The city of joy, kolkata! Once the capital of the British Raj and now the baron of nostalgia mixed with modernism, a hint of red and a whole lot of culture. The world might know Kolkata for its picturesque howrah bridge over the Ganges or the magnificent Victoria Memorial, but for the millions of souls here “মাটির ভাঁড়ে এক কাপ চা” defines the emotions of this city and its rich history.

From head officer boro babu to rikshaw wala everybody needs a cup of tea to start their morning in a good mood and whenever things get stressful be it the heat or the overwhelming emotions of this city, again tea is the saviour.

With countless roadside stalls studded all over the city, tea stalls are the first one to open and the last to close their shutters.
Bharer Cha stands not only for the tasty piping hot tea served in an earthern cup, but most importantly the adda or discussion that happens over that ek bhar cha!

You will always see a bunch of people in front of any tea stall, with a cup of tea in one hand and a cigarette or “biscut or bapuji cake” in the other, immersed in deep intellectual discussions ranging from Rabindranath to Rothschild, politics to culture and science, almost anything that excites our grey matter, and the city and its chaer bhar aar witness to countless such sessions.

Now coming to the tea, depending on your mood and what your inner bengali soul craves, you can have a cup of traditional good old milk tea in matir bhar, or masala lemon tea to get some relief from those long stressful hours at work, and if people want to have some luxurious chae experience they go for malai tea. Dont worry, the pocket pinch varies from Rs.5-15 for a bhar depending on the size and with every sip you feel the emotions of this city.

To summarize it all Bengal is incomplete without tea.