Raipurians love their tandoori chai

If you haven’t heard about the Tandoori Chai yet, you’re probably living under a rock! This sizzling hot cuppa has been breaking the internet ever since it was spotted for the first time in a café in Pune. Since then, people have not only been digging its rustic taste but also marvelling over how the humble chai was given a tandoori flavour. The best news, however, is, that this new hot chai has recently entered Raipur, and is already catching on as a trend...
“I was very impressed by the concept and thought why not bring in the tadka in Raipur. And so the journey of Tandoori Chai in Raipur started from the bustling Katora Talab, near Marine Drive," shares Navjot Singh who started the trend in the city. The café which is in the heart of a busy street surrounded by banks, offices and coaching classes and they are frequenting the place for a hot cuppa. “The response has been phenomenal. With the city getting sporadic rains, youngsters have been thronging here more for this unusual chai. After a week of its launch, we have been serving at least 250 cups daily!” shares an ecstatic Navjot Singh.

For the chai-loving souls
More than the taste, it is the unique process of making that has been getting the citizens hooked to this flavour of chai. “The round kulhads are heated in the tandoor for at least half an hour before we start serving the tea. A semi-cooked preparation of chai, complete with subtle flavours of elaichi is kept in a dispenser by the counter. When the hot tea is poured into a red-hot pre-heated kulhad, it sizzles and acquires the sondhi mitti ki khushbu and charred goodness from the earthen vessel. This infused concoction is then transferred into yet another vessel that is used to pour it into serving kulhads,” informs Navjot.
Bonding over a cuppa
The new makeover of chai has been quite a crowd puller in the city, and add to it the overcast weather, which is making everyone rush for a hot cuppa. “Being a tea lover I had tasted a variety of tea at other places. But nothing comes close to the earthy flavours this variation brings in” shares Jyotsna Bhutani, a resident of Telibandha while savouring the taste on a rainy evening. The tandoori chai place has been constantly flooded with people who have been thronging to these places to try out something new. A banker Devanshi Shah, who found out about the new chai, came looking for it at Katora Talab, just have one taste of it. “The texture of the chai is so unique that it makes you want to have more. It truly brings out the spirit of monsoon. You know the enticing smell of wet earth or as we call it mitti ki khushbu, makes a home in your senses after you sip of this cup of chai.” Many patrons have also been rushing to these chai places just to have a selfie with their cup of tandoori chai and let the world know that Raipur is in the game too. “When I had noon cha and butter chai, I thought that was it, but this tandoori chai is a different ball game! As soon as I got to know about it, I grabbed a couple of friends and tried it out for myself, and let my other buddies in different cities know about the sizzling new variety of chai,” says Ruchi Shah, a medical student who was spotted enjoying and clicking pictures with her cup.