In the evening, the younger generation seemed to be engrossed in the romantic atmosphere of the tea shop. The mingled aroma of the boiling tea and the echoing hymns created a unique atmosphere. Among those enjoying the taste of the tea, some were heard predicting the political direction of the country, while others were heard contemplating the nature of society.

A collage of churning from home, family, career to society, country and art/literature had captivated the ‘Dahri Bhai’s Tea Shop’ in Shankhamul. This shop seemed to be a place to exchange experiences not only for the younger generation, but also for those who are mature in age and experience. 

Lately, tea shops are not only for gossip and gossip, but also for making plans. Therefore, the ancestral face of tea shops, which used to be operated with crowded benches and tables like yesterday, has now started changing. These establishments have started to be built in a poetic and artistic style – be it ‘Dahri Bhai’s Tea Shop’ on the periphery of Shankhamul or ‘Chiadani’ that welcomes the crowd of tea connoisseurs with warmth. Beyond Shankhamul, in the corridor of Bagmati, from ‘Tea Headquarters’ to ‘Tea Ministry’, it seems that guests are being satisfied. Tea lovers flock to these popular establishments to brighten up the foggy mood.

Eight years ago, ‘Chiawala’, which stood along the Bagmati Corridor, started changing the face of tea shops in Kathmandu. Not only did it attract customers with its different flavors like ‘Ghanshyam Tea’, ‘Mero Khushi Tea’, and ‘Terai Tea’, but the organic structure of the shop also started attracting customers. Now, ‘Chiawala’ has spread to other corners of the city. Among them, we went to meet the owner Ganeshdev Pandey at the establishment in Thapathali. Ganeshdev is a ‘filmmaker’.

That is why his shop is frequented by film lovers. From mango and amba trees to fragrant flowers, the exterior of the tea shop is adorned with ‘slogans’ and artistic paintings on the walls, and materials related to rural lifestyle give customers a different experience. Customers from lawyers, journalists, and artists regularly come to the tea stall.

Ganeshdev, the owner, sits on the tea stall bench and looks back on the old days. Eight years ago, Ganeshdev was shaken by the declining film business. In 2074, he had to face a lot of trouble from the censors during the release of the film ‘Gajabaja’. The ‘failure’ of the film affected his personal life. Ganeshdev felt, ‘Now no one will believe in making another film.’ He set out on a journey with a troubled mind. During the journey, he asked himself, ‘What will you do now, Ganeshdev?’ ‘Tea,’ his mind suddenly answered. After all, his father and grandfather had spent their lives in a tea shop in Butwal. His family had started the tea business since 1956.

He decided to run the same business in Kathmandu as well, and went home and told his wife. She sold the jewelry she was wearing and handed the money to Ganeshdev. The family also encouraged him. ‘After that, I got the courage. And I started,’ he says with a smile.

Since then, Ganeshdev’s tea business has been going strong. Now, ‘Chiawala’ has set up shop in four places in Kathmandu. Each of his tea shops has employed up to 7 people. Ganeshdev thinks, ‘Tea not only warms up the relationship between customers and them, but the dedicated staff in the tea kitchen also keeps the stove in their own kitchen burning.’

Ganeshdev is also a tea lover. It feels like yesterday to Ganesh, who was wandering the streets of Kalanki and Kirtipur in search of the taste of tea in his youth. Ganesh feels extremely happy when customers, like him, come to ‘Chiawala’ now, seeking the taste of tea. ‘It is not just the taste of tea that attracts customers, but also the natural environment and friendly behavior here,’ says Ganeshdev.

Rajesh Regmi (30), the owner of ‘Dahri Bhai’s Tea Shop’ in Shankhamul, is still young. He made his identity a tea brand. Everyone used to call Rajesh, who grew a beard, as Dahri Bhai. The tea shop brand opened with this name is now popular among the youth. Looking back, 6 years have passed, he started the shop in a small corner of Shantinagar with an investment of 5 thousand.

‘Education is engineering. Profession is a tea shop?’ Rajesh had to face these questions not once, but repeatedly. ‘Even then, people thought selling tea was a job for illiterate people. But, now everyone is free from that thinking,’ he says about the changed mentality along with the changed tea culture. ‘Dahri Bhai’s Tea Shop’ has now expanded to 5 branches. When he opened the tea shop, he had less money and more ideas. Due to lack of money, he had spread the ballast around. The ballast he spread attracted customers. ‘But the trend is to put ballast in tea shops,’ he says happily.

Rajesh recalls his college days. Where were tea shops like now? ‘Nowadays, there are tea shops everywhere, places to relax and talk,’ he says.

The ‘Chia Sagar’ in Baneshwor was also full of people who were diving into the atmosphere. The decoration and texture here also attracted customers. 50-year-old Keshav Sharma started the business with three friends four years ago. Before starting the business, they had a clear blueprint in mind. They used to say, ‘The customers should enjoy not only our tea, but also the environment.’ Keshav is now amazed to see the map of imagination turned into reality. Four outlets in four years? It still sounds delicious to him when he remembers it. There were people who requested Keshav to franchise. However, he did not agree due to fear of deterioration in quality. A total of 42 people have been employed at ‘Chia Sagar’. 

