Who: Nemai and Sita Roy

Profession: Tea-vendor

Operation area: Gariahat More (opposite Anandamela)

USP: The Roys (picture by Pabitra Das) are known for their quality tea. They use a Darjeeling tea blend, don’t boil the tea and use condensed milk. They have been here for eight years.

Trade secret: Apart from “dudh cha” (tea with milk) and “lebu cha” (lemon tea), there’s also coffee. But what really sets the couple apart is their tea, its quality and method.

The tea is not a concoction prepared by boiling the milk, sugar and tea leaves together. The Roys brew the tea leaves in water and add the milk and sugar separately

Nemai and Sita use a blend of CTC and Darjeeling tea leaves; for milk they use Amulya and Amul Mithai Mate and for coffee, Nescafe’s Sunrise. The use of Mithai Mate means that they have to be careful about the sugar.

“No one likes their tea very sweet these days,” says Nemai. You can also choose how you want it served, in plastic cups, kulhars or thermocol cups.

The price factor: The use of good quality product does push the price up a little. A cup of tea costs between Rs 3 and Rs 5. Coffee is priced at Rs 6 and lemon tea, Rs 2.5 to Rs 4. But Nemai says that as long as the quality of his brew is good, people do not mind paying. Instead they keep returning for his special cha.

Day dreams: Are what Nemai, who started selling tea 18 years ago, doesn’t have. He has come this far through perseverance and his wife’s support. “Sita used to work as a maidservant,” says Nemai, looking with pride at his wife, who briskly checks her wristwatch. The couple lives in Subhashgram, one station from Sonarpur, and travel daily by train. But they don’t have plans for a bigger tea stall.

“During raids, I have to clear out, but then we return and the money is enough. If the business has to flourish, my sons have to take over,” says Nemai.

Timings: You will find Nemai and Sita at their pavement establishment every day, Monday to Saturday, between 1 pm and 9.30 pm.