Time to sip the tea.
December is for snuggles and warm drinks. Yes, you can head over to your bar to pour yourself some whisky, but nothing beats a good cup of chai. Tea is a perennial favourite, but we think it tastes even better in the rainy season and winter. The British made tea a mass favourite in the subcontinent. We wanted to explore the tea grown and brewed across India, TBH, we were blown away! Here are some Indian teas you must try…
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Nobody knows when this tea made its way from the land of Afghanistan to the valleys of Kashmir. With it being around long before the West decided to call it green tea, Kashmiri Kahwa is a drink that is served post-breakfast. Saffron, cinnamon, green tea leaves, green cardamom pods are all the essential ingredients you need to brew yourself a wonderful cup of tea to keep you warm on those nippy evenings.
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It’s spicy, aromatic, hot and sweet. What’s not to love about the OG of teas? It’s the perfect cup of milk tea you need to get you through a long, mundane workday. Masala tea is incomplete without its spice blend and black tea of course. With cardamom, ginger and cinnamon forming the base, you can add more spices to make the recipe your own.
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If you have been to Ladakh you would recognise this tea in an instant. Nun chai or Gur-gur chai is a buttery salted tea. It’s made from boiling tea and baking soda in a samovar. It’s also called butter tea because of the yak butter that is added to it, making it as unique as it gets. The tea is mixed in a wooden churn called the gur-gur, and hence the name. This calorie-heavy tea is best for withstanding the cold winters and is so delicious that you’ll probably down it in a jiffy.
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Grown in the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal, Darjeeling tea is called the ‘champagne of teas’. Sold primarily as black, it is also available as green, white and oolong teas. A classic in its own right.
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Unlike the Darjeeling and Nilgiri teas that are grown on hills, Assam tea grows on the lowlands, which imparts a brisk and malty flavour to its black teas. Irish breakfast tea generally uses Assam tea in small proportions and so do the English. It’s made its way far beyond the borders of our country.
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It’s just the tea you need to add zest to your otherwise boring day! It’s sweet and sour and slightly spicy, a favourite amongst those in Kerala’s Malabar region, it leaves you refreshed with every sip you take. The beverage was brought to the southern coast of India by Arab traders and has ever since been sipped on. This no milk black tea served with a squeeze of lime is robust yet light on the palate, a must-have if you visit the south of India anytime soon!
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The lesser-known Kangra tea is slowly making a comeback. Originating from the Kangra district of Uttar Pradesh, it was once recognised as the finest tea in the country. Available in black and green tea, look out for its unique and distinct earthy flavour.
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This popular Kashmiri tea is known for its distinct pink colour. Noon chai or Sheer chai is made by brewing tea leaves with baking soda and cardamom until the desired pink colour is achieved. The tea is usually accompanied by milk and salt.
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Nilgiri tea is one of the most popular teas that is exported from India. Grown in plantations in the southern part of the Western Ghats, which spreads across the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Nilgiri Tea offers a really dark and intense aromatic chai that you are bound to come back for more.
Tea plays such an important part in every Indians’ daily life. It’s almost ingrained in us like tradition. A cup of tea is what welcomes you into someone’s home and now you can offer a variety and more to those coming over to your house!
[Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock]
Shraddha Shetty