Ten Things about My Idiosyncrasy for Tea
Wikipedia describes idiosyncrasy as an unusual feature of a person. It also means an odd habit. The term is often used to express eccentricity or peculiarity. People around me believe that I am very fussy about my tea. While commenting on a post by Destination Infinity, the idea of this blog post took shape and form. So here we go with my idiosyncrasy for tea!
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I am a tea person. When I say, that I am a tea person, it does not mean that I like drinking tea all the time or I can have tea anytime and anywhere. Of course, I love my tea, but in my own special style and process.
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While I don’t mind at all (in fact love) somebody cooking food for me, tea is something that I like to make myself. Even, if somebody volunteers to do the honours of making the tea for me, I firmly decline the offer. The tea that I make tastes exactly the same almost all the times (sometimes the quality of milk changes the taste), as I follow my self designed tea ceremony religiously. I add all the ingredients as per the specific measured proportions. Also they are added after a certain interval of time or temperature to give that perfect cup of taste.
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I drink only 2
cupsmugs of tea… one in the morning and one in the evening. Sometimes when I am at home, after finishing my work, I do indulge myself with another mug. When I am out of home at somebody’s place, and it’s time for the evening mug, either the tea is made as per my instructions or is made by me or missed altogether so that I can rush back home and have my tea in my own way and mug! Having a bad tasting tea is not my cup of tea! -
There are so many varieties and flavours of tea. But my all time favourites are Brook Bond Red Label and Wagh Bakri!!
- I like masala tea only. So, with the variations in the seasons, my masalas for the tea changes too. Masala for the tea includes anything from ginger, tulsi, mint, cardamom to black pepper, cloves, fennel, cinnamon sticks, I also sometimes use the readymade tea masala that’s available in the market.
- I like having tea in my large mugs and these are some of the mugs that I use frequently. My current favourite is the last one in green.
- I do not like separate tea that is served in star hotels, CCDs etc. When I am travelling for workshops, the hotels serve tea with tea bags, I prefer going without tea and take a cup of coffee instead. Since I am a cleanliness freak, I never have tea from the roadside thadis or trains, railway stations, bus depots … Though I am told that some of these road side tea shops make amazing tea!
- I like my tea sweet and milky. Milk, I have realised is a big factor in making a nice cup of tea. Since we use Amul pasteurized milk. I have found that using the whole milk (Amul Gold)makes the tea very heavy and using the toned milk (Amul Taaza) does not taste that good. So, I use milk which has half proportion of Amul Gold and half of Amul Taaza. Tea made from the freshly boiled milk tastes the bestest and that from the a day old milk is not all that great.
- And now that the winters are setting in, I do enjoy Kashmiri Kahwa after meals.
- I like to have my tea in total peace. During this time, I like to sit with either my book/newspaper or laptop. I hate interruptions by means of phone calls or ringing of the door bell etc. Tea time is my time, which I cherish and love completely. I associate my mug of tea with relaxation and rejuvenation. Gladstone said, “If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you” and I agree completely with him!
Are you a Tea Person or a Coffee Person??
Image Courtesy : Google Images
75 Responses
A post close to my heart
I am crazy about tea. Okay I also have specifications for my perfect tea but I am usually eager to have tea anywhere anytime also. I avoid only if I know that the place or person serves really bad tea 
I also like to make my own tea and it was a difficult time when I was barred from kitchen during 40 days after delivery. Even my husband makes it well, so I would ask him to make some when he would be back from office in the evening, much to my mother-in-law’s dismay!
But only a tea drinker can empathise with this fixation for a perfect tea. I have 3 mugs of tea and most of the things you mentioned is true for me as well.I don’t like cardamom tea and I have not gone beyond ginger, daal chini, laung and the garam masala mix. I like Tata Gold or Premium but now I will try your suggestions.
I can gauge the quality of tea by its smell, I mean whether it is of my liking or not. I really can go on and on
So happy to meet another tea lover!
Glad that your hubby makes good tea. Mine is a master chef and is amazing with all types of food, but his tea is something that I dont like at all!
Oh yeah, smell tells a lot about the tea!! Agree!
Thanks for sharing your tea story! Loved it!
Always a pleasure to find another tea or book lover
Same here!! :))
Great.
I am myself a tea drinker.Unfortunately,I can not,nor will I ever be able to make tea for anyone.I think.making tea is a science .
