Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
A heady brew of tea varieties
Tea with lime
INFINITEA IS on Cunningham Road. Call it a place where the cup that cheers goes upmarket or a speciality tearoom, but it is worth visiting.
You can buy from a selection of more than 50 types of tea and take it home to brew and taste, or order them brewed to drink right there.
The first of its kind here, Infinitea is an original concept in tea marketing. Started by the tea growers, Sarias, who have estates in Darjeeling and Assam, it is a step forward in bringing fine teas closer to people.
B.K. Saria, whose brainchild Infinitea is, says: "The very idea that most Indians drink tea, but have little idea about the variety of Indian tea, made us come up with this. Everyone has his/her particular blend of tea and we shall cater to anyone who loves the brew.''
Inside Infinitea.
At the tearoom (that is what they like it to be called), brewing tea is a passion that has been made into a fine art. Even for the ardent tea drinker, the variety — hot tea, golden brews drunk dark, tea with milk, flavoured tea, organic tea, iced tea, green tea — is limitless.
The tea is served in pots or "single" in cups if it is hot, or in tall glasses if you like it cold. Each type of tea has its own crockery to go with it. Fine Darjeeling tea is brewed right before your eyes. They do it the classic way and you can replicate it at home. Tea-leaf is added to a pot of boiling water and steeped for five minutes. A sand-clock is used as timer. This is how tea-tasters do it in the plantations.
The tea from Darjeeling with its characteristic delicate colour and aroma is called the "champagne of teas". Brew it too long, and it loses flavour. Factors such as high elevation, the intensity of sunshine and rainfall, soil, and even the fragrance of the air surrounding the plants all contribute towards the colour and aroma of this variety of tea. Unlike tea grown in the Nilgiris and further South, Darjeeling has a very limited harvest period. Most of them, called first flush and second flush, based on the season, cannot be enjoyed with milk. Some Darjeeling varieties have a natural sweetness and vigour that satisfies even the staunchest milk-tea drinker.
An uncommon tea found at Infinitea is the "peony rosette" to make which tea leaves are painstakingly tied together by hand to resemble a flower. The same peony can be topped up with water and cups of tea brewed for hours together. There are also iced tea varieties such as "Enigma on the Rocks", which is served with ice and soda in a whisky glass.
The tea sale counter has a rich variety of Darjeeling, Assam, CTC, orthodox, flavoured, and exotic teas to take home. There are also tea-tasting facilities for those who wish to cultivate this fine art. Anybody who wants to buy a packet of tea is invited to try it first.
By Satyamurty K
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
