MOVE OVER DIP TEA AND
KULHAD CHAI, EXOTIC
VARIANTS ARE HERE
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As the morning air turns
nippy , and the thirst for a steaming cuppa
over a lively adda grows
on you, give your good ol' milk tea a rethink.
Yes, the Darjeeling,
Assam and Nilgiri varieties will always be around,
but when did you last
sip international teas like Silver Needle, Smoky
Chinese Lapsang, Mate
and the likes? Now you'll say these are not
available in Kolkata
stores. True, but they can be easily bought online.
So, here's a look at the options you have...
BUBBLE
This Taiwanese drink
contains a tea base, mixed with froth or milk and
chewy tapioca
ballspearls or even fruit jellies. Usually served cold, this
tea has a slushy
consistency and is blended using ice. It is available in
fruity or milk tea
varieties. In India, however, this tea is popularly sold
in flavours such as
green apple, mango and tapioca.
PRICE: `150 to `200 for
one sachet of a flavour plus tapioca pearls
SILVER NEEDLE
This Chinese variant of
white tea is also one of the most expensive
varieties. Lightly
oxidised and best brewed in mild boiling water, it has
a sweet, vegetal and
delicate taste and is mostly opted by those who
are not too fond of
drinking strong teas. Silver Needle should not be
brewed for more than
five minutes and should be left in the water for
about three minutes
before poured into a cup.
PRICE: `500 to `900 for
10 tea bags
GENMAICHA
That’s the Japanese name
for green tea, though this variant comes
with roasted brown rice
as an ingredient. Often referred to as
‘popcorn tea’, this variant is brewed in way
slightly different from
the usual green tea. It
has to be boiled and not dipped, with the
brewing time not
exceeding 30 seconds.
The tea has a mild
yellow hue and has several health benefits like
improving skin texture
and cardiovascular health.
PRICE: `300 to `500 (for
16 tea bags)
SOUTH AFRICAN RED
Also known as Rooibos,
this herbal or bush tea is typically consumed
in South Africa. The
leaves are oxidised and thus get a reddish-brown colour.
Though it’s a variant of
the popular green tea, it has a malty and slightly
grassy flavour and is
typically consumed without milk. Apart from tea,
the South African Red
also has its variety of coffees, which are served
as red lattes or
cappucinos.
PRICE: `450 to `550 for
250 gm
MATE
Mate or Yerba Mate, as
it’s popularly known, this South American
caffeine-rich drink
that’s consumed especially in Argentina, is
traditionally prepared
by brewing dried leaves of yerba mate in
hot water and is served
with a silver straw. However, one can
also prepare it by
boiling it in water for about 20 seconds.
The health benefits of
this hot beverage are many
— it increases blood
circulation and prevents gum and tooth decay.
PRICE: `450 to `800 for
250 gm
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Meghna Mukherjee
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TNN 21OCT15
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