Some are waiting for friends at ‘Chia Pratikshalay’, while others are savoring the taste. Shankar Tripathi, 30, is the sole entrepreneur in this business. He brews tea himself. He started this business a year ago with an investment of Rs 4 lakh. Apart from tea, he also sells bakery items and sweets. He is also planning to expand this business further. 

It has been only three months since ‘Chia Mandala’ was started in Tinkune. Nowadays, tea connoisseurs can be found chatting in the afternoon, basking in the cool sun, at ‘Chia Mandala’. ‘Chia Mandala’ has also become a ‘junction’ for students. How to make your leisure time useful? Lalitpur’s ‘Chia Place’ is equally attractive. This business, which was started 7 months ago by three architects, is flourishing. ‘Everybody needs a good space to meet friends and hold meetings, and the space also has to be aesthetically pleasing. That’s why we chose this,’ says Anil, one of the owners. Anil thinks about how to brand even the most common things in Nepal. ‘We did the same,’ he adds.

‘The government has changed, not the taste of tea,’ As soon as you enter the ‘Chai Mantriya’ on the Bagmati Corridor in Suvidhanagar, you will find a slogan on the wall, ‘A cup of tea tells thousands of stories.’ Every person has a story. In the process of finding a suitable place to tell and share that story, 30-year-old Lalit Thapa from Bajura launched ‘Chai Mantriya’ a year ago. He follows the tea trend. ‘There is a craze for tea among the youth now. That’s why I started this business,’ he says. ‘Chai Mantriya’, which was launched with an investment of Rs 4 million, has 14 staff. It sells 1,200 to 1,500 teas a day. Visitors here enjoy not only drinking tea but also drawing slogans on the walls. 

‘Irani Tea’ is now popular in the city. Customers come from far and wide to taste ‘Irani Tea’ in Tinkune Suvidhanagar, says Saroj Poudel, 37, of Kavre. He started ‘Irani Tea’ four years ago. Saroj, who did his Masters in ‘Culinary Arts’ in South Korea, returned to Nepal in 2018. After returning to Nepal, he worked in the teaching profession and taught until 3 pm.

He used to make good use of his free time. He initially started ‘Irani Tea’ in Narephant, Kathmandu, with an investment of 250,000 rupees. Gradually, his tea shop started attracting a crowd of tea lovers. He opened another outlet within 8 months. ‘I had taken it as a part-time business. Later, when it became very crowded, I left everything and went into tea,’ he says. Gradually, the franchise offers started increasing. According to Saroj, ‘Irani Chiya’ is now available in 18 locations in Kathmandu. He says that ‘Irani Chiya’ has directly provided employment to 70 people.

‘Chiyadani’ was initially launched in Pokhara by Subash Sharma, a native of Syangja. After many people liked the tea, he opened outlets of ‘Chiyadani’ in Kathmandu via Chitwan and Sauraha. The tea, which has been in operation for 6 years, has now satisfied tea connoisseurs from various parts of the country. When it started in Pokhara, Subash had launched it himself. In Kathmandu, 3 people had opened ‘Chiyadani’ in partnership. ‘At that time, tea shops were not like they are now. We started with the idea of ​​working on a new concept,’ says Subash. 

‘Chiyadani’ has a large presence, from celebrities to leaders and ordinary people. Only 17 people have found employment in ‘Chiyadani’ in Kathmandu. Subash says that he has employed 30 to 33 people in all the outlets. 

‘Pramila Tea’ is in a small shop in Balaju Chowkai. Bhagwan Thapa and Pramila started this business together 4 years ago. They are a couple. They initially bought the shop with the idea of ​​trading in liquor. However, after the investment was large and the profit was low, they stopped selling liquor. And then they turned to tea. ‘There was no business when selling liquor. But now tea is everyone’s choice. Business is satisfying,’ says Bhagwan.

There are many tea shops built in a new style all over the city. ‘Tea Adda’, ‘Tea Vibes’, ‘Tea Secretariat’, ‘Tea Department’, ‘Tea Mama’, ‘Aha Tea’, ‘Pokhrel Tea’, ‘Tea Music’, ‘Tea Ghar’, ‘Tea GPT’, ‘Tea Hub’, ‘Gen-G Tea Station’, ‘Tea Rocks’, ‘Mithila Tea’ and many other tea shops await tea lovers. These shops are making the new form of tea culture more beautiful and strong.

Tastes of tea

According to tea culture, we were mostly used to only black and white tea. However, different flavors and types of tea were available according to geography. Now, tea of ​​every taste can be found at a single shop in the city – not just black, green, and white. Oolong tea, Pu-erh, tea brewed in milk, plain milk tea, spice tea, ginger tea, cardamom tea, cinnamon tea, clove tea, peppermint tea,