Coffee or Chai?
The question isn’t often asked, unless you live in India of course.
For decades, Masala Chai (spiced tea) has been the staple drink for most Indian nations, but that seems to be changing.
Coffee consumption across the length and breadth of India has doubled in the last 10 years, adding to the growing general consensus that coffee is soon to be the world’s favourite non-alcoholic beverage.
This is quite a shift in behaviour for a nation famed for tea production, chai seems to be backing down to this new, imported imposter.
This shift in cultural trends is causing everyone from local entrepreneurs to coffee chain CEOs to sit up and take notice.
Chai, whilst usually brewed in bulk in a large pot, is generally consumed on the run.
Whereas the emerging coffee culture and the ambience of the coffee shop, as we know it is enticing busy shoppers, commuters and workers in on their lunch hour. Indians are now starting to relax and take their time watch the world go by or chat with friends with a nice latte or cappuccino.
It is certain that coffee is playing a part in the rapidly changing culture of India.
In the sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis of Mumbai and New Delhi, coffee drinking is becoming a status symbol of India’s social nouveau elite.
80% of coffee drinkers in India are under 40 years old, coffee bars are being frequented with college students and young businessmen who see them as social hubs with fresh, modern values.
Chai for India is what ‘breakfast tea’ is to Britain, time-honoured, traditional…old fashioned?
It seems, at least in the urban sprawls of India, chai has a new contender to be the nation’s favourite.
If you’d like to try Chai, follow the link below
https://www.caffesociety.co.uk/zuma-chai-flavoured-teas.html