"Ek cutting chai, malai marke", "Chotu, ek paani kum chai".. A very common dialogue heard on the tapris and a nearby chai shops. But isn't it weird in a country where tea is consumed in an unimaginable numbers, coffee shops exist more than chai shops. Cant believe it? Lets go through some number right from the tea board of India:
Growers & Area: http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/stat/Growers%20&%20Area.pdf
Production: http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/stat/Production.pdf
Imports: http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/stat/Imports.pdf
Tea Consumption: http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/stat/Tea%20Consumption.pdf
Tea Prices: http://www.teaboard.gov.in/pdf/stat/Tea%20Prices.pdf
To summon it all:
Production : 966.73 Million Kgs.
Exports: 192.87 Million Kgs
Consumption: 856 Million Kgs
Imports: 18.60 Million Kgs
In the world's second-largest tea producing country , you will find 10 coffee shops whereas a chai cafe is a rare view of the site. Indians drink 8 cups of tea minimum a day, and still it is difficult to find chai cafe which is clean, hygienic and serves the best cup of chai. This can only happen in India.
After some online research we found people do not mind spending even few thousand bucks on chai, provided its clean, hygiene and just chai and not chai latte. In fact different flavors of black tea or green tea will be welcome in the land full of tea. 20,0000 different ways of making chai and we haven't even tasted 10 of it, how does that make a country second largest consumer of tea?
No matter what other think or say, the main problem of chai is the image which has set in the market since so many years. A cutting chai which is sold at the tapri for 5 rs will be preferred more than that of a masala chai in kullarh which is spotless and in a clean setting. The debate here is, will these middle or upper middle class prefer 45 bucks more over 5 rs?
Well, people don't mind spending that cost if they are warmly served chai without loosing the essence of chai in a modern set up. Our youth are more attracted towards coffee, that is because of the image formed and the set up they are provided, and may be this is the reason why Starbucks announced to enter the competitive market in India with 50 outlets.
Few engineers and company are creating the presence of chai cafe that provides clean and hygienic as well as variety of chai in one go. There are handful of upscale cafe coming up where a glass of tea costs less than one-fifth the cost of a cappuccino at coffee shops. We hope that all the chai lovers get to try and fuel their love towards this welcoming drink. Chai should be not leave its essence of being chai, it will loose its identity if it enters the line of sophistication.
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