Anjanaben Shah

Dolly Roy

Nelanjana

Sourav and Dona

Some like it hot. Some syrupy. Others can’t resist a good, loud slurp. But just about everyone agrees on one thing — they want their tea just the way they want it. And though a British scientist may have come up with the milk-before-tea winning recipe for the perfect cuppa, here are some Calcutta fanatics who only trust their own tea taste-buds:

Anjanaben Shah, wife of the Governor

I like my tea to be strong and have good colour and so prefer Assam tea to Darjeeling. I drain some of the water after boiling it, add the leaves and soak it for four to five minutes. I add a teardrop of milk and less than a teaspoon of sugar.

Biman Bose, Left Front chairman

No milk or sugar for me. Sometimes, two drops of lemon.

Dolly Roy, tea-taster

I stick to Darjeeling Second Flush and have 10 to 15 cups a day. After taking the water off the boil, I add one heaped teaspoon of tea for a cup and brew it for three to five minutes. No sugar or milk.

Nelanjana Bhowmik, actress

My morning cuppa is either Darjeeling or Assam. I add the leaves, milk and sugar in boiling water and heat it for some time. Evenings are for lemon tea.

B. M. Khaitan, industrialist

I am essentially a black-tea drinker; at times, I have tea with lemon. I find Darjeeling tea lighter and prefer Assam tea because of its taste and colour.

Sourav and Dona Ganguly

Dona: I get tealeaves from one particular shop. I soak the leaves in hot water for a long time, then add milk and sugar. Neither of us likes it hot, so we cool it for some time and have two mugs full, with biscuits.