Take the South Mumbai tea trail

There are days when you are sure it is going to pour cats and dogs and you arm yourself with a windcheater and umbrella And there are days when the threats are harmless and the clouds don a puffed look to tease It is that kind of a day as I wait for Snigdha Manchanda a tea sommelier who is to be my guide on a lsquochai walkrsquo in South Mumbai outside the Bombay Stock Exchange BSE Sanjay M Pujari owner of79 yearold Ashok Tea and Cold Drinks House pours a cup of cutting chai near the Bombay Stock Exchange building I keep a check on the clouds which get darker and darker andpregnant with raindrops My wait prolongs as neither the rains nor my guide show up as expected Finally amid a thin crowd of serious men and working professionals I spot a bright orange top and Manchanda greets me with a big smile that is waiting to tell me lots of lsquotales about tearsquo Our first stop is Ashok Tea and Cold Drinks Centre in a little ally opposite the BSE building Sanjay M Pujari the owner of the stall is all smiles as Manchanda orders a round of cutting chai with pudina mint leaves and adrak ginger ldquoI prefer to start the walk here as Mumbai is a financial hub and dreams are fulfilled by endless cups of chai hererdquo says the tea sommelier who started Tea Trunk in 2011 Snigdha Manchanda L tea sommelier and founder of Tea Trunk shares interesting stories about Yazdani Bakery in Cowasji Patel Street in Fort She conducts Chai Walks for groups of around 20 people at a time ldquoDo you know how a cup of tea came to be called a cuttingrdquo asks Manchanda who is quick with her reply too ldquoGujarati traders would see a lot of customers in the day Being a hospitable community they would offer cups of tea to their visitors But at the monthrsquos end they realised that the tea bill was over the limit and they introduced a smaller serving of the drink the cuttingrdquo The cutting arrives in typical glasses and the first sip hits my throat before it burns my tongue In spite of being a Gujarati and religiously downing pudina tea every morning this cutting catches me off guard with the flavourful taste of the green leaves blended with a spicy ginger after taste The best part the tea is neither too milky nor watery Suleiman chai made using condensed milk and an overdose of sugar is best had with buttery bun maska PicsSatyajit Desai As I look around the narrow Alkesh Dinesh Modi Marg the stalls are actually alcoves in the building with brown doors that close in line with the building wall Fortytwoyearold Pujari who is the third generation owner shares stories of better days when the stock exchange was frequented by much larger crowds ldquoNow everyone checks the rates on their phones and television But I still make tea using 35 litres of milk as I deliver to offices all aroundrdquo he grins adding that he has two other stalls Interestingly the tea at all the three stalls is unique and doesnrsquot have the same taste A tea vendor makes a tea ribbon in Fortu00a0 Yazdani Bakery Our minds refreshed with this cutting we stroll toward Cowasji Patel Street where 60yearold Yazdani Bakery stands serving freshly baked bun maska pav and piping hot Irani and Suleiman Chai As we walk out of the BSE area we stop near a banyan tree ldquoThis is where the BSE started Traders would stand under the shade and shout rates and take bookings Then it turned into the parking lotrdquo Manchanda says u00a0The walk turns informative and interesting with each step as we stop again outside St Michaelrsquos church Now I am trained enough to expect another quiz question ldquoHow did Churchgate get its namerdquo I know this one vaguely and I mutter something about the fort gates ldquoYes this is the gate that opens to the church and so the name The zero mile mark is also hererdquo Manchanda addsu00a0 While some of the facts are known and read it is a different feeling to actually stand at the spot and drink in the nostalgia u00a0As we near Yazdani Bakery which received the 2007 Urban Heritage award the smell of bread welcomes us into the lightbluewalled bakery and as we slide into our seats the sight of a tray filled with Amul butter slabs catches my fancy And on the adjacent wall is an old newspaper clipping with the photo of the bakery ldquoCan you spot the bullockcartrdquo Manchanda asks adding that it used to be the vehicle that delivered bread from Colaba to Chembur ldquoAnd the bulls were so well trained that they would follow the route even if the rider fell asleeprdquo The chat gets more technical and I learn more about Assam Dargeeling champagne of teas and Nilgiri blends At Tea Centre we have some more tea including the first flush Darjeeling tea which is most flavourful ldquoDarjeeling tea plants go into hibernation in OctoberNovember and the next crop is in MidFebruary and March Thus the first new crop has all the fresh energy the plant has retainedrdquo concludes Manchanda who believes that the chai walk is a great way to meet new people and renew the bond with the city that never tires of its tales The next Chai Walk will be conducted on August 10 and 11 To register call 9930773170 or email rebeccateatrunkcom