April Summers and Heady Brews

April was adventurous in terms of sampling a variety of coffees and teas in and around Bangalore and Munnar. By the end of it I know, harsh winters or sultry summers, a cup of well-brewed coffee or tea entices you like none other.
My quick trip to the Mantri Square food court in Bangalore left me pretty disappointed. The counters were pretty much the same as elsewhere without any novelty. The only place that beckoned me was the cheery Hi!Chai outlet which prominently listed out its variety of teas on offer. I treated myself to a cup of piping hot tulsi chai and did a dekko of the mall with with cup in hand. The brew was refreshing-just enough milk, sugar and a heady brew of tea and tulsi all offering their flavours in perfect balance. It was the best part of the mall visit, especially on that day when the weather was perfect-gusty and windy with the skies threatened to tear open unleashing a torrent of rain.
Nelyani Gold from Kalmane Koffee was another new flavour I experimented with. But coffee with cardamom isn’t really my cup of umm coffee. The blend just didn’t seem to work for me. I love their plain filter coffee though; it’s probably the best in the city – full bodied flavour and a caffeine punch that works wonders!
Munnar was a discovery of a variety of tea brews and tastes. Sitting by the wayside ‘chaaya kada’ on the way to Munnar awakens your senses. You feel a sense of belonging with your surroundings and nothing worries you – all you want to do is soak up the soothing sunlight peeping out of thick, curly clouds and savouring tea that comes straight from the garden. The ginger tea served in glass tumblers was all spice and nice. Hot, sweet, satisfying and upping the happiness quotient exponentially.
The scary, nail-biting jeep drive to Kolukkumalai, one of the highest peaks leaves you with a sense of accomplishment. I firmly held on to the jeep railings until my fingers hurt, firming my grip further each time I looked down at the height we were at. The world’s highest organic tea garden, here the temperature suddenly drops and the chill in the air is surreal. All you see are mountain peaks swathed in green and acres of lush tea plantations covered in thick mist. A paper cup of organic tea is all you need to feel a sense of enhanced bliss. Just for a moment, when you sit by the pristine waters sipping the brew and grasping the full extent and exuberance of nature, you feel this is it. That sense of perfect happiness we clamour for all our lives.
The tea was delicious, never mind that it was tad sweeter than usual. Fresh and virgin, if you may say so and a pure taste that is hard to come by. I absolutely had to bring back some tea to savour a tiny part of that bliss, if nothing more. I’m sure the aroma of the cup of tea will bring those moments gushing back, those few moments of pure joy and happiness.