Is there any love bigger than that for chai? Chai lovers will bet to say ‘No’! So on International Tea Day, today, we ask some popular Delhiites on their kinda cuppa, which they wouldn’t miss even in this gruelling heat; a love for tea that they proudly profess publically!
‘Teabags are a staple in my handbag’
Atisha Pratap Singh, Kuchipudi dancer, confesses, “My blood is literally 80% chai (laughs). I love my chai! Even if I can’t make it, I carry my tea packets. It’s always a staple in my handbag. It (just) has to be there. I cannot travel without it. Chai toh chai hoti hain, it doesn’t need a variation for summer or winter. Shaam ke chaar baje I need my chai.”
‘Love to relax in my chair and drink my tea’
Nida Mahmood, fashion designer, reveals, “I have always loved my chai; but with my versions of it. It’s never with milk. I have lots of variations of concoctions teamed with green tea. I like to add healthy ingredients like curcumin, ginger, cloves. Sometimes, I even add bay leaves or herbal flowers. Add a dash of lemon and you have yourself a great drink! I love the little corner in my sitting room, which has an easy chair. I love to relax in that chair and drink my tea every morning. In winters, I love to have it in the balcony (soaking up the sun).”
{{/usCountry}}Nida Mahmood, fashion designer, reveals, “I have always loved my chai; but with my versions of it. It’s never with milk. I have lots of variations of concoctions teamed with green tea. I like to add healthy ingredients like curcumin, ginger, cloves. Sometimes, I even add bay leaves or herbal flowers. Add a dash of lemon and you have yourself a great drink! I love the little corner in my sitting room, which has an easy chair. I love to relax in that chair and drink my tea every morning. In winters, I love to have it in the balcony (soaking up the sun).”
{{/usCountry}}‘Learned to make chai from mum’
Shibani Kashyap, singer, doesn’t like to miss her favourite masala chai, even in this searing heat. “I enjoy the tea that my moms makes or I make. It’s alike a mixture of ginger and cloves, black pepper, cardamom, saunf (fennel), and cinnamon. I first make a brew of all these things, and there is mulethi powder that is very good for the throat. It’s also a very good antioxidant. So I put the tea leaves when I brew all of this. I like any nice Indian chai and a little bit of milk. This is how my mum makes it. And I have learned it from her. I love ghar ki chai, and can’t have masala chai anywhere else. It’s just so light and energises you. In summer, I avoid clove and pepper in this brew, since pepper is hot in itself. Cinnamon and ginger are very good for summer. People think masala chai peene se garmi ho jati hai. But [you’re good to go in summer] if you add saunf, adrak and elaichi.”
‘Crave homemade adrak wali chai’
Bhuvan Bam, comedian-YouTuber-singer, is a self-confessed “chai fan”, and a big one! He says, “Kaisa bhi weather ho. Kitna bhi garam ho, din ki ek cup chai toh honi hi chahiye. Aur woh bhi adrak wali chai. Uss chai ke saath ek Parle-G ka packet. And that’s about it. Aur kisi kisam ki chai peene ka maza nahin aata mujhe. Kabhi jab hotel mein jaate hain toh masala chai. But usme bhi kuchh khaas maza nahi jo adrak wali homemade chai mein hoti hai. That’s what I crave for.”
‘Chahe 49 degrees ho, I have to have tea three times a day’
Ravinder Singh, author, is another hard core tea lover. He shares, “My love for tea is not dependent on what the weather is like. It stays the same 365 days, Chahe heatwave ho 49 degree temperature pe, I have to have my tea three times a day. What I enjoy is ghar wali chai. Mujhe tukdo wali chai nahin pasand. I cannot go to luxury tea cafes and try variations waha pe. Ghar wali chai mein variations hote hain adrak, elaichi. I have tried lemongrass also with it. It has to be akadak chai, with a little bit of sugar and milk. The only other place I can go to have tea apart from my house is the chai tapris (on the roadside). I love the idea of a glass wali cutting chai, and Kulhad mein (jo milti hai). Tea remains the same but the pot in which I am consuming may change; woh kulhad wali mitti hoton pe lagni chahiye.”
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Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.