Four cities. Seven Tea Boutiques. Over a 100 tea blends. Sancha is spearheading a silent tea revolution across the country, and people are joining in by the dozen. Their tea boutiques have taken over Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Bangalore, and they’re charming the capital all over again with their latest outing – the Sancha Tea Boutique in Saket. With loyalists steeping their tea parlour in a short one month, we get talking with Suhail Kapur on the world of tea that Sancha’s meticulously crafted since 1981.
Tea cafes may have sprouted across #OurCity in the recent years, however, Sancha stands proud as a second-generation boutique, established in 1981 by Sanjay Kapur. Intrigued by Mr. Kapur senior’s farsightedness, we ask Suhail what prompted his father to open an experiential store back in the 80s, “A renowned tea taster and blender, my father moved from Kolkata (the hub of tea) to his home city, Delhi, in 1980. Here he felt the need for a physical space where people can learn about, taste, and buy tea. This prompted him to open a Victorian tea gallery in Old Delhi.” As Sanjay Kapur expressed his love for tea to the city, Sancha gained iconic status and went on to pack teas for world leaders, “Our Presidents Tea has been gifted to President Gorbachev of Russia, President Clinton of the United States, the Emperor of Japan,” Suhail says modestly, almost reluctant to share.
The seventh and newest member of the Sancha family brings their signature pillars to the tea party, as Suhail tells us, “Patrons should expect the highest quality Indian Tea tasted and selected by our master tea taster and blender, as well as learn about the various types of tea from our tea sommeliers, taste the various kinds, and find new favourites.” As you take in their trademark stunning decor, their tea parlour will warmly take you through a tea tasting, making fresh brews for you. If sipping that cuppa makes your allegiance tilt towards the tea world, you can go a step further and practice how to make the perfect cup – from the kind of water, temperature of water, etc. – at their tea parlour. “There’s no pressure, the whole point is to come in and relax, to understand tea, to start loving tea.”
Herbal, green, oolong, black, white, the host of tea varieties at Sancha boast of unmatched quality and flavours, and Suhail spills the leaves on the ones you shouldn’t miss out on, “The oolongs from China are exquisite and the very rare white tea is best for a body detox.” He goes on to tell us that the “super healthy” white teas are the virgin baby buds of a tea bush, and carry maximum amount of antioxidants like EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate), helping you fight damage causing free radicals. As we add another 638 bags of white tea to our stash, we discuss the teas at Sancha boutique that’ll help prep us, for winter is coming. “Definitely go for the Yoga Green Tea, it keeps your immune system in place. Then there’s the Lemon Eucalyptus White Tea, Saffron Chai, Vanilla Masala Chai with real vanilla pods – the last one being your perfect companion for the Christmas season,” shares Kapur as he sums it up perfectly, “Tea is good for you, it’s like a medicine, but it’s not a medicine!”
Keeping it original and maintaining a strict distance from artificial flavours and essences for 37 years now, Kapur summaries the spectacular Sancha journey for us, “Sancha has seen three generations of customers in our stores, which is very gratifying. We have been able to build that goodwill based solely on the highest quality tea, and have customers who are retiring today and have been our customers since their college years! Every year has taught us so many new things.” So don’t wait up, pullover ‘em woolies, get crackin’ on their tea map, read through their tea book selection, know your tea, and finally – brew, steep, and sip that perfectly made cuppa that Sancha Tea Boutique serves up at Saket.
Head here: Sancha Tea Boutique, S – 29 B, Select Citywalk, Saket, New Delhi. Contact: 011 – 49077364.
