On International Tea Day yesterday, The Telegraph went tea tasting around town, indulging in some classic sips and trying some new ones

Kesar Tea at Chai Break: One of the most coveted spices in the world, saffron, when added to a cup of tea indeed makes it luxury brewed in a cup. The nonmilk variety, a popular Persian welcome drink, is also known as the ‘love tea’. And indeed, starting from the Indian streets to chai bars, the kesar tea is where romance starts over a cup of chai. Flavourful, this traditional tea is made with black tea leaves sourced from Assam. The milk is simmered with Chai Break special spices, which infuse the milk with its flavours. This spiced milk is then added to the tea along with saffron strands, creating a rich and aromatic beverage, perfect for a midmorning pick-me-up or an evening tea break with a loved one.

Cold Brew Tea at The Bhawanipur House: This Dorje variety sourced from Darjeeling is a speciality-roasted one made using a special proprietary method for Dorje only. This 12-16- hour pre-brewed tea is served over ice with a garnishing of lemon slices and tonic water. Brisk in taste, it has notes of oak and subtle sweetness from the caramelisation of tea due to the long brewing time. If not for the classic tea lover, it is worth a try as an edgy summer variety

Vanilla Ceylon Black Tea at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf: When poured in a cup, the vanilla waft of this tea will unfailingly please one’s olfactory senses. The flavourful Sri Lankan hillside variety is sourced from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Bogawantalawa estate. This rich, full-bodied black tea gets its name from the island, as it was known during colonial times.

Rose Oolong Tea at The Day Room Cafe: The fermented and dried variety of tea that can be placed somewhere between the green and black tea is premixed with dried rose petals to create an aromatic quick brew. Sourced from Darjeeling and known for its calming effect, this variety is a perfect summer-evening special to relax the body and mind.

Aam Salaam Panna at Karma Kettle: Known for serving a variety of unique teas, this tea room in Calcutta has introduced a new summer-special variety incorporating the king of fruits and its popular raw variety preparation, the aam panna. Similar to the spicy raw mango drink, this green tea variety is prepared with a soft and pulpy raw mango puree made of salt, sugar, ginger and green chilli and powder of dry roasted Indian spices, served chilled with ice cubes infused with the green tea.

Classic Irani Tea at SodaBottleOpenerWala: This classic variety, though foreign to the country, assimilates very well with the common choice of tea in our country — milky, aromatic, biscuity and full of flavour. The story goes back to the time when the Iranis came to India and brought with them their strong, milky tea prepared specially with khowa or mawa and served it with their favourite accompaniment, the bun pav. But over time, they wished for a softer and creamier accompaniment and thus the melt-in-the-mouth, buttery bun maska was introduced to be served with their creamy and strong milk tea with a hint of cardamom. The combination hit the right spot and was forever embraced by the Indian taste buds.

Tea

On International Tea Day yesterday, The Telegraph went tea tasting around town, indulging in some classic sips and trying some new ones

Here are our picks from the spots on our tea map