Why chai?

Tea sommelier Snigdha Manchanda Binjola shares what makes tea tick for her

Why chai?

Tea sommelier, Snigdha Manchanda Binjola was in her teens when she discovered the wonder beverage she calls tea. Her father, who worked with ONGC, was posted in Assam and brought her a pack of green tea, little realising that he would send his daughter on a journey that would see her swirl across nations and cultures discovering the wonders of India’s favourite drink.

u00a0Tea sommelier Snigdha Manchanda Binjola

Binjola, who trained as a sommelier in Sri Lanka has been conducting tea workshops in Mumbai since 2011. Ever since her father gifted her first bag of tea Binjola says it became a passion to collect teas from the world over — Kenya, Sri Lanka and Malaysia and preserve them in a vintage trunk.

“My tea treasure includes over 100 exotic and rare teas and blends from around the word. This went on to became my inspiration to start Tea Trunk, a boutique Tea Consultancy and a venture that was all about educating in the art of tea appreciation,” she says.

Tea Trunk, is an endeavour through which Binjola wants to expose people to the tea culture in India, In fact she even conducted the chai walk for the BMW Guggenheim Lab and took people on a discovery tea trail in Mumbai.

Even though India is known for producing the finest teas in the world, Binjola rues the fact that most people cannot differentiate between the Assam and the Darjeeling tea. Binjola will conduct a tea tasting workshop at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.u00a0

Tea-a-tete
Binjola shares some handy tips for the perfect brew
>>u00a0No two people are alike. Hence, there is no one tea, which is good for all. I would recommend that everyone should sample some Oolong tea. The complex flavour profile of an Oolong tea is a mix between black and
green tea.
>> I consume four to five cups of tea a day. I pick a different tea for each time of the day. The number of cups you consume depends on your choice of teas and your need for caffeine.
>>u00a0Tea absorbs other odours/smells very quickly. While storing tea, ensure it is not close to items with strong odours; else it will influence the natural aroma of the tea. Hence, storing in an airtight container is important.u00a0