The Sweet Palate, a Cup of Joy
In unhurried Kolkata, chai is sweet, saffron-scented and served in clay cups, usually at the end of a street food binge or an adda.
Bombay’s Lifeline – Cutting Chai
Before the first local train leaves, the chaiwallah is already brewing. The story of cutting chai, Mumbai’s half-glass lifeline.
A clay cup of tea from National Award-winning potter Ismail Siddiq of Kutch begins a bond with his family that lasts for decades.
Corn Pakodas with Avocado Chutney
Crispy, spicy corn pakodas with a cool avocado chutney: a not-so-traditional take on the monsoon fritters every Indian family craves with chai.
Designer and potter Archana Srinivas photographed her daily cup of chai for years, then turned the pictures into a book. She shares her chai memories.
Over chai in McLeod Ganj, Prachi Sibal meets Lhasang Tsering, the outspoken Tibetan activist who runs the Bookworm bookstore.
Travels in the literary landscape of India
Zac O’Yeah takes us through a winter of Indian litfests, from the Kolkata Book Fair’s food stalls to chai and author encounters at the Jaipur Literature Festival.
The artist, an interruption, and a conversation
An evening over chai with graphic novelist George Mathen, aka Appupen, on his imaginary world Halahala, 12-hour drawing days and the value of solitude.
Sudeshna Shome Ghosh opens her diary to three moments when a cup of tea changed the day, from exam nights in 1993 to her son’s first pot of tea.
From queues at loose tea shops to two-foot tea and endless adda, a Kolkata writer on why Bengalis cannot imagine tea without conversation.
The Science Behind My Ginger Chai
Why did Srinath Perur’s ginger chai curdle whenever he made more than one cup? The answer lay in ginger enzymes, milk temperature and a Cantonese dessert.
Artist Bakula Nayak on how her mother-in-law’s exacting 4 pm tea ritual turned a new relationship into a deep bond, one perfect cup at a time.
On long Himalayan treks, every day starts and ends with a mug of chai. Sriparna Ghosh remembers the tent-teas and the cook who made her 120 cups.
A quick recipe for lemongrass chai made with fresh lemongrass, ginger, CTC tea and milk, perfect to start the day or cuddle into in the evening.
Meet Joy-da, the Siliguri chaiwallah whose stall on the ground floor of the Teabox office pours the team’s daily cup of Assam CTC chai.
Chai and snacks: The Indian tea time
From Dehradun rusks and Tuticorin cashew macaroons to Gujarati nasto and Bangalore nippattu, a writer recalls the snacks that went with chai in every town she lived in.
Jerry Pinto on growing up in a family of tea drinkers in Mumbai, the many teas of the city, and how tea is made at Casa Pinto.
Tea Blends That Didn’t Quite Make It
Smoked rose tea, pumpkin spice tea and a saffron vanilla chai: three blending experiments that sounded perfect and went badly wrong.
A teatime friendship prompts a bigger question: is real conversation becoming obsolete in our smartphone age, and can a cup of tea help bring it back?
What a Perfect Breakfast Must Include
A customer’s picture-perfect morning: a cup of tea, a big breakfast and his dog, plus the teas that carry him from Assam at breakfast to chai at night.
From blending tea at Starbucks in Seattle to the Teabox office in Siliguri: Shruti on tasting days, fussy palates and whether blending is art or science.
Famous Shakespeare lines, each followed by what the Bard might say today if he swung by a tea shop.