Once a tea connoisseur, always a tea connoisseur. When tea planter Jaideep Gangopadhyay thought of opening a cafe, it had to be a ‘T cafe’. Situated in the north Kolkata neighbourhood of Duff Street, Jiabharali T. Cafe serves more than 40 varieties of tea with the promise of a “complete tea experience”.
Gangopadhyay has been joined in his tea endeavour by friend Indranil Bhaduri. The teahouse with a seating capacity of 22 is housed on the ground floor of the Duff Street heritage building, where Indranil’s grandmother lived and his college friends would drop by for hours of adda.
Owners of the cafe, Jaideep Gangopadhyay and Indranil Bhaduri
The inauguration of the teahouse on December 4 was attended by restaurateur Subrata Ghosh Chaudhury, chef Rukma Dakshi, and Sonam Palzor Lama, a tea monk from Darjeeling, who has learnt the correct way to make tea, and believes that tea is a teacher.
“Jiabharali is a river in Assam. My elder daughter is named Jhilam and when Indranil and I decided to start a tea packaging business back in 2020, we decided to name it after the river,” said Gangopadhyay, who started his career at one of the best tea gardens in Darjeeling. Bhaduri, though not related to the tea industry, has taken immense interest in the subject.
Various tea paraphernalia on display at the cafe
After starting the business, the two friends realised that if they wanted to bring the true tea experience, they needed to start pairing food with it. “There are so many varieties of tea. First flush itself has eight varieties, and then there are second flush and third flush. Each variety of tea should be accompanied by specific dishes. For example, the Matured Classic Traditional Darjeeling First Flush Tea goes best with fish or chicken garnished with honey and black pepper. Or maybe seafood with a touch of olive oil can enhance the lingering effect of the aroma. Similarly, Mountain Winter Blossom – Nilgiri Winter Frost should be drunk with fruits with cream,” said Gangopadhyay, who also worked for Royal Calcutta Golf Club as a manager and learned the intricacies of hospitality and fine dining.
Some of the food served at the inauguration
Besides serving the correct food, the teahouse will describe the story behind every type of tea served, along with other information on when to consume and their health benefits. “Besides, guests can also buy authentic tea leaves from the café,” Bhaduri said.
Jiabharali will also serve several blends of coffee.
Address: 21B Duff Street, Kolkata - 6.
Timing: 10 am to 10 pm
Chef's picks: Sizzlers
Pocket pinch: Rs 600 for two