CHAI MUSINGS !

Time and again I repeat…”Please do not pull me out of hibernation and more so when I am happily engrossed doing the same mundane chores over and over again.” But I also understand that friends who care are friends for keeps and that invariably brings me back to cybernation. Clearly understand that I am not addicted to the web. I am a blogaddict and if you so wish you are most welcome to address me as Blogaddictakka . 

It’s been a great Saturday so far spent with family, friends on the web and Madan Mohan. Please do not mistake him to be a Malviya. Long back I took a vacation from politics and recently installed the Gaana and Saavn apps on my smart phone. Very recently, unable to hold on to the pressure of continuous charging, my Samsung Galaxy went for a six and inspite of several resurrections, continues to be in a comatose condition. The Madan Mohan I refer to is the famous Hindi lyricist. I love the lyrics he composed and the music………..and I am now back to listening to old melodies on the web.

If music is therapy, good food is sacrament and so I continue from where I had signed off earlier during the day. It was coffee in the morning. How about a tea trip now ?

Its unbearably warm in Chennai and the last one week has been scorching hot. In fact the mention of the word “Tea” has raised my morale for the moment and since afternoon I have been virtually travelling up to the hills, into the tea gardens and beyond.

I have friends in Ooty, Kodai and Coonoor.One of these days I am going to gate crash into one of their homes. I know they will welcome me with open arms. I am friendly you see. Mind you I am not bragging. My friends here, there and everywhere are good natured and compassionate. I am sure that they are not going to mind my company for a few days.

But ! still ! Instead of delving deep into fantasies of a visit to a hill station, which I do not see happening as of now or even next month, let us get into tea basics right away…

My favourite brand is Brooke Bond Red Label and in case you happen to be around in my vicinity please feel free to drop in. Do let me know if you would like your Tea light or strong. I am not a connoisseur of tea in the strict sense of the term. All that I can say is when brewed well , the aroma of the tea is certainly inviting.

A true connoisseur of tea will never have it with ginger, cardamom,fennel or basil. These kill the aroma of fine tea. The shiny golden brown transparent liquid gold has to be had without additives. That is the sign of a true connoisseur.

 Tea making, my way, is child’s play. As opposed to tea making as a ritual in some parts of the world, here at home it’s yet another mundane chore. In order to bring some variety into tea making and make the process interesting I have this habit of investing in colourful tea pots. That, I never use them is a topic for another blog post. Kindly bear with me. Here is how you brew it my way.

Pour water in a vessel. Add tea leaves and bring it to a boil till a fine infusion of the golden red colour is achieved. If you wish to have flavoured tea, you may add cardamom powder, ground ginger, basil leaves or fennel seeds as per your choice. Strain the tea water. Add milk and sugar and serve with pride. Chilled tea with lime is another favourite drink of mine.

I appreciate your patience for reading my post and if you have any doubts feel free to email me with your queries. I would only be too glad to help and I could also suggest choosing the best brew.

Incidentally the best aroma and flavours are experienced only on the hills, in the midst of tea gardens to be more specific and well ! for that I think all we need to do is arrange for a simple tea party…..