International Tea Day: Celebs and their favourite chai moments

Tea

Yasmin Karachiwala
Celebrity fitness trainer
I enjoy sipping on cups of Black Tea with Creamy Vanilla, my favourite for more reasons than one. I procure this organically produced tea, grown in the mountains of Coonoor from Taalira Teas.

Also read: Bandra tea outlet serves precision tea in under 3 minutes

My fascination with Black Tea stems from the fact that it is a rich source of antioxidants. It's flavoured with creamy vanilla, that has anti-inflammatory properties and cholesterol lowering benefits. It contains small amounts of B complex vitamins, and traces of minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, iron, and zinc essential for holistic health.

A photograph from Arzan Khambatta's series on finding the cutting chai

Amish Tripathi
Author
I have regular Green Tea. It is one of the rare things that is good for health and also tastes good.

Also read: Quench your thirst with these bubble teas

Monica Dogra
Singer/Actor
A few months ago, I visited Vietnam for the first time and fell in love with its culture and cuisine. The Vietnamese have discovered an exceptional method to make scented tea, popularly known as Trà huong. It is a mix of flower and herb. Like the internationally acclaimed Earl Grey or Indian chai, Vietnam scented tea is very simple yet unique, combining the flavour of mostly earthy and native plant. I tried Trà huong at a local store and enjoyed it. With the scent of flowers twisting harmoniously with the sweetly bitter taste of tea, the Trà huong aka scented tea creates a unique flavour, texture, and colour offering a cup of pure divinity.

Also read: Indulge in tea-based goodies at these Mumbai eateries

Pooja Dhingra
Pastry Chef
I start my day with Masala Chai and sip on a Ylang Ylang green tea or a chamomile and hibiscus blend through the day.

We serve a Paan tea blend at our Oshiwara store, which is unique and turning into one of my favourites.

Shalmali Kholgade
Singer
When it comes to tea, I'm pure Indian at heart. Masala Chai always takes the cake. I love the strong flavour of spices.

Also read: Tapri chai, now at a website near you

The proportion of milk and water gives it the perfect consistency. When I make tea at home, I love add a pinch of chai masala

Arzan Khambatta
Sculptor
Generally, I am a coffee drinker but at my studio in Sewri, I have been calling for adrak chai every day since 2002, from a neighbourhood chaiwalla.

Now, he even knows the amount of sugar and milk that I like in my brew. In fact, while on their way to the studio, my clients often call and ask me to order a cutting for them. As I keep moving around in the studio, I leave the cutting chai glass in various spots and often forget about them, and the chaiwalla is left searching for them. Based on this, I made a photo-series where I clicked the chai glasses left unattended in corners.