Trailblazer Tea Trails

'Suhana Safar aur yeh Mausam Haseen' ... was my hearty Indian,  Bollywood-mood that day. Mumbai-special pleasant weather greeted me to celebrate the Indian Tea ceremony with Chai-Bhajiya as well as numerous authentic teas from various Bagaans ( Tea-gardens )  when I was invited for the Food-bloggers meet at Tea Trails - Malad. 

Trail is a path through a countryside , mountain or forest area , often  used for a particular purpose. Trailblazer is the one who makes, does, or discovers something new and popularizes it. Tea Trails is the first of its kind trailblazing Tea Cafes in India right now, right here in metros, such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and it has plans to launch in Bengaluru, Pune, Vizag soon.
                                

I was instantly enchanted by the lush green scenery, surrounding the Tea Trails -Malad ( B-Wing, Prism Tower, Mindspace ) as soon as I entered the premises. Dear friends, you must visit this place soon, till it retains that charm of a crystal clean and fresh minty essence of romantic Mumbai-Monsoon.

Tea Trails offers a gourmet Tea savoring fiesta to the patrons and introduces the fast emerging international trend with a desi twist to Indians. Zone8 Tea world P.L. which parents Tea Trails brand cafes in India is expanding gloriously.
                                  

 We the chai-loving bloggers were mystically transformed into Tea-connoisseurs by the Tea Trails. How ? Please read on ... 

'Chai , chai pe likha hai peenewale ka naam'. There's word as well as world of difference between Tea and Chai ( the concoction of boiled ctc-Tea with milk/sugar ). The Indian brands mostly sell left over tea leaves to us, after exporting the excellent quality leaves abroad which are exorbitantly costly. China retains the best quality for home consumption and exports left over produce. Tea-taste varies according to flavors and textures depending upon the soil where it is grown, which leaves are plucked, muddled, mixed and brewed for how much time.
                                    

Tea Trails  serve gourmet tea of 80 exquisite varieties from steaming hot to pleasing cool, from subtle to strong. They let us taste various brews and select the one that we love the most. We can drink as well as EAT tea, with tea-infused preps.

We Ooh-ed ... we Aaah-ed and clicked every eye-candy Tea-Food pair that grandly entered our table, complete with an hour-glass to measure the exact time of brewing. The innovative thinking that goes behind , which kind of snack should be paired with which kind of tea is praise-worthy. 


We loved to sip and slurp ( yes some Teas need to be slurped to inhale the subtle flavors ) and ‪#‎SilverNeedle‬ Tea is one of those premium, delicately scented White Tea with sweet and mildly fruity flavor. White tea is the one that is obtained when tea leaves have not been oxidized, for preserving the health benefits. It is paired with Irani cafe-famous , sweet ‪#‎BunMaska. Two fruity flavors combined to give our taste buds a lovely experience. We welcomed our first session of ‪#‎PairItWithTea‬ by Slurr.....rrping !
                                 

Next entered heavenly aromatic Kashmiri Kahwa, famous kind of green tea, which is infused with saffron and almond-slivers. It does wonder to our skin and helps in losing weight. Sooo... now you know the secret of Kashmiri Kali's beauty-Noori ... oh ...Nooree...! Kashmiri Kahwa is paired with Burmese Green Tea Salad.  This salad is served on a large lettuce-leaf having a delightful mix of shredded lettuce, tiny cubes of cucumber, tomato, assorted nuts, fermented green tea leaves with garlic flavored  sesame dressing. 
                               

Soft & silky textured, mildly aromatic, slightly fruity, with a wonderful after taste, stylish Oolang ( mixture of Green & Black tea ) was presented with Marbled Eggs salad
                          

One of my personal favorite Smokey Chinese Lapsang Souchong Black tea. It was Winston Churchil's favorite tea. It has earthen smoky aroma with golden-coppery hue. This was presented with  fresh  Paneer + Caramelized Onions in Barbecue Sauce sandwich and french fries.



Bhaaio aur Baheno , dil thamke baithiye .... hold your breath , here comes the show-stopper, the star attraction for all Indian Chai-fans ... yes you guessed it right , our very own Kulhad Chai ( rich tea brewed with spices served in a baked clay cup, which adds an earthy flavor ) with none other than spicy , crispy Kanda-Bhajiya ( onion fritters ) Come on ... feast on. I won't interrupt you with my spoil-sport comment on this one.
                               


So what if you are not a Tea-devotee like me, you will still  be fascinated with the exotically refreshing Tea-mock tails such as , lemon flavored Mint Ice tea, Better Wife (  mix of yogurt, fruit juices, herbs, mint, green tea etc) ,  Taiwanese Bubble Tea ( with Lychee / Mango flavors and tiny balls that burst on your tongue oozing nectar ( presented with Samosa Thauk ), Red Zen Tisane, a subtle, naturally sweet tea  made of herbs, berries and chamomile ( paired with a Red Velvet cake )
Japanese Matcha Shake, is a rich drink made of Japanese Green Matcha Tea, like a milkshake but lighter, frothier, fibrous and healthier.


Can you imagine this elaborate Tea Trails fiesta was royally presented and indulged in more than 15 courses , including hot teas , Ice-teas , tea-mock tails , snacks , desserts etc. and we loved each & every sip / slurp /snack of it.  

P.S. : This Tea Trails picnic was so wonderful that I called up my sister and promised to treat her at Tea Trails at the earliest.