Lloyd’s Tea House is a well know tea room in Chennai –  you can say that this is the go-to place for all tea lovers in this land of coffee. Run by investment Banker Pavan Mahtani and his very accomplished baker wife, Lloyd’s Tea House, I found, is a buzzing joint filled with happy customers with air infused with the brewing teas.

I understood that this is the first time ever that the city of Chennai was hosting a Tea Appreciation workshop; and while I was surprised, I was truly honored to be the one conducting this maiden event.

Since tea is not a very understood beverage in Chennai (as well as in India), the workshop was an introduction to various types teas, aromas and flavours, how to taste teas and a basic introduction to tea and food pairing. I was pleasantly surprised to see a house full of attendants who participated attentively throughout the entire 75 min session. These are the teas that we tried with their paired food:

1. White : Second flush Castleton: paired with : Vol –au -vents
2. Oolong: Hari ghatta: paired with hash brown potatoes
3. Black: Temi Second Flush: paired with corn cheese balls
4. Herbal: Himalayan Rhapsody: paired with strawberry cup cake
5. Flowery : Chamomile: paired with lemon cake

The workshop went well, and was much appreciated. I was happy that each one of the participants went back home with at least one new learning about tea, which, I am hoping, would bring them close to this wonderful beverage.

Chennai Workshop 24 Dec 17

I can’t end this note without mentioning the hospitality I received from the host and hostess. Right from picking me up from the airport to the well thought out breakfast box in the car, to my favourite dosa lunch, everything was well thought off and showed their generosity. They even had booked a hotel room for me for the day in case I need to take rest or freshen up. It was a wonderful experience and one that I would remember for years to come. And I hope to return to Chennai sometime soon with more tea workshops.

Thank you for this wonderful experience.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *