Meet 29-year-old Amol Dilip Rajdeo, the latest buzz in the chai world who is running India’s first tandoor tea corner, by the name ‘Chai La The tandoor Tea’ in Pune. Nearly a month old, this tea shop is in the news because of its unique concept of making tea and other beverages with the help of a tandoor. Amol, a B.Sc graduate who also runs a Maharashtrian restaurant in the city explains, “In this unique tea-making process, clay pots or kullhads are roasted in a pre-heated tandoor. Then, semi-cooked tea is poured into the extremely hot kulhads to bubble over as it finishes cooking. The hot clay pot lends the chai its smoky flavour. Once done, the piping hot chai is served in another clean clay pot along with bun maska or biscuit.”

by Rishabh Raj