Bombay Cutting Chai

€11.10

Tax included

Chai, meaning “tea” in Hindi, is a spiced tea that is drunk in India. Cutting Chai Bombay is a very popular drink found in Mumbai (Bombay).

We made it with organic Assam tea from the small tea garden of Tonganagaon which is part of the Tinsukia district in northeast India. Located between the Brahmaputra River and the Namdapha Nature Reserve. This Tonganagaon tea from Assam is particularly wonderfully sweet, spicy and malty; Typical that one would expect from a high quality Assam. It is made to meet the freshness and power of two cardamoms used (the green and the black). We have an aromatic, camphorous and slightly smoked tea.

Chai is traditionally drunk in India with milk and sugar, but it is perfect to be enjoyed alone, without anything added.

Net weight : 80g
Composition : Organic Tonganagaon black tea, Cardamom, Fennel, Black cardamom
Conditionnement : Resealable kraft bag

History

Plant & perfume

For reasons of economy, in stalls or cafes in Mumbai (Bombay) a “half tea” (half of a tea) was often asked for in English: Cutting chai. This made it possible to have an invigorating and tasty drink in small quantities at a lower cost. Over time, it became a common name on the streets of Mumbai: Cutting Chai.

It is composed of Cardamom, Fennel and Black Cardamom.

The scientific name for black cardamom is Amomum subulatum. It differs considerably from classic cardamom (sometimes called green cardamom). It grows in pods on a herbaceous plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family. The pods have hard, dried, wrinkled skin, are about an inch long, and contain small, dark-colored, sticky seeds. Black cardamom has a slightly pungent aroma with a citrus and eucalyptus flavor.

Black cardamom is dried over an open fire, creating a characteristic smoky aroma and flavor. This spice also has notes of resin and camphor, as well as menthol. These intense, heady notes place black cardamom in the category of “warming” spices, along with black pepper, cloves and chili peppers. It goes perfectly with tea.

Chai is the meeting of two cultures: that of tea and those of spices. It seemed obvious to us to combine Indian tea with our spices. For this we work with Assam tea, with a small Tonganagaon tea plantation located in the east of the Assam valley producing exceptional organic teas. This tea is graded TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), containing only buds.

Bombay Cutting Chai Max Daumin - History

Benefits

Cooking and Virtue

With chai, the spices need a little more time to express themselves. We will start with an infusion at 80° for around 10 minutes.

Real chai is consumed with milk and sugar. When your chai tea is ready add lukewarm milk and sugar to your liking. But it can absolutely be drunk without milk and without sugar.

Bombay cutting chai is powerful, slightly aniseed, camphorous and slightly smoky.

No flavors are added artificially, we only work with plants and spices. They express enough not to add aromas to this natural tea.

Origins

A long journey

Established in 1927, Tonganagaon Tea Estate is nestled near the foothills of the Himalayas and the mighty Brahmaputra River, on the edge of the Namdapha Nature Reserve. The organic growing methods used within the estate help to further promote the ecological diversity of the region.

The skill of making black tea has been refined over centuries and involves allowing the leaves to wilt in the open air, followed by a "crush, tear, curl" procedure during which the leaves are prepared for fermentation, carefully controlling temperature and humidity. Finally, the leaves are heat dried to stop the oxidation process, then sorted and classified according to size, then packaged. So this black tea generally has a stronger flavor than less oxidized teas.