An array of Chinese teas in Mumbai

The city of Mumbai makes a place in the heart of everyone who visits. It has been given a lot of names but the one that comes first to mind is the city that never sleeps. And one might wonder, what is it that gives this wonderful city the energy to keep going? Ask this question and the answer a unanimous and resounding Chai! Chai has made a place in the daily routine of everybody here. Whether you prefer it at the tea stall at the corner of the busy street or in posh tea places serving the best of the best, you know you cannot do without your daily cup. Mumbai is also known for its love for all things new and unusual, and when the city’s tea menu has a newcomer, it is welcomed with open arms. Chinese teas in Mumbai are becoming increasingly popular as more and more people venture beyond their usual cutting and experiment.

 

China is known to be the place where the entire concept of roadside tea stalls began. What would we do without the ubiquitous tea stalls in our own city of Mumbai? We owe a big thank you to China for giving us the gift of the chai we enjoy while seated on the katta. But the teas of China have a few unique things about them. The Chinese also use various types of teas as medicines for curing a range of different health issues. Some Chinese teas have known to be beneficial in dealing with health problems like high blood pressure, cholesterol and even help alleviate stress. Chinese teas in Mumbai are gaining a lot of popularity because of these reasons as an increasingly health conscious population strives to stay fit.

 

A lot of exotic Chinese teas have made their way into India. Many of these teas need to be prepared in a specific way at a particular temperature to ensure that the patrons get the maximum possible benefit. Just pick up the menu of any tea place and you will find exotic names like organic jade mist and white peony! These are gourmet teas for the true connoisseur! There are also flower based teas and teas with herbal infusions to soothe your body, mind and soul. Chinese teas in Mumbai is one market, which is growing steadily and looks poised to become a huge draw for the public. A lot of restaurants prepare these teas and also serve it in the traditional Chinese way with beautiful crockery and adorable teacups.

 

Restaurants all over Mumbai are increasingly adding a wide variety of teas to their already diverse menu and there are several takers in the city. Restaurants like Ping Pong, which is located in Bandra Kurla complex, have many of these teas to offer with the promise of adding many more in the future. If you are unacquainted with the several types of teas and what they can do for you, never hesitate to ask your server, they always keep a bank of good knowledge to share with you and answer whatever questions you may have. So all you uninitiated people get with the trend and check out for yourself what all the fuss is about.

Places to go for Chinese Teas in Mumbai

Mumbai is renowned all over the country as the city that never sleeps. Touted as one of the busiest metros, Mumbai also boasts of multi cuisines and has a restaurant and eatery or even a small shop to fill the hunger pangs of the rich and the poor alike with meals and snacks that suit every budget. Similarly, the evergreen beverage, tea finds a place in every Indian’s heart and the hot wafting cup wakes each one, making them raring to go and start the new day with enthusiasm. Of late, the beverage in its classy Oriental form is enchanting patrons at restaurants which serve Chinese Teas in Mumbai.

China has had a long history of tea production and drinking it, as a medicine and also as a luxury. It has held the classes and masses in a bond over the ages. The concept of tea-houses which came up as wayside snack shelters providing food with tea, caught the imagination of everyone and very soon it became a worldwide phenomenon which is why today we have a large number of places offering Chinese Teas in Mumbai. Here, one gets to sample the traditional teas which have proven to be beneficial for health. Stress related problems, fatigue, high blood pressure, high cholesterol are proven to have been reduced by the intake of the light Chinese teas. It is little wonder then that there is a great demand for these, where all these diseases are constantly on the prowl due to the hectic schedules of its inhabitants.

Generally, several types of teas like Tian Hong, White Peony, Anxi Tie Kuan and many others are available. The Dragon’s Well which falls in the Green Tea category is said to have the most benefits and is quite sought after. It has an exclusive taste and aroma which is hard to be missed. Known as Longjing, this tea needs to be brewed at the right temperature in the right container to get an enhanced flavor. Though served in porcelain or glass tea cups, this tea blooms in the special clay pots called the Yixing Clay Teapots. Picked young, the leaves are roasted immediately to retain the goodness. It changes to a yellow green shade on being infused. Amongst the other Chinese in Mumbai there is also the Oolong Tea which comes in myriad taste according to its variety. Treatment is provided as per the categories to safe guard the flavors and is hand rolled many a times. This type of tea can be brewed several times because its taste improves with every further brewing. This tea too has its own share of benefits which retain good health mentally and physically.

It is therefore not surprising that people in the city of Mumbai who can afford to, flock to restaurants like Ping Pong and many others who offer these unique drinks to help customers to regain lost health and feel fresh, rejuvenated and raring to go in their busy order of businesses.

Tasting the fragrant Chinese Teas in India

The Chinese gastronomic invasion on India has always been welcomed with open minds and open hearts. If one has to count the number of restaurants and eateries offering ‘authentic Chinese’, it will be an overwhelming number. Along with food, the Chinese teas too are a hot favorite amongst Indians and the trend of visiting tea houses for a refreshing cuppa is fast catching up in urban India. It is therefore interesting to see the spread of Chinese Teas in India.

It is a well known and accepted fact that it was the Chinese who introduced the fabulous beverage, to which the entire world wakes up. There is of course variations in the quality of teas that are available the world over, each with their own distinctive flavor. But Chinese teas are in a class apart. They are not only medicinal but also flavorsome. There are several varieties of these teas like the white tea, the green tea, the red tea and the scented tea. Many of these Chinese Teas in India are seen on the menu cards of specialty restaurants which offer a classic Chinese fare to go along with them. Unlike in Japan, there are no elaborate tea ceremonies in China for drinking of tea. But porcelain is widely used for the tea sets and certain norms pertaining to which leaves are to be picked, how they are supposed to be infused or not infused and how the tea should be served are followed since ancient times. Recipes involving tea as a main ingredient in cooking are very much prevalent in Chinese cooking.

One of the most popular scented teas is the Jasmine Tea which enthralls the drinker with its sweet fragrance and also acts as a coolant. Here, the jasmine flower buds are plucked and placed in the tea cup and hot water is poured over this. The hot water causes the buds to open and flower releasing its fragrance and thus scenting the tea. Chinese teas in India are carefully prepared by chefs who have immaculately mastered the art; jasmine tea is prepared by placing freshly-opened jasmine flowers in the tea leaves which have been plucked and dried. Having kept them overnight or at least for four hours, helps the tea leaves to absorb the taste and smell of the flowers. To rid the tea of the moisture, it has to be again to avoid its spoiling. This procedure needs to be repeated several times again in order to get the fragrance completely seeped in to the tea leaves.

Chinese teas have multiple health benefits as well like, reduction of bad cholesterol, reducing fatigue, reducing joint inflammation, tooth decay and skin irritations. With all these benefits, it is not surprising that these teas are gaining wide spread popularity, and are being patronized by everyone the world over. Concomitantly there is a rise in number of people flocking to dining places like Ping Pong that offer original oriental teas. Customers are now valuing health-oriented drinks, and an increasing number of them view Chinese teas as drinking one’s way to a very good and healthy life without any after effects. Restaurants are now beginning to take notice of the same.