I was in Lucknow once, to meet the queen. Actually, the CM. Yup, if you thought I was some nonsense blogger, get that image corrected and slap yourself twice so the lesson is learnt well. Anyway, there was a cricket match in Kanpur and the meeting was postponed for a day. So, I had a day in Lucknow and I didn’t know a soul, just the way I love new places.
I have written about a few sights and places before. I have not written about this guy – Shukla Tea Store in one of the bylanes of Hazratganj. There is always a big rush at the place, especially early mornings and that’s what drew me to the place.
They have pots and kettles and mugs and vessels and glasses, so many that it looks like a utensils store. But that is how much tea he needs to make. Also, one has to account for the unique process.
He boils the tea leaves in a separate container. There is a large cauldron of milk on the boil all the time. When he needs to make tea, he pours the black ink and the milk into a jug, adds sugar and mixes it the way filter coffee is mixed! There was too much tea for the eight or ten buck he charged and it was damn good too. It was not milky the way I was afraid it would be.
If you are around, go there for the drama and a good cup of tea.
