A pot of tea brewing at tiny stalls is a familiar sight at virtually every street corner in India. But this young, aspirational country is now turning for a cup of tea to hip tea outlets modelled along the lines of popular coffee boutiques.
By Staff Reporter | February 2, 2023 | 1700 hours
Tea is one of the most important cash crops and plays a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in exporting and developing countries. Tea was introduced to India by the British in the nineteenth century, to overcome the monopoly of Chinese production. The first area to be planted was the mountain region surrounding the city of Darjeeling, perched on the Himalayan foothills, in the 1850s. India is one of the largest tea producers in the world, although over 70 per cent of its tea is consumed within India itself. Tea production, certification, exportation, and all other facets of the tea trade in India are controlled by the Tea Board of India which is in Kolkata.
In India, tea is not only a favourite drink, it is an integral part of the culture and life of every Indian. Besides being the most preferred household drink, tea is also celebrated outside the house in millions of tea stalls, virtually visible in every street corner of the country. People are now increasingly choosing branded labels over goods from tea vendors in the unorganized sector.
Mba Chaiwala in Kolkata attracts crowds at all times of the day
While India has always been a tea-loving country, cafés and restaurants can capitalize on this new wave of popularity by presenting tea in its new avatars. For instance, green tea is currently a fad among fitness-conscious, while its health benefits are scientifically proven. Including green tea and green tea-based drinks can appeal to a select section of consumers. Similarly, tea-based infusions in flavours like cranberry-apple, strawberry cream, and orange-ginger etc. can be a huge attraction for the young, college-going crowd. Aromatic spice teas and Classic black teas like Darjeeling and Assam teas are, of course, all-time favourites.
Dolly’s is Kolkata’s most famous tea shop. Set up in 1987, situated in a corner of the Dakshinapan Shopping Centre by Dolly Roy – the first-ever woman tea taster of India – the outlet, with a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere, serves affordable tea that customers swear by. It is a part of Roy’s mission to spread the goodness of India’s wonder beverage.
Cha Bar is the first of its kind urban contemporary space that created a rage in Kolkata in year 2000, turning tea from a dry page in history to a lifestyle drink! The concept was expanded pan India integrated into Oxford Bookstores and customers loved the experience of being able to browse at leisure, leafing through the books of their choice, over a cup of tea from the wide selection available at the Cha Bar.
Tea Junction was established in the year 2004 with its flagship store in City Centre Mall, Salt Lake, Kolkata. Since then, Tea Junction has grown to over 45 outlets between Kolkata and Siliguri with many more in the pipeline. Tea Junction has been a pioneer in establishing organized tea retail outlets and is East India’s largest.
MBA Chaiwala, one of the most famous tea outlet chains in India, opened their first-ever outlet in Kolkata’s Lake Town. Mr. Prafull Billore is a young Indian entrepreneur, a YouTuber, an angel investor, a keynote speaker, and a content creator who started his own tea company in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Initially, he named his company Mr. Billore Ahmedabad, which eventually became MBA CHAI WALA.
Karma Kettle is an artisanal tea company based in Kolkata, India, founded by hospitality and F&B experts Priti Sen Arora and Dhiraj Arora. Their journey begin in 2015, in the hills of Darjeeling in eastern India, where the finest teas cultivated from grand cru estates are waiting to be transformed into delicious cups of tea. What inspired them to begin this journey was an incredibly simple yet astounding mission: to bring fresh gourmet teas straight from the tea gardens to the kettle and cup.
Cha-Khor, a unique Tea shop cum cafeteria offers a new take on traditional tea, the ‘Fusion tea’ which was established by Mr. Sandip Joadder in 2019 and his elder brother, Mr. Sourav Joadder joined in 2020 as a Co-Founder of Cha-Khor.
At The Tea Trove, they bring you freshly packed tea directly from the tea cultivators and blend them into unique and sophisticated teas. Committed to being a sustainable and eco-friendly business venture, they work hand-in-hand with the best local as well as global tea and food artisans.
Abak Cha Paan is another unique tea bar in Kolkata for tea lovers. Come here to enjoy absolutely authentic tea. Come to Abak Cha Paan to get drunk on the worldwide variety of high-quality tea flavours at pocket friendly prices with beautiful ambience.
It is no secret that Guwahati is the new breeding point for cafes and bistros. The Tea Story – the first and only tea bistro of its kind in the region! The Tea Story can be termed as one of the catalysts for the bistro culture that has gripped Guwahati in recent times.
These days, sustainability is the rule rather than the exception, and the FMCG industry is no different. The sale of certified tea is increasing quickly. In the modern tea industry, fair trade is a crucial factor. Other methods of implementing sustainability include the use of organic teas and cooperation with rainforests. One might anticipate long-lasting consequences on the tea business as a result of the growing need for and knowledge of sustainability.
