Halt for a Cuppa at Tea Halt In New Delhi

Would you like a cup of Earl Grey tea? Or are you more partial to the ghar style pudina chai? You can get your fill of both at Tea Halt, a group of kiosk cafés in New Delhi. 

In search of the perfectly brewed tea

Tea Halt was launched in 2009 by three tea loving IITians; Ankur Agrawal, Amit Ahuja and Jiten Rao. After being made to traverse through traffic and smog for a decent cup of chai (office brewed tea just didn’t cut it), they realised that there was a horrific lack of tea destinations in the city. So, they began experimenting with different blends and recipes, making up to 60 cups of tea a day. Their tea drinking marathon resulted in a selection of a wide range of teas which are now available in Tea Halt Cafes and kiosks. 

Among the tea flavours are local chais, like adrak tulsi and saunf elaichi, herbal teas, like organic white tea and vanilla tea and iced teas like minty lemon and strawberry heaven. Should you fall in love with their blends, which are painstakingly sourced straight from tea estates all over the country, you can buy packets of tea leaves at the kiosks as well as on their website. 

Catering to All Kinds of Tea Lovers

Tea Halt operates according to two customer pools; the office and college goer who only have time for a quick pick up, and the more relaxed customer who has the time to sit in a café and revel in a complete tea drinking experience. While the first customer pool is catered to through several Tea Halt kiosks which offer take away tea and snacks, the second customer pool can relax in cafes that operate under Tea Halt franchises. 

The Future in Tea Leaves

At present, Tea Halt is looking for fresh funding which it will use to expand to Mumbai and Bangalore. Tea Halt and a few other brands have gone a long way in establishing havens for tea lovers in India. Agrawal comments “The last few years have witnessed the growth of many startups in this domain. And everybody is working towards the goal of educating and cultivating a better tea drinking experience.” 

In the coming months, if they are able to secure funding, Tea Halt will be able to move steps further in their mission to “change how India drinks tea.”