Great to know that you enjoy tea too!
Yes, you are right, read somewhere that though many of us might think of tea making as an art, but apparently making the perfect mug of tea is all down to the science!
As Britishers said….All time is tea time
Shilpa,
I do not know why should this be called idiosyncrasy. One has all the rights to enjoy a cuppa as one feels like. I normally have 3 cups a day. Sure one can not enjoy a bad cup at all. Looking forward to have a cup prepared by you on your visit here.
Take care
Yes, may be being too particular about tea is bit peculiar for many around me!!
Surely, we will have a cup of tea whenever we meet! 
Hugs from one tea person to another
hugs
This post is so me, Shilpa. Even I like (actually obsessed is the word) to make my tea.
I give my tea a skip, when we travel as its not possible to get my kind of tea wherever we travel.
Of course, dip tea might be an alternative, but not always
Red label is my fav brand, their new Nature care is my current fav
OMG !!! that 5th point is just like me….this is too good Shilpa
Yes, I do have my set of tea mugs – you said it right – MUGS
thank you for that 10th one – I have more reasons to drink tea !!!
Hugs back to you Uma!! So happy to know that you are a tea lover too!
Currently, even I am using Nature Care… its good for winters!
Lovely knowing your tea story!! Thank you!
Hey,that is my favourite topic you touched here Shilpa and I can see the passion.I am completely with you when you say that the tea has to be sweet.I too would rather skip than have pheeki chai without Ginger. If not a big Mug like yours I have it in a tall glass. Ahhh heaven !Lastly,my hygiene ocd is just short of mania but Dhaabe ka or roadside masala chai..let me say that you are really missing something girl!
Wow! You too, Sharmila!! :))
Agree, better to skip rather than having a tea which does not meet your standards!
I can’t drink in a glass, can’t handle the hotness!
Recently, I saw a pic on FB which had a cute woolen cover for the mug!
LOL @ hygine OCD… it’s same here! Aah! I know, I am missing out on that roadside tea… guess, will have to be a bit strong and let go of the cleanliness mania for a while and try it out sometime!
Wow! What an awesome post completely woven around tea
I don’t drink either on a daily basis, but sometimes a cup of filter kaapu is what peps me up/ drives away my headache at times. After moving to Hyderabad, chai has kinda got added with coffee too 
Thanks Swaram! Ohk, so you dont have morning tea/coffee!?!
I like filter coffee too but that I have when we are in south Indian restaurants or travelling in South India!
And ya, my chai is adrak chai always
I don’t like the elaichi one 
Adrak is my all time fav too! And elaichi is lowest on my tea-masala list too!
I can easily relate to this subject. I love making tea in a teapot, because only teapot gives the right taste. Also my tea should have the right color, right amount of sugar, not more than 1 spoon, and the milk too should be hot. I have one standard cup of tea in the afternoon, but only if I am in a mood for tea. I hate tea where they put everything together and just boil the whole stuff, killing the very taste of tea. I also love the mild Darjeeling tea.
And being a Tamilian, I am very particular about how the filter coffee is made The decoction should be fresh, milk should freshly boiled, and the coffee must be heated correctly, it should be over heated. I like my coffee without sugar as the coffee taste is fully felt.
So when somebody offers me tea or coffee I just refuse. Making tea and coffee is an art, not everybody can get the perfection.
I have to have my morning tumbler of coffee, and maybe 1 cup of tea in the afternoon. Also love to have tea in the Kulad, that gives it a very authentic taste too.
You have unleashed your rules, and each of us have our own rules to be unleashed here in your site. This is interesting.
Thank you Rama for sharing your tea and coffee story!
Good to know that we all some distinct preferences about our daily cup of tea and coffee!
Glad you liked this post!
OMG! I have no doubts any more. you certainly read my mind. else, how do i explain i too was thinking on the same lines of making a post which though i must admit would have not been similar. I love cooking, but chai i would prefer if somebody made it especially adraki chai. When my 13 year old son makes it tastes the best.
And i am also a cleanliness freak so am particular about road side eating but chai is an exception and i insist on disposable cups.
There is a concept called ” by 2″ in karnataka for chai. one cup will be divided into two. we once ordered it on a roadside hotel enroute coorg and the tea we got was just a sip( the whole glass( steel tumbler actually) was just an 1 inch in height) and i could go on an on… or maybe i will make a post shortly.
and yes, i am a chai person though of late i taste coffee sometimes.
