Good day, readers of the world! You know, I do enjoy looking at the Stats screen of this site, mostly because I get to see the viewership of my content. Every year, new countries are added to the list and it fills me with glee and the need to laugh and bounce around the room when I note a different country. I’ve always dreamed of travelling the world and this is… a kind of step, I should say, to realising that.
I haven’t discussed beverages enough on this platform. I may have mentioned cranberry juice a couple of times, the occasional mug of rich cocoa, maybe even the citric punch of ice-cold lemonade. Coffee, I am sorry to say, has never caught my fancy. Yes, a student, that too, of computer science, is expressing her dislike towards a popular caffeinated beverage that stimulates and rejuvenates and carries the night owl through their sleepless night of work. My friends live on the dark mystical elixir. They drink it straight up bitter, sometimes with a bit of sugar, sometimes in the iced hazelnut version and very very often, with milk (brrr). I don’t begrudge them for this. Let them have their coffee – it works for them, doesn’t it? I have something even more magnificent.
Tea.
Chai.
The potion that conjures up images of a cold day where everything is going wrong. The atmosphere at work is stretched to breaking point. The mad professor is extra angsty today, assigning additional piles of homework just because somebody spoke out of turn in class. You missed your bus. There is a hole in your favourite white t-shirt. You lost your brand new pair of sneakers when you were sightseeing. You slipped in the mud and fell face first into a puddle, soiling your crisp interview outfit and making you the spectacle of your campus.
But then you come home. Put a pot of water on to boil. Shower. Change into soft and comfortable pyjamas. Take the water off. Add tea leaves or a tiny, cute little bag of tea. Watch as the colour if the water changes to a beautiful lilting golden and then deepens to a strong amber-honey. Add some sugar, if that’s up your alley ( and since today is a horrid day, yes. Most definitely add sugar. For a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down… Or something like that). Pick up a local spoon. Stir until the crystals of sugar have disappeared. Pour yourself a nice cup of chai.
And when you take that sip, the tea embraces you in a tight, warm, enveloping hug. The world slowly fades away, as only you and your tea remain. The throbbing in your head relaxes, releasing the muscles of tension and worry on your forehead one by one. The soreness in your arms and the stiffness in your legs dissolves. You sink back into your chair. Exhale. Hum. Breathe.
And the world is right again.
The best thing about chai is that there are so many ways to make it work.
For example, Indians know chai as this strong, milky, boiled concoction with sweetness and the occasional hit of spices – some cardamom, some cloves, sometimes a pinch of turmeric. It’s not my favourite way to consume tea, but it does provide the same relief and healing power to many, many human beings I have the fortune of knowing. Indian chai is community and family and athithi devo bhava ( the guest is god) signifying welcome and family and a sense of hospitality. Indian chai is friends in a roadside tea kadai, sipping from steel tumblers and chomping on oily potato-filled samosas as they curse the mad professor. Indian chai is an emotion.
For the curious, kadai refers to a shop.
Russian and Ukrainian chai is another example. The abundance of berries and seasonal fruit in the colder regions of the world, as well as the bounty of herbs and grasses available freely by the side of the road, allows for very creative and very warming experiments. In fact, a traditional symbol of teamaking in many of the earlier Soviet nations is the classic samovar, a globulous metallic contraption that allows you to brew fantastic herbal tea. From here are born glorious wonders like raspberry branch tea, cherry branch tea, mint tea ( beautiful, I say. An absolute miracle in tea innovation), tea from daisies, linden tea, thyme tea ( relaxing, aromatic and really helps with colds) and so many more. Most tea isn’t really tea, but rather a brew of various leaves and branches and herbs. A true potion if ever there was one.
And then there is the matcha from Japan. A bright green powder, obtained from finely ground green tea leaves, providing flavour to multiple signature dishes withing the country and in top restaurants and pâtisseries around the world. It imparts a subtle but memorable flavour to their Kitkats, can be combined with azuki red beans or sakura flowers to make a beautiful floral combination or just provide colouration to things like marzipan and cream.
Up in Britain, tea is considered the essence of high society, with elaborate tea parties and more importantly, the stereotypes of Britain drowning in tea, being the focal point. Here, tea must be consumed hot, and usually accompanied by a sandwich or small pastries. It is the soul of the system, the beverage that boils the blood and yet dissipates all aggressive behaviour from the drinker so all that is left is a calm human being. It is the sophistication in society, with traces of distinctive Earl Gray. It is the ceramic cup that sits on tables or in the local teashop, until it is snatched up by a ticktock busywalk.
Tea is a calming force. It is an embodiment of Zen. It can bring people together. It can also be enjoyed alone, as you stare out the window, rain pelting onto the pavement. It is your companion as you curl up and flip through the worn pages of a long-unread novel. It is a cool, refreshing drink that can be enjoyed with an infusion of lemon or iced, on a hot day.
Green tea, black tea, white tea, chocolate tea, herbal tea, floral tea, passion fruit tea, any fruit tea.
These days, it’s a health statement to drink these fancy blends of tea. There is caffeine in the beverage, by the way ; it just isn’t as pronounced as in coffee. You see these Instagram posts of boba tea with those frittery little bubbles, or rainbow tea in high-end cafés, or artisanal chai lattes, or even iced tea blends. There’s much to experiment with the flavour profile provided by these leaves. Every place you source the leaves from, be it Darjeeling or Ooty or China or English tea plantations has its own unique touch that it adds to the flavour. And that is how the connoisseur identifies between Ceylon tea and the sophisticated Earl Grey.
As for what to enjoy with tea, it is again a matter of personal preference. I’ve noticed that most Indians prefer an accompaniment of spice and crunch to the contrasting sweetness of the tea. So, plates of onion bajji and samosas and chaat and chips often accompany the cuppa. Most European countries lean towards the sweet preferring biscuits and pastries and cake with scrumptious frosting. Still others tend to incorporate tea into their mealtimes, making it a complement to their sandwiches, pancakes, French toast or like me, any breakfast or dinner that doesn’t involve straight-up milk.
I shall conclude my discourse by being exceptionally grateful for the privilege to have this amazing beverage in my life, and for having been introduced to it at an early age. Mint tea has helped me through stress during exam season. Ginger tea has been my supportive blanket through cramps and headaches and coughs and colds. Thyme tea, though rare, has untwisted my convoluted thoughts and brought me out of stupor. Tulsi tea has sparked activity and rejuvenated after a long day. Weak black tea provided that shot of caffeine. Lemon tea added a bit of pop to life. In any case, chai is firmly entwined in the lifeline of my family and I will not give it up for anything. Thank you, my favourite warm beverage.
And thank you, dear reader, for being a part of this ramble.
Sincerely,
The Nerdy Snickerdoodle
My Literary Fantasia 