There are really only three kinds of tea
1. Robust Black Teas, made from leaves that have been allowed to ferment
2. Delicate green teas, which are steamed instead of fermented; and
3. In-between oolong teas, which are only partially fermented!
Tea is drunk to forget the din of the world
“If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you.”
I bet we all remember our first times— first cycle ride, first prize, first drink, first salary, first kiss, first lie… first this & that…
But I also remember my first cuppa tea! 🙂 🙂
Because it occured to me after a long wait and lots of anticipation!!! And it happened in too special a way to forget!!!
Okay now, lets begin from the beginning.
For me, tea meant……
…a fancy drink
…a childhood tabooo
…an elders delight
…an enigma
Yes, I was not allowed to have tea. This rule courtesy my grandma; she did not like her children to have tea- and I a kid to her ever. So I never ever had a sip of tea for 27 odd years of my life! (Wonder if that’s some sort of a record)
Anyways, I know I was always drawn to this mysterious drink, its woody color and the-then indefinable aroma. Tea was like an enigma for me, something I’d always associate with adulthood (!), choice (!!) andmaturity (!!!) Weird? But that’s what it was for me. Those delicate tea sets were equally fascinating, uhhhh, forbidden too! I had watched my elders and cousins sipping their tea and wondered how it tasted. Imagined if it tasted anything like horlicks and decided that it certainly tasted better. Assumed if tea tasted like hot-chocolate and conclued that being the elder’s drink it was, it was bound to have a better (read: less sweetened) flavor. The days passed by and I simply belived that I wasn’t cut out fora cuppa tea (ironic, haa)… But I’m proven wrong. 🙂
Animesh (my husband), an avid tea lover himself, never liked the idea of us having different beverages.(Him: Tea; Me: All except tea) So early one morning, he handed me a tea mug and asked me to taste it. (“your introduction to tea”, he quipped) He was kind enough to say that I could leave drinking if I did not like it!
So I sipped.
Relished.
Loved it.
And thanked Animesh for my first cuppa ever!! I love him so for this special cuppa and for this perfect moment. 🙂
Three weeks down, I have travelled across six states, eleven cities and stopped at a number of tea stalls. Needless to say, I enjoyed every single cupppa tea I had.
Proud to be the new kid on the tea block, though still experimenting with tea types and snacks to go with chaii. I liked samosa n plain marie biscuits so far…
Here, may I ask the readers of this post: would you tell me whats your favourite cup of tea & snacks? I’d love to try it out 🙂
I want to thank Om for letting me tell my tea-story @ chai-ki-dukaan. For letting me be a fellow chai-wali on your blogspace. This whole experience is awesome. Thanks buddy! 🙂
P.S. Two days back, I asked amma (my grandma) as why she kept me away from this wonderful cuppa. She chuckled and said “Some things are worth the wait”
I agree, amma!!
Some tea-pics now:
My first tea-mug @ Home, Hyderabad 🙂
Chai at a dhaba on way to Patni-Top (Jammu)
Bollywood Masala Mix & Truck-Driver Especial Chaii @ Cha Bar, New Delhi.
Chai ke Glass @ Cha Bar
* Posted by Mayuri
Am out on a longish drive this weekend, and drove a almost brand new Ford Fusion yesterday for about 5 hours straight… I am surprised with the smoothness of the car, never expected Ford to be this smooth… will write more when I am back !
Please welcome a new member to the Chaibaaz Family.. Chandan Dubey (चंदन दूबे )
She is from Banaras and currently based out of Hong Kong and has a blog called Girl About Home. Go to her blog and you would be able to effortless wander around all the text and photographs that she has there… Something to look at whenever you need to view some refreshing colors ! Needless to say, the same thing is true about her flickr stream too !!
Welcome to the Chaibaaz Family Chandan 🙂 I kind of like your name like this :चंदन चायबाज़
And, finding members for the Chaibaaz family is something that I really like to do.. .Random thing number 1 🙂
I am in love with Kolkata and would love to spend a week (maybe more) just walking around the corners and streets… I feel that city still has a lot of character and its old age charisma to share… I still remember walking around Hawrah, taking that ferry to BBD Bagh, walking from there to Chaurangee, and then to Robindro Shodon and finally taking a shared cab from Exide to Korunamoi. You can view the pictures of my date with the city (14th Oct 2006) here.
About the photographer… Ronodip or Rawnie as he likes to call himself is the younger brother of my darling friend Tanu (who happens to put life and soul into every picture that she takes herself). Her excitement knew no boundaries when Ronodip got a camera, and Ronodip really has not disappointed with his pictures either… From what I have observed he likes taking high contrast pictures both in color and b/w and is doing a fantastic job in capturing moments from around him. You can enjoy more of his work here.
With time and the right direction he is going to go places for sure!
Welcome to the chaibaaz family Rawnie !
Time for some more Chai 🙂
The picture comes from a small tea stall in Banaras, UP, India… The city of a million and more stories, located at the bank of Ganges and said to be the oldest living city in the world… Banaras. Also known has Varanasi or Kashi.
Sunny, who has taken this picture is one of the very few people who proves that its not really the camera but the photographer who takes pictures. He is capable of producing excellent pictures, using his basic point and shoot camera and is a source for inspiration for many!
Click here to enjoy some more of his work.
I loved the green walls … that prompted me to take the picture.
Time for another ChaiBaaz to be introduced on Chai Ki dukaan…
Name Devjit Acharya, nick name Cheerful Soul
and the photo is from the streets of Banaras.
What I like about him is his fantastic eye to capture moments from the streets and the powerful compositions he presents. Dev is also one of the people who is excellent with photography fundamentals from the group of people I know, needless to say he is one of my favorite photographers and a constant source of inspiration!!!
Check out his flickr page (here) and enjoy !!!
Thanks Dev for letting me post this photograph on Chai Ki Dukaan !
notes from me:
Am I really an attention seeker? I am not sure, but attention does add fuel to my acts… I feel more responsible coz I realize someone is watching and maybe taking notes as well…
Thanks Kshitiz for the lovely photograph…
