Making and drinking tea is something that is very big in our culture. Growing up, I’ve always watched my dad with his rituals in the morning. Fresh roti for breakfast always followed by tea. It’s how I always knew breakfast was complete.

Most people are familiar with the term chai, but in Bangla, we say cha and I’ve always been intimidated by it. I was always told that when I get married, I would need to know how to make the perfect tea as a way to get approval from their side. Definitely silly, but since then I’ve always wanted to get it right. I’ve made cha from scratch, and sometimes I would get it right… but to be honest, most of the time it’s just off. I’ve tried different brands, but still never right.

Recently I visited my mom and she made me tea. Tea bag, hot water and milk… super quick! When you’re the only one drinking, a teabag just makes it so much easier. Anyway, I tried her tea and was amazed at how much flavour it had! She told me she stopped using the typical brands we’re used to and now only uses ‘Tea India’. I hadn’t heard of the brand but she told me it’s available pretty much everywhere. I was instantly hooked. I grabbed a box from Loblaws and made it for myself. My favourite, Orange Pekoe. It is crazy how authentic it tastes. I just boil water, steep, honey (instead of sugar) and milk. Definitely the closest I have had to cha made from scratch.