Tea expert who home delivers anti-anxiety chai

Radhika Batra can conduct private tea tasting sessions for you dish out a tip or two on tea drinking etiquette even homedeliver Chi tea to up your vital energy She tells Kasmin Fernandes why teas are like fine winesFor thirty yearold Radhika Batra a postbaby sabbatical from a lucrative marketing career proved more rewarding than walking the corporate path In 2006 she got a chance to chase her childhood fascination for exotic tea and now she holds the unique position of tea etiquette trainercumtasting expert Tea tasting expert Radhika Batra pours out organic handrolled black tea from the Ambootia plantation PicsRane AshishShe lends her expertise to various 5stars establishments including organic restaurant Pure at Taj Lands End and conducts tea ceremonies at art exhibition openings brand launches and high profile afternoon parties Her brainchild Teacup India which started off as a tiny unpretentious tea boutique in Bandra home delivers exotic organic teas that shes personally chosen from plantations in India China and Africa Teas are like fine wines their qualities reflect their origin Where they are grown the altitude climate soil all affect the taste of a leaf says Batrau00a0 The colours of chaiAccording to Batra different growing regions reflect distinctive varieties of teas while the process through which the leaves are prepared slot them into three types Black Oolong and Green Black teas are crushed and fermented before being dried Oolong leaves are a lighter brown since they are only partially fermented and then steamed Green tea leaves are merely steamed in order to preserve the leafy colour So Green tea is considered best since it takes the least processing What you see described on premium tea packs lining supermarket shelves isnt usually what you get Most teas have been blended to achieve a uniform taste and quality Twentyfive or 30 different tea leaves may go into a supermarket favourite Even a master tea labelled Darjeeling may in fact be made from a combination of leaves to achieve a Darjeelinglike taste at an affordable price says Batrau00a0 Health in a cupThe teas available at Teacup India come from plantations in the temple city of Laoshan in China Ambootia in Darjeeling and tea estates in South Africa There are immunitybuilding teas that help strengthen your bodys natural defences others are stress reducers nervoussystem soothers and antianxiety teas There are teas that tone specific body systems Chi teas enhance vital energy and are tonics for both sexes Through the ages as the black tea plant mingled with herbs from many cultures tea took on a broader meaning to encompass a wide variety of herbs The term tea has now come to refer to a brew made from the leaves flowers berries seeds roots and bark of a plant steeped in hot water This makes tea a drugless remedy a pure and simple drink that can provide effective herbal defence against diseases she saysu00a0 Radhikas Teatime etiquette tipsIf etiquette is not your cup of tea follow these simple tips for elegance the next time you sip on a cuppagtgt Take small bites of food so that you can converse politelygtgt Never extend your pinkie little finger when holding your tea cupgtgt Never gesture with utensils and cutlery while speakinggtgt Dont leave the tea bag in the cup Once you have dipped the tea bag and finished stirring drop it in a binCall For private teatasting sessions ceremonies tea etiquette training and home delivery of exotic teas email Teacup India on teacupindiagmailcom or call 9819599889