Gone are the days when the ‘Amrutulyas’ -the little tea outlets were much part of the culture and fabric of this city…
Today, Pune has come of age and so has its quintessential chai tradition! From the tapris to the fancy tea outlets and now “tandoori chai” as well.
If you are wondering why I would write about chai of all things, then blame it on me being both bewildered and amused by the glitz and glamour of the chai fervour of the city!
I’ve seen chai tapris, but entire restaurants dedicated to serving teas with fancy names? As always, I walked right back into time and the quaint lanes of Pune to capture the humble chai’s aromatic journey!
The hardcore Puneite is quite often at the receiving end of jokes, when it comes to serving tea. Known for their miserly hospitality, they apparently offer a guest chai purely as a formality and that too only when they are all set to leave!
In sharp contrast, the number of tea stalls all across Pune are growing rapidly which certainly points to the fact that Amche Pune has a tea tale to tell…
Amrutulya (elixir) is the generic name given to small tea stalls that dot the Peth areas besides others, scattered across the city right from the Pre-Independence times.
These are not handcart shops, but tiny congested shops in the commercial streets of downtown Pune.
The seller is comfortably seated on a low stool and in front of him is a large aluminum vessel on the boil (the heavy buzz of the stove has now been silenced with the use of gas cylinders), containing a concoction of pure milk (no water please) is furiously brewing with strong tea dust, loads of sugar and added spices like cardamom and ginger. The aroma is quite unmatched and delightful.
It is kept boiling until the colour turns a golden brown with the ingredients homogeneously blended. It is most often strained through a piece of muslin and served piping hot. Many of these outlets have some seating space as well.
The original version of the Amrutulyas served pure, boiled milk.They played the role of addas (meeting points) for freedom fighters and Puneites to discuss the nationalistic movement that was in its fervent mode, inspired by Lokmanya Tilak’s writings and call for mass participation.
Subsequently, Amrutulyas graduated to making tea from 100% milk and the tradition continues, though now lost in terms of visibility. This was of course an expected consequence of Pune’s geographic expansion and metamorphosis from a strong Maharashtrian bastion to a cosmopolitan city it is now.
While our citizens seemed to be content visiting the wayside tea stalls and Udipi restaurants, a new trend slipped in over the past few years courtesy the younger entrepreneurs who glamourised the tea experience in the newer vibrant parts of the city.
A complete contrast from the mundane Tapris, these outlets came with smart names, colours and interiors to entice you to savour the cup.
Some of the names and places will give you an insight of their spread with the super success tag – Tea Trails Café, Aundh; Chai, Koregaon Park; Why not tea, Wagholi; Chai Park, Yerawada; Chai Tapri, Fergusson College Road; Pappu Chaiwala – Magarpatta City; Engineer’s Chai, Katraj; Redefined Tea, Magarpatta and Kalyaninagar; Chai-La, Kharadi; Tea-A-Holic, Hadapsar; Chai Par Charcha, Hinjewadi and so on…
Obviously, Pune’s chai industry has smartly graduated and now tempts us with their cool looks and names, and all despite the rise of concern on high sugar intake. And just when I figured all this, comes tandoori chai !
So, what is this after all? Google helped and I figured how this was made and am dying to get a taste of this new sensation in town!
In the words of a blogger I read, TandoA writes:`in this unique tea-making process, kulhads (my addition here – small earthen pots like the ones used to make sweet curds in West Bengal) are roasted in a pre-heated tandoor. Semi-cooked tea is poured into the extremely hot kulhads to bubble over and complete the process.
The hot earthen pot gives the tea a smoky flavour. The piping hot tea is served in another clean earthen pot along with bun maska (buttered bun) or biscuit.”
The videos of this tea-making process is really exciting. No wonder, the one at Hinjewadi apparently is so packed that your chai order takes 30-45 minutes!
The humble chai may not always get you a prime ministerial chair, but a successful entrepreneur you will become! We have an example of this in Navnath Yewle, whose runs chai shops in various parts of Pune has admitted to earning Rs.12 lakhs a month!
Cheers to that with a Garam Chai!
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#All views expressed in this column are those of the author and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
That's Vinita Deshmukh, Senior journalist and RTI activist who believes in journalism that reflects the views and needs of the common man.
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