There’s always time for some hot ‘brew’mance
The economy may be in free fall, but some sectors seem to have mercifully escaped. The tea economy, for instance, is thriving. The humble chaiwallah is brewing up cuppa after cuppa, malai maar ke, and some GST too. But nothing, it seems, affects his business. There is always a crowd around a tea stall.
I would say that Bengaluru’s denizens are split right down the middle on the coffee versus tea popularity contest. There are chai lovers and there are coffee addicts.
Here, tea is not the traditional cup that cheers, but a glass, brimful and piping hot, holding which requires an acquired skill. Over the years, tea has transformed from the regular sweet milky mix to a number of varieties – some borrowed, like the Sulaimani, chukku, Arabian, even kahwa. Then there are the innovators, who add a dash of condensed milk or drops of rose milk, have remixes and premixes, and each has its fan base. In fact, the city’s chai enthusiast is willing to nose her way around to find the best brew.
I have seen ardent tea drinkers risk night deadlines and cops to grab a glassful.
Driving back from the airport one night, well past the Cinderella hour, we stopped for a refreshing sip in the tea heartland of Shivajinagar, just as the shutters were coming down. Police vehicles had pulled in and policemen were strutting around with lathis, chasing away late revellers. It looked like curfew hour. We persisted, hoping to get at least some ‘by two’ teas. The trick, we found out, was to dive under the stall shutter, which kept going up and down for every fresh customer. A little hesitant, we thought we should go about it legally, and walked up to the inspector for “permission” to have a cup. He nodded, and our group of six too dived under the shutter, wondering if we would only get some dregs. But lo, a surprise awaited us: it was business as usual behind the shutter… fresh tea was boiling away, groups were sitting around puffing as if was daytime, where deadlines faded away. If anything, there was a surge in demand for that last little nightcap, though dawn was just a few hours away.
Outside, the policemen watched the daily drama play out, before playing tough, but by then, we were on our way home.This then, is the tea story of the streets, where stalls have flourished for years, their only USP being their brew, and some simple biscuits, samosas and sweetmeats.
Competition is popping up in the form of posh little cafes, which charge four times as much but simply can’t stir in that little secret of the rough and ready hand-brewed taste. Theirs is a different clientele, and they too thrive.
Little wonder then, that turning teapreneur is quite the startup thing these days. Young enterprising MBA grads are preferring to do a dipstick study of the tea market than join the rat race, and coming up with variants of the brew and some exotica too.
Gulnaar Mirza
Associate Editor
gulnaar@newindianexpress.com