Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Anytime is tea time in Bhopal. After Covid-19 pandemic, the Bhopalis, especially the youths, love to take a cup of tea with a different tang. It is no surprise then that 29 flavours of tea are popular in the city.
Residents long for a cup of tea with a gingered-up aroma, which soaks their throat as well perks up their spirit.
On the eve of International Tea Day, Free Press explored the city's tea culture, which is like oxygen to many. It is not just a beverage here but an emotion. And emotions are always different. In Bhopal, tea shops sell about 29 different flavours of tea.
The most popular yet uncommon tastes in the city include caramel, apple cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, rose, hibiscus, butterscotch and kesar masala. Tea comes in a variety of tastes but it also differs depending on how it is made like the tandoori chai.
Along with modern flavours, old Bhopal is home to many tea shops that sell Sulaimani chai, known as salt tea. Among the sweet-flavoured tea, Sulaimani chai is unique and old.
According to an estimate, shops in Bhopal sell 45 types of tea leaves, which impart the tea a scrumptious taste. There is a particular shop in old Bhopal that has been there since 1972. It has a variety of tea leaves that range from very low cost to very high cost.
Tea company owner Mohmmad Zahab said, "Bhopal has been a tea city. People love it here. Now with changing trends, tea is also changing in flavours, textures. But it has not impacted the fame of classic ginger tea.”
He added, “Most people drink normal tea at home. But when they go out, they try to drink something that feels like tea but tastes a bit different. That is the reason why city’s tea culture is becoming more flavourful.”
