Chaaye Khana lives up to its billing, dispelling the affectation of coffee with good, strong tea

Strong but of an indeterminate blend, the tea is hardy and robust and at only Rs60, it is very well worth it.

ISLAMABAD: A nice literary device is to start articles with a bon mot, extolling someone else’s witticism on the given subject and showing to readers just how widely read you are. But one was beaten to the punch. Flipping over the table mats at Chaaye Khana, one pre-empted and anticipated, where the wisdom of tea was already trilled about, Raj coeval writers like Orwell, Johnson and Lewis, heartily drunk on the brew, speaking freely on tea with some Japanese sage opining that “If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.” Hear hear.

Opening on Friday here in Supermarket, F-6, atop United Bakery and KFC, Chaaye Khana announces itself in pomp, illuminating its patch, the lights like warmth against the cold.  Up a flight of stairs and the doors open up upon a snug little floor of Nordic chic, a mahogany motif running through the place. A curved bookshelf tends to divide the sitting area, with sofas in the cloisters and a countered bar to one side, making it all a little compact, space it seems at a premium. But let this not be a quibble, it is quite comfy and if you’re the type, eavesdropping has been made a lot easier for you.

It seems that the place - one will not call it a cafe for that would be a misnomer - there is hardly any coffee on offer. But all the teas one can find on God’s green earth have been gathered and put up on the menu, a separate menu that is, boasting nearly 60 different concoctions, placed in canisters on display on the walls.

From a variety of black teas such as the plantation sounding Kenyan Estate to staples like Earl Grey and Darjeeling to Herbal Teas like Herbal Stimulant and Digestion Tea as well as a number of White Teas (a non-fermented tea), Oolong’s (a semi-fermented Chinese tea), Rooibos’s and Green tea, Khana has all the teas you can think of and some you haven’t.  With a breakfast and bakery menu thrown in as tea accoutrements, Chaaye Khana seems to have it all covered, but what of the tea itself?

Any staple tea drinker will, of course, make it straight to Doodh Patti and decide where this place stands after a cup. Strong but of an indeterminate blend, the tea is hardy and robust and at only Rs60, is very well worth it. The other teas however are not as pocket friendly, going well into the hundreds and finding the right brew will be a lot of trial and error but drinking them is certainly an experience. Served in a personal percolator, a very nice touch, the aroma of the tea is quite stirring, the tea (Peaches , berries and Moroccan Mint Classic in this order) itself is like a perfume. A invigorating liquid , the tea is fruity and has quite an aftertaste.

The bakery selection is fine and nominal with pies, muffins, brownies and the like on offer, well made but not exceptional. The dessert selection is another interesting turn, the Orange Surprise, a hollowed orange with trifle in it is quite a visual treat yet pricey. The breakfast menu is well priced and you get a nice variety of omelettes and pancakes with a neat food selection of sandwiches, soups and samosas, but it could certainly be expanded to offer variety beyond the handful of sandwich options.

Overall Chaaye Khana lives up to its billing, dispelling the affectation of coffee with good, strong tea.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2011.