Some beverages, like tea, hold a pedigree and pride of place among the masses. Then there is ‘Chaffee’, the scandalous mix of cha and coffee that loyalists from both camps love to hate, while some secretly sip with delight.
The discovery happened during an ordinary newsroom tea break. While the heart longed for cha, the brain begged for coffee and the taste buds wanted something milky and indulgent. That was when Mahadev da, the office’s caffeine guardian, called out to a customer: “Chaffee niye nao.”
Mahadev da, who spends his day brewing endless cups for journalists and countless others on Prafulla Sarkar Street
In one steel kettle, the eternal tea-versus-coffee debate dissolved and was poured into little bhnars.
Mahadev da, who spends his day brewing endless cups for journalists and countless others on Prafulla Sarkar Street, said the beverage was not really his discovery, but was introduced by customers. “People came asking for it, and I started making it. It is available in other shops too where tea or coffee is served,” he said.
Chaffee is not complicated. Add tea leaves directly into boiling milk coffee, or make milk tea first and finish it with a dash of coffee. The result is sweet, creamy, heavily caffeinated and comforting.
For food vlogger Indrajit Lahiri, chaffee is a guilty pleasure. “This is a secret temptation for us. Cha gives us familiarity, and coffee gives us a kick. The rule is, it has to be sugar-heavy and sinful. Assam tea makes for a better chaffee,” he said.
Chef Dyuti Banerjee believes the drink deserves less ridicule. “There is no shame in saying that I like Chaffee. Chaffee is an innovation and sometimes you do not need to pick sides when you can have the best of both worlds.”
Stories of nostalgia attached to Chaffee also come from food vlogger Pritha Paul, who grew up believing her father had invented it. In an Air Force household divided between a tea-loving mother and a coffee-loving father, Chaffee became the evening peace treaty during winter for her family. “We thought Baba had created it. We loved it not just because of the taste, but because it felt special,” she recalled.
Chaffee is not complicated. Add tea leaves directly into boiling milk coffee, or make milk tea first and finish it with a dash of coffee
Years later, she discovered Chaffee existed beyond her home. Yet the magic stayed. “It is still made in our house sometimes during winter,” she said.