Beautiful post shilpa, i am sure many will relate to this post.
We think alike!!
Would love to read your tea story on your blog!! Go on and share it with us!
Yes, “by 2” is called cutting chai here! a one inch cup is funny! These days, I see very small disposable cups for tea near our office. I guess, it must be having just 2 sips or max 3 sips of tea!
Thanks Asha. Glad you liked reading it!
tell me, tell me whats ur tea-making procedure ike?
Come over to Jaipur and will make a cup for you and show you my process of making tea, live!
Hmmm….you are one tea person, Shilpa..:) I am neither a tea Or a coffee person..yes, we both don’t drink tea or coffee. But I make good tea…that’s why whenever I used to go visit my aunt from the hostel, she would ask, make a khadak chai for me..:) I occasionally drink tea and use Taj Mahal…thats been the family brand for quite some years..donno if om changed it now..:)
So, what do you drink then, Latha??
Many say that it is good to abstain from tea/coffee but then literature is full of health benefits of both too!
I like my chai kadak too!
I think everyone will LOL if I say that here. Anyway, let them
I drink milk. A glass in the morning everyday. Rain or shine, I drink one. Even though I don’t eat breakfast, this will stay tight in the tummy till lunch 
Hubby drinks milk,juices of all kinds. All means all.. including bitter gourd..can u believe?
That’s such a wonderful habit! In fact, everybody should have at least a glass of milk everyday. Bitter gourd too?? Well, it has a LOT of health benefits but!! Glad to see such healthy habits in your family! Impressive!
Waw I like those facts, I am a tea person too. I love your mug collections.
Glad to have your company for tea!
Thanks LF
Now I know what to gift you wnenever we meet
:))
Assam tea of different kinds and mugs :):)
And what would you like to have??
Good one on chai.
I like mine with malai.
Thanks Indrani! I love Malai, but never in my tea!
My dad has it sometimes in his tea, though!
That is a pretty long list of personal fascinations and love affair with tea and tea drinking. The ritual you have is pretty elaborate. Come on these are the indulgences one must keep.
Double scotch and on the rocks!
Glad that you approve of all this fuss over a cup of tea!
Good to know your preference! :))
I am actually a milk person..(now now..don’t cringe ur nose and say…who drinks milk?!!!)and i like mine with a generous helping of a special powder( ie actually the almonds cashew and little elaichi and kesar powdered and stored) and a little more sugar! and served cold…drink it just once a day…!!! yea yea go ahead and tell me it is bad for my health…but dudh it is for me!!
Arre wah! Milk is the bestest and in fact we all must have it at least once a day!
It was milk for me till graduation. Once I went to hostel for MBA, since that milk has just vanished from my life and got replaced with tea!
Good that it’s only milk for you! Way to go!
If you replace the word tea in this post with coffee it would feel I have written this post because I feel exactly the same way.
– only to be made by me
– wanna have it shaanti se
– just one cup a day but it has to be PERFECT!!!
You also feel the same for your cup of coffee!! That’s damn cool! :))
My tea: Strong, less sweet, less milky. Exactly the opposite of how you like. But nonetheless never thought of tea this much before reading your post.
Welcome here The Pink Orchard! Good to know your tea preferences!
LOL @ your last line… that is why this post is labelled under idiosyncrasy!
If you go to Coimbatore, you should have tea in a restaurant called Annapoorna. It’s a chain, actually and they make better tea than many places in Chennai and Bangalore (where I have tasted). You can even go to Coimbatore just to drink Tea. Even small bakeries, etc. make excellent tea there. I miss it so much!
I guess the proximity to the tea estates of Ooty has to do something with the good taste in CBE. Once we drank Tea in a tea estate factory in Ooty, and no need to mention, it was awesome. I guess the freshness of tea powder matters.
Destination Infinity
Thanks for sharing the wonderful tea destinations in Coimbatore! Will check them out, whenever we visit the city!
Yes, you are right, tea, like spices, is best when fresh. Stale tea looses much of the magic.
I like those mugs.. I had a big mug , and someone in office has broken it
I am more of a coffee man, but when i ws in india it was all DUDH-Patti
tea in milk and yummmyyyyyyyyyyyy
but you need to come ot uk, there are hundreds of types of TEA, and you will be drinking them all the time I tell you, different tastes and all.. its amazing
Bikram’s
I can’t drink tea in a small cup.
