Life has been quite challenging for me at times. From working alone for over five years in a bustling city like Mumbai to facing career uncertainty, frustration has often been my constant companion.
Amidst all the chaos, my colleagues became a significant part of my life during those difficult years. Each came from different backgrounds, followed different cultures and beliefs, yet they did their best to give me company. I still cherish those spontaneous water-cooler conversations. Another constant for all of us was the ten-minute tea break we took every two hours in the office. Honestly, I enjoyed those tea breaks even more than my work. As someone who finds it hard to sit in one place for long, I was always eager to jump up at every opportunity, and the tea breaks were the perfect excuse to escape my desk.
All it took was one person calling out from their cubicle, “Who’s up for a cup of tea?” and, just like that, the entire team was ready for a quick outing. There was something special for me in the cafeteria. The hot water came from a Café Coffee Day machine, and beside it stood a wooden box filled with tea dips from around the world. My favourite, “Assam Red Tea,” was among them. It filled me with pride to see Assam tea featured in such an elite selection. They considered them premium, and I often heard my colleagues speak highly of Assam tea.
When you’re far from home, there are few chances to take pride in your roots. Those Assam tea dips gave me the perfect opportunity to do so, allowing me to share my expertise and stories about tea from Assam. There were even moments when my colleagues confused things, mixing coffee latte with Assam tea, sparking a new trend we called “coffeetea,” a delightful byproduct of their experiments. I must admit, the best cup of coffee sometimes came from steeping an Assam tea dip for a couple of minutes.
My pride in being from the land of Assam tea extends beyond India. In 2013, my office sent me to Switzerland on a project. The work was stressful at times, and my only moments of relaxation came while playing foosball or in the office cafeteria. Switzerland is typically considered a coffee-first country, but even there, Assam tea dips and pouches were proudly displayed in the cafeteria. The brands were unfamiliar to me, but they marketed their Assam origins as a unique selling point. The packaging was premium and stylish. The black tea from those dips tasted more refreshing and varied than what I was used to back home. This, I realised, is where Assam tea from pricey auctions often ends up. I also discovered surprising new varieties like lemon grass, Assam black tea and marigold-flavoured blends, which were rare in Assam at the time.
I loved how my European colleagues recognised the Assam name on the tea dips and connected it to my home. Those were truly special moments. Later, during an office tour in London, I saw Assam tea again, though the experience was different. The British preferred their English Breakfast tea, which, no offence intended, tasted rather light and watery to me. But to each their own; there’s a reason it’s called English Breakfast tea.
Back home in India, the local “chai tapri” or “chaah ghumti” often serves the best tea. Near my rented house, there was a tea shop where we were regular tea consumers. Since there was often a cash issue(this was before the advent of UPI), we arranged something with that guy. We usually gave him INR 500 in advance, and he used to serve tea till he exhausted that fund. It worked best for everyone.
I had a Bengali friend in Mumbai who pronounced tea as “saa.” This made my colleagues laugh and sometimes tease him. In our part of the world, we call tea “saah,” “saa,” or “cha,” depending on whom you ask. I found it amusing and often had to step in to explain that to my colleagues. Later, I learned that wherever tea was transported by land, it came to be called “chai” or “shah.” On the other hand, it was given the name “tea” if it was transported by sea. This fascinating fact seems to hold across the world, strange and amazing at the same time.
Nevertheless, my experience with Assam tea has always been something to cherish. Now I’m back home in Assam, working full-time from home with no plans to relocate for the next few years. I find my greatest joy in sharing a cup of tea with my family. Usually, when my wife returns from work and my baby wakes up from her evening nap, I prepare a cup of hot milk tea for everyone using the best Assam CTC I can find. We sit together, relax, and savour the comfort of Assam tea.
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