on the coal chulha, and cha would be brewed for a good half an hour. By 4pm, a steel cup and a tiny kettle with the brewed cha with a full packet of Parle G would be left by our bedside, along with a quick wake up call from your afternoon siesta - ‘utha, charta bajilani’ (Wake up its 4pm). Now who wouldn’t wake up to that aroma!!

 

  In Sydney, in the suburb I live in, I discovered The Tea Centre. Its a place you can spend hours, just looking at the pots, tea varieties and accessories. And here’s the crazy variety of teas they stock:

Chai (with cinnamon,cardamom, ginger and rose petals), Japanese Lime, Stockholm Blend, Cream, Sydney Special Blend, Earl Grey Special, Assam Dimakusi, Tea For Sunday, English Breakfast, Jasmine Monkey King, Organic Gunpowder, Pai Mu Tan, Japanese Sencha, Morningflower, Darjeeling, Ceylon Organic, Lapsang Souchong, Ginger Kiss, Rooibos Fireside, Sweet Dream & Anti Stress. Whoa!

 

The beautiful red Japanese tea pot you see here, is in good company these days. I picked her up at The Tea  Centre, and ever since we’ve had some real good time together.

 

But I like my every day cup of black tea in the mornings and with a dash of milk in the evenings. And yes, the tea must be infused in a pot. Call me smug if you should, but that’s how I like my cup of tea. Like I said, tea drinking for me,  is a ritual.