Indore (Madhya Pradesh): ‘Tea to the English is really a picnic indoors.’
It is a common saying but one must read Indori in place of English as the Indoreans too have imbibed tea drinking to their core.
On the eve of International Tea Day, Free Press delved into the city’s love for chai and found that Indoreans consume over 12 lakh cups of tea per day worth a whopping Rs 12 crore.
When it comes to the tea leaf market, the consumption of tea leaves in the city is highest in the state with over 10 lakh kg per month.
For the youth, tea is not an aspirational drink, rather a dose that they must have daily. Naturally, they throng tea stalls at every nook and corner.
“Indore is one of the biggest markets of tea leaves in the state. The consumption is over 10 lakh kilograms every month in Indore and its surrounding 30-km radius,” Porwal Tea Company’s Sonu Jain, said.
Being one of the biggest traders of tea leaves, he said, “The tea leaves business in Indore is over Rs 30 crores a month.
“Indore gets its tea majorly from Assam and West Bengal. Out of the total consumption, only one per cent share is of green tea as people prefer the traditional chai.”
Meanwhile, Bharat Mathurawal, president of Indore Dugdh Vyapari Sangh, too affirmed city’s love for tea and said that over 1 lakh litre of milk is being consumed every day in city by tea lovers who prefer to add a dash of milk in their tea.
Indoreans prefer liquor bright, strong Chai
Indoreans are picky about their tea and even a slight change in smell or taste upsets them. “People love their tea when it is a bit sweet yet strong with a bright golden colour,” said Omprakash Upadhyaya, a tea taster for the last 26 years.
Tea Facts
According to Tea Board of India
1. About 7% of the households purchase tea from the exclusive loose tea shop.
2. Over 80% of the people consume tea either before breakfast or with breakfast, which is also one of the reasons behind the high in-home consumption of tea.
3. Close to 88% of the total households (based on the samples in the survey) in India have reported consumption of tea.
4. Ready to Drink (RTD) tea is expected to grow about 5% over the next 4-5 years, which is higher than the expected growth rate of normal tea.
