You probably know Mr. Cuppa Joe has a special place in the DSSC HQ, and so our cold brews & frappes get over even before they hit the fridge in this heat. As the temperatures soar, so does our caffeine intake. But with the health gurus tut-tuting to that, off we went in search of an alternative and stumbled upon our new #BeatTheHeat buddy, CAHA.
When Ms. Peachy brought in CAHA tea tumblers to balance out our caffeine chugging (of course we can’t do with zero caffeine) we weren’t ready to let go of our glasses just yet. However, as the whiff from her brew met our olfactory senses there was no staying away from sipping that tea. Channeling the DSSC curious cat, we delved into the depths of this tea that tastes to the tee with CAHA Co-Founder Priyanka Anand.
Not just another tea brand, CAHA was born from real love & commitment to the art of this beverage by three sisters, Priyanka, Himani, and Yashoda Anand. Brought up in Nagaland the siblings were surrounded by tea estates, which explains why tea ticks with them, “Even though India produces premium tea, most of it is exported. So we thought why not get this tea in the Indian market, for the Indian consumer,” Priyanka shares about the genesis of CAHA. Bringing taste & quality together, they pour tea straight from Darjeeling tea gardens into our teacups, keeping their selection exclusive to whole leaf tea. Priyanka spills the leaves on how they aim to inculcate drinking ‘natural’ tea among patrons, “We stay away from teabags and infusions, as these compromise the quality of tea. CAHA undergoes minimal processing in order to retain maximum health benefits, including antioxidants.” By now we’re chuffed that our caffeine balance pursuit is a winner, with us downing cupfuls of the purest tea there can be. As we stock up on our favourite white tea Priyanka signs off, but not without sharing three ace summer tea cooler recipes and the one golden rule of tea, “Tea absorbs the aroma of any thing placed close to it, so you must ensure there’s no exposure to other elements for it to retain the natural flavour.”
Cold Brew Tea
Prep time: 10 minutes + refrigeration as per preference
Caters to: Makes 6 glasses
Challenge level: Beginner
From the Pantry:
- 4 teaspoons Oolong tea leaves
- 8 litchis, cut
- 2 litres water
Cook Away:
- Take the water in a pitcher and float the oolong leaves in it. Let the pitcher sit for 30 – 60 minutes at room temperature.
- Place this mix in the fridge for eight hours or overnight.
- Now strain the mix and add the cut litchis to it. Let it sit for about an hour.
- You’re ready to sip!
If the sun is making your summer bummer and one brew just won’t do, we’ve got two more guzzle-worthy iced tea recipes for you here!