Hope to experience it sometime! 
Hope you get a big mug to enjoy the daily dose of coffee!
Yes, Dudh-Patti it is for us too when in Punjab!
Oh yes, have heard and read a lot about the English tea and their tea rituals!!
I usually have one cup of tea in the evening. Tea without a cigarette is very frustrating for me although I am not a chain smoker
The better the taste the more is the urge to smoke.
Yes, have seen an Uncle have his tea and cigarette together too!!
Mugs are superb… Nice post and a different view I guess.. Writing about a cup of tea! that made me more eager to read though I am a coffee-lover myself! Which does not mean I am a tea-hater. I prefer coffee to tea! Just like how you have said about tea, there are some things about coffee. A Tamil Brahmin (known as Tambrahms!) is destined to love his filtered coffee! I am one and it is in my blood (lol..) Strong filter coffee, 3/4th of a mug should be milk, remaining decoction and very small quantity of sugar! It must be a bit bitter rather than sweet which makes your coffee pleasant. Try it once supposedly you get very good and fresh coffee powder. Good post
Thanks Hari! Glad you liked the mugs and the post!
I have Filter Coffee whenever I am travelling down South or once in a while in the South Indian restaurants here and it does tastes awesome!
Thks for sharing your coffee story!
You have a tea fetish!
I am neither a tea or coffee person – I don’t drink either. But I enjoyed your post. You really have a nice collection of tea mugs.
Oh yes, I am a bot crazy about my tea!
So, then what do you drink… milk?? Juices??
Thanks, happy that you liked the post and the mugs too!
you do have a thing or two with the tea
I love my cuppa tea/coffee and the evening one is what I most look forward to. Hope we meet for chai chat someday shilpa. loved reading
Oh, yes, would love to have a cup of tea with you!! So, when are you coming to Jaipur??
I’m neither a tea nor a coffee person. I don’t drink either. Interesting post though. Love Kishore da mug.
Thanks Priyanka! The Kishore da mug is from Vodafone!
Tea or Coffee depends on the weather and my mood. Love the mug with a polka dot.
That’s nice! The polka dot mug always brings a smile, as hubby as nicknamed it. It reminds him of something silly!
Love this post to bits as even I am a tea person and prefer to drink teas brewed by me or my mom alone…. I won’t do any other work when I drink tea, I winter even get up
until I finish my tea drinking ceremony!
Winter = won’t….
God, we all are so addicted to our daily cup of tea and like to have it in our own special ways too!
Ah tell me about it!!
Would love to hear from you! Do stop by my blog! *cheers*
Like you are a Tea person, I am a coffee lover. I can’t stand anyone making coffee for me. I have to do it myself, not just now but even in my college days …
In-fact, I did a thanksgiving post and Coffee was on my list of things that deserved a special mention ..
http://raodivya.blogspot.com/2012/11/thankful-on-thanksgiving.html
Loved your post Divya and good to see you here!
As always a comprehensive post from you Shilpa
Filter coffee is my choice of poison 
though I do enjoy a garma-garam chai occasionally… Loved your collection of mugs 
I like filter coffee and never miss having it when I am travelling down south and in the south Indian restaurants that we have here!!
Thanks Reshma
I have given up both tea and coffee but I do drink tea and coffee sometimes. I too know many people who are religious tea drinkers and are very rigid about the way their tea is served.
I guess, giving up on these beverages is good. But then what do you drink early morning?? Just today, there was a mad rush at home in the morning and as a result had to skip the morning cup, though I finished all the household chores, but I was dying to sit and have my tea in peace!
Oh my god, Shilpa! What a lovely, lovely post! Mine seems so tame in comparison
And I love the Kishore Kumar mug! How delightful to drink a cuppa out of that. I could relate on so many levels- the drinking tea made your way, rushing back home to drink your tea,, the total peace and comfort ( I am a monster if I’m disturbed during my tea sessions!). Beautiful post!
Aah! Tea lovers (addicts) are just the same everywhere!! We simply ♥ our mugs of tea!! Thanks Shailaja, glad you liked this post
Yes, I remember this post. That’s why I offered you the big mug that day at my place!
And that is also why I allowed you to make your own tea in peace without making a fuss about it! 
So very sweet and thoughtful of you! I knew that you had read this post