Cup of Tea?

The first question asked to guests. The first question asked of a girl by prospective in-laws, “Does she know how to make tea?” An indulgence, bed tea. Chai paani, synonym for a  bribe. Cutting, an indication of quantity. Tea adverts, ranging from music maestros quoting Wah Taj…. to bringing about a revolution in the country.

Chai-Cha-Chaha-Chaya -Tea-Teo. These words can get you a cuppa anywhere in the world. It must be one of the only commodities to have such a strong identity.

The humble tea,  which does not have as many outlets catering to it as its chic counterpart coffee, but still rules as the undisputed king of stimulants. Have it green like in China and Japan, with honey and lemon like the Russians and Slavic populations, with a spot of milk and sugar like the English or the highly sweetened ‘masaledaar’ thick milk tea like the Gujaratis. The effects are nearly the same- tingles your senses, perks you up, imparts antioxidants to protect your heart and if well made, puts a smile on your face.

A lot of questions have risen, of late, for the addition of milk to tea. Some say it binds the good compounds and make it unavailable to the body, others say one must just add a dash of milk but not boil it, yet others stand by their methods and insist on brewing the tea with milk to the maximum. Research on this topic is also inconclusive. Some have found no difference in the action of the various flavonoids in tea in conjunction with milk while others have reported slightly lower vascular advantages.

Put aside what researchers or trends say. Follow your gut. Literally. If the tea you drink suits you without causing heartburn or nausea or  any other discomfort and it is in a moderate quantity then go ahead and pick up that cup. After all the style of tea drinking is a tradition passed down in families. As a child, you saw your parents sip it and waited till you could do the same.

As I sign off, my tea is brewing with cardamom, cinnamon, lemon grass and milk. The pav (type of Indian bread) is hot off the shelves of the bakery and the butter is melted just right to spread across the pav. Dip dip…slurp slurp…