Masala Chai, Cutting Chai
and Adarak Wali Chai got a new address from roadside to a dedicated tea
café. Rakesh kumar takes a few sips
If a group of well-suited executives were to ask for “Cutting Chai” in
an up-market restaurant, heads would certainly turn. Associated with
roadside tea stalls, Cutting Chai has been an all-time favourite with
all those frequenting dhabas. Coming as a surprise
for all those who thought “good chai” was available only at a roadside
stall or dhaba, Cutting Chai has got a new space with a chain of cafés
known as Chaayos. Developed by two IIT graduates, Nitin Saluja and
Raghav Verma, the café offers a delightful array of more than 25
varieties of tea customizable in over 12,000 ways or as per an
individual’s need.
“The idea of a Tea Café came up when my partner Nitin Saluja and his wife were on a trip. His wife was fond of tea, so they kept looking for tea everywhere but failed to find it. ‘Ek achi chai nahi milti yahan,’ his wife commented. That’s how the idea came to their mind,” said Raghav Verma. Since that incident, the duo kept thinking, when coffee can have such outlets, why can’t tea? Moreover, it is the beverages we have grown up drinking. “No doubt coffee culture is there in India, but I think if we have the same kind of outlet dedicated to tea it can also get the same popularity,” asserted Raghav Verma. “Moreover, just check the rates. If you go in any other café like CCD or Barissta for tea, it would cost around Rs 300. Whereas, in Chaayos, prices are a maximum Rs 200 only.”
The concept is just eight months oldand in this short duration, the two friends have come up with six stores, all in the NCR with corporate approach. With their motto, "Experiments with Chai", they offer fresh, gourmet and customised “chais” in a relaxed ambience, with a wide variety of tea, including Desi Chai, which can be made with an option of 12 add-ons; Indian specialty teas like God's Chai, Hari Mirch Chai, Aam Papad Chai and Pahadi Chai; and exotic teas like Moroccan Mint and Camomile tea. Visiting the cafe at Noida 62, we started with the Desi Chai. The option of 12 add-ons include tulsi, adrak, elaichi, cinnamon, ajwain, kali mirch, saunf, mint, laung, moti elaichi and hari mirch. Next in our list was Aam Papad Chai, Gods Chai and Hari Mirch Chai, with the last number scoring over the others. “As you can see, most of the ingredients, like tulsi, elaichi or ajwain, are very beneficial for health, while in the case of coffee it is totally opposite,” said Verma.
With every sip, one can differentiate the flavours of each ingredient. For instance, in Hari Mirch Chai the chilli lends an altogether different aroma and taste. The same goes with God’s Chai,
a take on the
Himalayan tea, or Aam Papad Chai. Among classic teas, Darleeling First
Flush was hit among the customers. Apart from hot “chai”, Chaayos also
serves iced teas in a variety of flavours, hot coffee, hot chocolate and
Bournevita, milkshakes and fruit shakes as well. In addition, Chaayos
offers a broad range of Indian and international sandwiches (customers
swear by "2-minutes Maggi Sandwich" and "One Calorie Sandwich"), and
finger licking street food like Keema Pav and Vada Pav.
If a group of well-suited executives were to ask for “Cutting Chai” in
an up-market restaurant, heads would certainly turn. Associated with
roadside tea stalls, Cutting Chai has been an all-time favourite with
all those frequenting dhabas. Coming as a surprise
for all those who thought “good chai” was available only at a roadside
stall or dhaba, Cutting Chai has got a new space with a chain of cafés
known as Chaayos. Developed by two IIT graduates, Nitin Saluja and
Raghav Verma, the café offers a delightful array of more than 25
varieties of tea customizable in over 12,000 ways or as per an
individual’s need. “The idea of a Tea Café came up when my partner Nitin Saluja and his wife were on a trip. His wife was fond of tea, so they kept looking for tea everywhere but failed to find it. ‘Ek achi chai nahi milti yahan,’ his wife commented. That’s how the idea came to their mind,” said Raghav Verma. Since that incident, the duo kept thinking, when coffee can have such outlets, why can’t tea? Moreover, it is the beverages we have grown up drinking. “No doubt coffee culture is there in India, but I think if we have the same kind of outlet dedicated to tea it can also get the same popularity,” asserted Raghav Verma. “Moreover, just check the rates. If you go in any other café like CCD or Barissta for tea, it would cost around Rs 300. Whereas, in Chaayos, prices are a maximum Rs 200 only.”
The concept is just eight months oldand in this short duration, the two friends have come up with six stores, all in the NCR with corporate approach. With their motto, "Experiments with Chai", they offer fresh, gourmet and customised “chais” in a relaxed ambience, with a wide variety of tea, including Desi Chai, which can be made with an option of 12 add-ons; Indian specialty teas like God's Chai, Hari Mirch Chai, Aam Papad Chai and Pahadi Chai; and exotic teas like Moroccan Mint and Camomile tea. Visiting the cafe at Noida 62, we started with the Desi Chai. The option of 12 add-ons include tulsi, adrak, elaichi, cinnamon, ajwain, kali mirch, saunf, mint, laung, moti elaichi and hari mirch. Next in our list was Aam Papad Chai, Gods Chai and Hari Mirch Chai, with the last number scoring over the others. “As you can see, most of the ingredients, like tulsi, elaichi or ajwain, are very beneficial for health, while in the case of coffee it is totally opposite,” said Verma.
With every sip, one can differentiate the flavours of each ingredient. For instance, in Hari Mirch Chai the chilli lends an altogether different aroma and taste. The same goes with God’s Chai,
