Of Tea And Theatrics: Watching Meter Chai In Making Is A Vision To Behold

More often than not, when we think about South Indian beverages, we think of the ever-so-soothing filter coffee. And indeed, it is one of the most iconic beverages to have emerged from the southern part of the country, but believe it or not, the region also houses ample tea drinkers who flaunt their love for chai, undeterred by the common perceptions and stereotypes. Which makes us wonder, at what point did this divide get so intense anyway? Both tea and coffee plantations were given a boost during colonial rule. Over the years, not only have the bigwigs of the tea and coffee business scaled new heights both in India and abroad, but many homegrown brands are also making all the right noise with their delicious concoctions and blends. 

Anyhow, we are personally admirers of both and are always on the lookout for exquisite types and variants. The internet is cascading over with examples. Take, for instance, the chocolate chai that impressed certain people and made some cringe. Or if you remember the butter tea? Prepared with a giant blob of butter, the tea may have evoked mixed reactions over the internet, but believe it or not, it is a popular beverage in the Himalayas. 

Indian streets are replete with such exciting variants of tea, and from Kerala and Karnataka, if there is a tea you must try, then go for the meter tea. Yes, the meter here stands for ‘one meter’ of the metric scale. What is the reason behind this peculiar nomenclature? It is not so much about the way the tea is brewed but what follows soon after.

How Is The Meter Tea Made

Just like filter coffee, the meter chai is also transferred from one tumbler to another, from a height. To watch meter chai in the making is truly a vision to behold, if you happen to encounter a meter-chai master. For it is indeed a skill that requires practice and precision. After all, it isn't the easiest feat to extend your arms at the right place, to ensure there is not a single drop that is spilled outside of the glass while he is pouring the tea from one glass to the other in swift motion repeatedly. He halts for a brief moment when the distance between the two glasses is about one meter, and the beverage itself appears like a ribbon in the air, without a trace of liquid in either glass. And it isn’t just the theatrics that leaves you hooked. Once you receive your tea, you begin to understand how the whole ‘transferring back and forth’ routine has made your tea a perfect blend of ingredients, with a rich, dense flavour, and let’s not forget the lovely froth it comes topped off with, making the tea all the more exquisite.

Fascinating right? Now, if you could only shut your gaping mouth and try the tea as soon as possible. Do you think you have it in you to make the meter chai at home? Well, you have the steps mentioned above; there is no harm in trying once. We have only one piece of advice, refrain from practicing with boiling tea, please?