SHALINI SAKSENA chats up tea sommelier Radhika Batra Shah who says that life is like a cup of tea, it is all in how you make it
What or who is a tea sommelier is what most people would want an know. While most are familiar with wine sommeliers, tea sommelier is, for most, a new concept and a term. They may not be so wrong. It is said that the term was coined in 1998, at Heartbeat Restaurant in the W Hotel in New York City.
How is a tea sommelier different from a tea taster? Radhika Batra Shah, founder of Radhikas Fine Teas & Whatnots, who has been blending and brewing tea since 2006, says that that tea tasting is only a part of what a sommelier does. “A tea sommelier is a person who has studied the beverage over the years in terms of working in the plantations, knowing every technical aspect of the leaf. He is a person who is not just involved in tasting tea, blending and brewing it but also well aware of the all permutations combinations to make that perfect cup of tea — basically the whole journey from the garden to the cup. A sommelier is a more involved person because the main focus is to work in an around the leaf. However, this doesn’t mean that the work is a taster is less important. Just the focus is different,” Shah explains whose own journey started because she couldn’t find that perfect cup of tea.
It all began 12 years back. I was never able to find that perfect cup like my mother made at home. Everything was done in a hurry. Nobody had the patience to brew. There were tea bags. Passion and opportunity led me to this line. When I began, the aim was to make people drink the leaf that I sourced. However, over time, due to innovation, things changed and now work towards getting closer to the customer.
Interestingly, no one in her family is in this line. Her father is in merchant navy, her brother makes movies and the mother is a homemaker. But the family loved their tea. After pursuing a masters in business management with a major in marketing. She worked in the corporate sector before venturing out on her own in 2006, Batra spent three years doing her research. She worked directly with gardens in China — Longjing. She worked in these gardens, understood the leaf, stayed in home stays. In India, she worked with organic gardens like Ambootias.
“This doesn’t mean that there is no research now. I keep updating myself with what is happening in different aspects of tea. I also do a lot of online courses because it is good to be aware about what the happening from where the basic brew comes from,” Batra says and tells you that since she loves what she does, everything is easy. What is not easy for her is to reach out to the Indian customers.
“Internationally, it is easy to talk to people about organic products. Back here, though we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go. I have spent 1,000 ceremonies to educate the people. I spend a lot of time telling them how to brew, what is a good leaf and how does a leaf benefit you. If you tell people here to drink green tea everyone does that without releasing what may suit them. White may suit some, black for others and for yet others, it could be green. There are a lot of intricacies involved,” Batra tells you who is a typical chaiwallah.
The best way to brew tea, according to Batra, begins with choosing the right leaf. She tells you to not go for a leaf that gives a lot of colour because that means that it may not be as beneficial. “Try to pick up organic tea. Don’t go on hearsay. Look for certain certifications. Then take water, put chai patti, put in your favourite herbs and give it a boil. Put it on simmer and pour milk. But not too much of milk because then you will rob the body of the benefits of the leaf. A check of a good quality tea is that it can be rebrewed. For an Oolong or White, boil water. Add the leaf in the cup and simply pour the hot water over it,” Batra advises.
She also tells you that there is need to break myths associated with the brew. Just because a celeb asks you to drink a certain kind of blend, one should not do it. “I don’t tell people not to have the kind of tea that they have been drinking. I just tell them that if they drink two cups a day, to make a healthy decision, in between, one can try a tea to stay calm or drink a tea that suits you,” she says.
According to her, the market is also witnesses many trends. There will be many more blends besides English Breakfast, Masala and Earl Grey or Greens. The future is going to be amazing because there will be a new chai to try everyday.
She herself offers three series of teas — connoisseur, romance and healing. The healing series resonate total wellness. Romance that is about pure blends as per the mood and benefits and connoisseur meant for people who love their leaf.
“As long as there will be good blenders, there will many more options available for the customers like there is Assam Lemongrass for digestion or an Assam Black Vanilla for a calming effect or a Mukhwas, taking inspiration from the paan. Bio or organic produce is another trend that is catching on. We retail the first flush from the gardens — the first pick of the year for the international market. These are the highest selling at Harrods,” Batra says who has over 59 blends.
She tells you that the best way to make a gradual transition or try new blends is to attend one of the many exhibitions that Batra holds during festivals. “People are willing to pay a price to be healthy. Yes, our teas are expensive but they can be rebrewed,” Batra says whose favourite tea is white for calming effect and the second is a blend that she makes just for the family to keep the immunity up — organic Assam with Liquorice or Turmeric or Bergamot. Though the blend changes each year, the good news it is a available for customers as a one-time offer.