Leading hotels across the country are offering exclusive tea experiences to both residential and non-residential guests, in an ambience that befits the special place that tea holds in most Indian hearts By Sudipta Dev
As one of the world’s largest tea growing nations and and the second largest consumer, tea for the Indian palate is as familiar as water. The recent years have however seen a growing interest among the new age consumers, both the cognescenti and commoners alike, who want to explore the many nuances of tea, beyond the ubiquitous chai. The hospitality sector has been at the forefront of creating awareness and interest by providing unique tea experiences to its guests, which also resonate with the local cultural and social influences.
Unique experience
Serving tea in many cultures is a ritual. It is both a craft and a sensory pleasure. Leading hotel companies have tried to reinvent the allure of a tea experience, not only by serving an extensive varieties of tea, but by creating an exclusive ambience and refined service quality. At The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, the overall ambience of the Tea Lounge adds to the value of the whole experience for guests. “When we serve our tea we ensure that you first drink it through your eyes, so we use see through cups, the strength of the tea is a personal choice so we offer a brewing timer with options of three, four and five minutes brew,” says Subhojit Sengupta, food & beverage manager, The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata, adding that, for titbits the chefs have engineered ‘The Lalit Great Eastern Hi Tea’ which is the typical English Hi Tea, Kolkata’s ‘Jolkhabar’ the Bengali hi-tea and the most exclusive ‘The Lalit Great Eastern Champagne Hi Tea’. The Lalit Great Eastern Kolkata also promotes tea tourism. The property has tied up with Goomtee Tea estate and anybody who wants to experience life on a tea estate can stay there.
The tea served ranges from the property’s very own The Great Eastern Darjeeling and The Great Eastern Assam to several flushes of single estate teas like Makaibari, Castleton, etc. “In total we serve 32 varieties of teas. We also serve the famous and mysterious Silver Needle white tea. For the flavoured tea lovers we have a range from Jasmine pearl, rose to our very own Indian Masala Chai,” mentions Sengupta.
Pointing out that people in Kolkata have a passion for tea, Sengupta believes that it is not only the taste an experience for them. “Our tea menu is unique where you can actually see the samplers of the teas in a wooden box. If they come up with something they don’t know, they will ask questions and try the different flavours and gradually become familiar to the taste,” he informs. He feels that Indians should be much more conscious and proud about the country’s tea. “If the Scots are so proud about their Highlands, why don’t we take pride in mentioning about our own Makaibari Darjeeling. The Silver Tip Imperial from Makaibari was sold at US$ 1850 per kg at the world auction, costliest ever. We need to educate our people more by doing more tea tasting sessions,” states Sengupta.
Exclusive selections
In Chennai, the exclusivity of the tea experience offered at the iconic Taj Coromandel is a great attraction for both residential and non-residential guests. The exhaustive Tea Bar at Golden Dragon and Tea Lounge at the lobby at Taj Coromandel offer the finest teas from across the world for tea aficionados in the city. “These teas are the most exclusive selections, stored, brewed and served with care and finesse. The charming Tea Lounge offers the finest blends of teas. Guests can enjoy their favourite pot of steaming hot tea or a cup of hot Coromandel blend and laze away the afternoons catching up with friends,” says Alok Anand, executive chef, Taj Coromandel, Chennai.
The high tea buffet includes Coromandel High Tea and Champagne High Tea. Adding more fun to the evening is a scrumptious spread of scones, pastries and savories.
Paired with authentic Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine at Golden Dragon, the menu at Tea Bar is expertly designed to complement each course of the meal. A tea hostess guides the guest to the bar and invites him or her to experience tea service. “The exhaustive list at Tea Bar includes appetisers for the culinary senses like Green Tea with Pineapple and Apricot (bits of apricot and pineapple in green tea make this a unique blend) and Green and White Tea with Peach and Camomile (peach bits blended with Camomile flowers, green tea and white tea),” mentions Anand, pointing out that there is also Green Tea with Madagascar Vanilla (akin to sipping a vanilla-flavoured brandy with your meal!) and the enduring Chinese Green Tea with Sweet Jasmine accentuates the flavours of the meal and is best had with the maincourse. According to him, Green Tea with Franconian Peppermint makes for perfect meal companion, while High Grown Floral Oolongs are well known for their unique digestive and delicate crisp flavour.
Interestingly, for tea connoisseurs, Tea Bar offers the Monkey Pick, an alluring taste and fresh orchid aroma picked by monkeys in remote regions of China. Aromatic Pearls is a slightly heavier tea, with a golden brandy-like colour and smoothness of tea, which accompanies a lavish Chinese meal. “Besides those that complement your meal, there are some specialised teas that are to be savoured after a meal. Chun Tea with Ginseng and Citrus is one such unique tea which does not allow the meal to tire you out, and is had as a post-dining beverage, as is Silver Needle Tea – a perfect finale to a satisfying meal, enriched with a delicate honey-like sweetness. And for the pure green tea lover, Green Silk Tea with its silk-like leaves result in a sweet brew – it is a good digestive, best had after the meal,” states Anand.
The Tea Bar also offers gourmet teas like the Aromatic White Tea and Fortune Ball with Lotus. There is also the Pu-erh, which is a mild earthy red tea grown in the Yunan province, with special fermentation and is one tea that, according to Anand, is highly recommended after a meal.
The Tea Lounge serves the quintessential high tea for Rs 500, plus taxes, and is a welcome respite for many non-residential guests. Talking about the growing awareness, Anand mentions that guests can now discern between a plain Jasmine tea and an Aromatic White Tea. They are also more acceptable to pairing teas with different courses of the menu as it is done at Golden Dragon.
Destination experience
In an effort to provide a differentiated destination experience, Alila Diwa Goa offers a high tea concept called the Chai Gaddo in the Main Wing of the resort and Chai Paani at the Diwa Club Wing. “Guests can experience a variety of chaats, home-made cookies like the Goan ‘Bolinha’ and other snacks made at the resort served with a cup of ‘cutting chai’ or coffee at The Vivo Lawns,” says Kamaljit Singh, executive assistant manager, Alila Diwa Goa. The experience is chargeable to the Main Wing guests and complimentary to the Club guests.
This experience is primarily for residential guests. “It provides a local destination experience to our international guests as they get to experience the much famed Indian street food whereas for our domestic guests, they are pleasantly surprised to find something close to home and heart in Goa,” says Singh. Only Masala Chai is served at the Chai Gaddo, though the hotel has a selection of teas in different flavours available through its beverage menu in restaurant and in-room dining menu.
Rahul Korgaokar, director, Food & Beverage, Goa Marriott Resort & Spa avers that it is usually the international travellers (Indians and foreigners alike) who have a good knowledge of tea (having learnt through their travels) and expect to be offered fine quality tea. Goa Marriott offers the exclusive ‘Dilmah T Series’ – a fine hand crafted tea blend from Sri Lanka. “Owing to the receptivity towards these teas, we are now also in talks with other companies to explore a better range of tea experiences for our guests,” adds Korgaokar.
Tea, feels Korgaokar, is now potentially gaining as much importance as wine. “A fine hotel is expected to have fine food, fine wine as well as a selection of fine tea and coffee. So yes, having a good selection of tea does indeed add value to the experience of a guest in our property,” he concludes.