Every evening in Islamabad a crowd arrives at Sanaullah’s street stall to taste his “tandoori chai”, a unique variety of Indian tea. Customers are served in terracotta mugs, still hot from the stall’s traditional oven.
The old-fashioned cups are put down directly inside the tandoor, where they are cooked at high temperatures. The tea, which is prepared separately, is then poured into the cups, where it starts to boil on hitting the hot clay.
The tandoor is present everywhere in South Asia, most commonly used to bake bread.
Sanaullah, the owner of a trendy shop located in an upmarket area in Islamabad believes that the concept of making tea this way is the main draw for many.
“The process of making it is really very interesting, which makes people like it,” he said, adding that the tea also has a smoky flavor which attracts many.
Muhammad Ishaq Khawar, a regular customer says: “There is a different kind of atmosphere, especially the way in which we are served tea. It was a very old system which goes back to the old days when the terracotta pots were used,” he explains.
It may appear like a niche product but the drink has turned so favorite that the Tandoori Chai Company cafes, which of late launched in Lahore, has expanded to a second branch.
Pakistan is one of the top tea consumers globally, according to research firm Euromonitor International. Results revealed from a recent study by Gallup says that 73 percent of tea drinkers in Pakistan have at least two or more cups in a day.
“Not only in Pakistan but in the entire subcontinent, it has been mixed in our blood,” says Mohammad Asim Khan, a customer at a small eatery in Islamabad. He adds: “Your physical fatigue will go away by taking tea and you get fresh.”
