MONDAY MORNING CHOTA HAZRI

MONDAY MORNING CHOTA HAZRI

By

VIKRAM KARVE

My wife has a wry sense of humour. Sometime back, she visited my niece Pooja in Yorkshire on a holiday and guess what she brought for me from England – a box of Tea Bags, yes, Yorkshire Tea. 

 

Now that’s like “carrying coals to Newcastle” isn’t it – getting Tea from England to India!

I love tea. 

 

But I like to brew my tea in traditional style and don’t fancy tea bag brewed tea which I find quite flavourless and insipid. So I was really surprised when I tasted a cup of tea made from a Yorkshire Gold Tea Bag. 

 

I truly enjoyed the rich, full-bodied, bright cup of tea with a lovely refreshing taste and fine elegant flavour which I had never expected from a Tea Bag. 

 

Next I tried Yorkshire Tea (Red Label) Tea Bags – a slightly stronger tea similar in strength and taste to Assam CTC Tea, suitable for drinking slightly later in the day.

Since then I begin my day with a morning cuppa of Yorkshire Tea and this is what I do for a quick cup of tea early in the morning.

I boil a cup of water in my microwave oven. Place a Yorkshire Gold Tea Bag in a cup and pour in the freshly boiled water. Let it brew for three minutes and then add milk and sugar.  Now I leave the tea bag in the cup to let the tea get stronger as I drink.

I could not get Yorkshire Tea in Pune so when anyone goes abroad I tell him to get a box of Yorkshire Tea. I wonder why we can’t make tea bags in India as good as a Yorkshire Tea Bag. After all, the tea leaves go from India and are blended at Yorkshire. I find the tea bags you get out here in India quite awful and the result is quite an insipid flavourless tea.

 

Also there is this terrible habit of dipping the tea bag into a pre-boiled concoction of milk and water which produces the worst kind of awful tasting flavourless bland tea. I feel that pouring boiling water over a tea bag helps release the flavour much better. Then one must let it brew for a few minutes before adding a dash of hot milk and sugar. Probably, that’s why the high quality Yorkshire Tea Bags do not have a string attached and are not the Indian style dip-dip type tea bags.

 

MY DAILY TEA ROUTINE

Five Cups of Tea 

 

I love tea and drink at least five cups of tea a day. 

They say that you must choose your drink as per the colour of the day (gin and vodka in the morning, beer in the afternoon, whisky in the evening, rum at night, and brandy or dark liqueur as a nightcap).

In the same way, I like to have five different types of tea as per the time of the day.

 

FIRST CUP - EARLY MORNING CUPPA aka Chota Hazri

 

I start my day early in the morning with a delicious cup of the rich and refreshing Yorkshire Gold Tea. 

 

SECOND CUP - BREAKFAST CUPPA 

Then, with breakfast I have a cup of traditionally brewed Assam CTC tea to perk me up.

THIRD CUP - MID MORNING CUPPA

 

Mid-morning, I must have a nourishing cup of stimulating Puneri Style Amrutatulya Chaha.

FOURTH CUP - AFTERNOON TEA aka HIGH TEA with Bun Maska

 

In the afternoon maybe a cup of strong rejuvenating full-bodied Red Label Yorkshire Tea made quickly microwave style.

FIFTH CUP - SUNDOWNER

 

As the sun sets, what can be a better way to relax in the evening than savouring a cup of tea-pot style traditionally brewed Darjeeling Tea.

Can any tea lover tell me where I can get a box of Yorkshire Tea Bags in Pune or India? 

And if you are going to England don’t forget to get me a box of Yorkshire Gold Tea Bags.

Cheers! Have a cuppa…

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. 


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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.