Enjoying tea on the streets of India.

Drinking tea on the sidewalk is a familiar sight on the streets of India. A rickety stove, a large pot, and jars filled with tea leaves, sugar, spices, and buffalo milk are all that's needed for a tea stall. As one of India's major cities, Kolkata is India's most famous tea capital. Assam and Darjeeling teas are transported from here to Felixstowe and Hamburg. Stalls on Elgin Road specialize in the most elaborately brewed teas: sweet, spiced to stimulate the senses, and served in small clay cups.

Disposable bha tea cups

In a large, simmering pot are ground spices, sugar, tea, and milk. Before being poured into small, disposable earthenware cups, all the ingredients are poured into the pot from above and stirred together in a performance-like fashion. A touch of pale pink earthenware dust contributes to the unique character of this tea, along with malted tea, the spicy masala flavor, the creamy buffalo milk, and the sweetness of the sugar.

A tea stall on the streets of Kolkata.

This popular Indian drink is appealing because of its sweet, aromatic, and slightly spicy flavor, making it one of the most beloved street drinks there.

After drinking, people throw the clay cup onto the street. It is crushed by vehicles. The clay returns to its origin and provides a handy solution for filling potholes on Kolkata's streets.

Tea plays an important part in the lives of people in Kolkata in particular and India in general. Despite their busy schedules, many people still try to find time to drink a cup of tea several times a day.

Adjaj Kumar, an employee at the Taj Bengal Hotel in Kolkata, drinks tea at a tea stall outside the hotel. “I come here several times a day. Tea time is very important to me. I don’t usually enjoy tea from plastic cups because it spoils the flavor,” Adjaj Kumar shared.

Since the advent of paper and plastic cups, the traditional bhar tea cup has gradually disappeared in many parts of India. However, tea vendors on the streets of Kolkata still use handcrafted earthenware tea cups made from clay.

NA (According to The Guardian)

The Thanh