OT Staff & Waquar Habib
Bold, malty and brisk, Assam tea grows in India’s Brahmaputra valley. Often used in milk-based blends and masala chai, it anchors strong breakfasts and robust afternoon brews.
Delicate, floral and muscatel-fragranced, Darjeeling is India’s prized 'Champagne of teas,' produced in Himalayan estates across four flushes; best savoured without milk to appreciate its nuance and terroir.
From South India’s blue-hilled Nilgiris comes a fragrant, brisk black tea prized for clean liquor and aromatic notes; versatile for iced teas, blends and delicate single-estate cups daily.
India’s ubiquitous spiced milk tea combines robust black tea with cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and ginger; brewed strong with milk and sugar, it’s a warming everyday ritual across regions.
A green-tea infusion scented with saffron, cinnamon and crushed almonds, kahwa is traditionally served in copper samovars during weddings and cold winters across Kashmir’s valleys with cardamom pods.
From Himachal’s Kangra valley, this gentle black and green tea boasts floral aroma and light body; historically prized, it carries a protected Geographical Indication status for regional authenticity.
Grown in Sikkim’s Temi garden, this small-batch orthodox tea offers brisk, floral notes and shaded-hills complexity; conservation-minded estates produce standout black and green leaves for discerning drinkers.
A Himalayan staple, salted yak-butter tea blends strong black or brick tea with butter and salt; calorific and warming, it fuels high-altitude communities in Ladakh regularly.
A caffeine-free herbal infusion steeped from basil leaves, tulsi is prized in Ayurvedic tradition for calming, immunity-boosting properties and daily therapeutic rituals, widely across.
Born in Parsi cafes of Hyderabad and Mumbai, thick milky Irani chai brews slowly in a 'dil' and is paired with Osmania biscuits, offering creamy, slightly tangy comfort.