New Delhi: For some people who tried it, it was the perfect winter experience. Others just gagged at the first sip. Either way, the taste of the tea, infused with one of the world’s hottest chillies, is something one is unlikely to forget.
An Assam-based start-up has applied for a patent on its fiery innovation, a tea flavoured with the famous Bhut Jolokia chilli, brewed specifically for those who like their cuppa spicy.
Bhut Jolokia tea is one of five flavours introduced by Aromica Tea, all of them meant to evoke different feelings with flavours as diverse as blueberry and dark chocolate.
It was launched on 9 July, and blends dekhi black tea of Assam with chilli as well as lemon and ginger.
Asked how he came about the idea, Aromica Tea co-founder Ranjit Baruah said he “wanted to come up with a tea that is spicy because I have seen that people tend to enjoy adding chilli to their drink”.
“And Bhut Jolokia anyway has a reputation of its own,” he added.
In 2007, the Guinness Book of Records labelled Bhut Jolokia, also known as ghost pepper and found in the northeast, the world’s hottest chilli. It was later overtaken by the Carolina Reaper.
According to Baruah, it took more than a month to come up with the right proportions as the initial combinations were too hot to even put in the mouth.
However, the initial reception, he said, was so good, it left him overwhelmed.
“If you want to taste fire, you should have this fiery tea. On a rainy day, when you have a blocked nose, have this tea,” he added. “Or if you want to spice up your life and add some adventure to it, then have this tea.”
According to him, “there is no other tea like this in the world”, which is why he applied for a patent in August and hopes to get it soon.
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‘Like bungee jumping’
India is the fourth largest tea exporter in the world and Assam tea, a variant of the beverage best served without milk or sugar, courts immense popularity among its lovers.
Baruah has been associated with tea plantations for over two decades, through his stints with firms such as the Williamson Tea Company in Assam. Last year, he decided to make something of his experience and launched Aromica Tea on 22 November 2018 with five different types of tea.
One is a Blue Ta, mixed with super-fine organic green tea and butterfly pea flowers, which is meant to soothe people when they are stressed and, according to Aromica Tea, also has anti-ageing properties.
Valentine’s Tea, blended with white peonies, strawberries, dark chocolate, blueberry, cranberry and rose petals, is meant to infuse people’s heart with love. There is also a Family Happiness Tea, which goes with the tagline, “You don’t buy tea, you buy a packet of happiness”. The No Worries Tea hardly needs an introduction.
While these teas have been sold in Assam, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and Pune, Baruah is very guarded when asked if he will also circulate Bhut Jolokia tea, sold as Fiery Tea, which he describes as the most unique of the company’s offerings.
“The thrill of having the fiery tea and the sense of adventure is the same as going bungee jumping,” he said.
Giving back to the community
Earlier this year, Baruah won the Times Business Award for the ‘Best Premium Tea Brand in Assam’. According to him, the award focuses on social impact, and factors in whether the tea is homegrown and unique.
Baruah said he only procures tea leaves from small farmers, which is his way of supporting and giving back to the community.
“I only procure tea from small tea growers because it is a ready market and mainly because they are marginalised but so talented,” he added. “You cannot even imagine the talent they have.”
Ninety-five per cent of his staff, from factory workers to brand promoters and those who work at his cafe Just Tea, are all women.
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