Radhika Batra Shah is a celebrated tea sommelier and owner of organic tea brand Radhikas Fine Teas & Whatnots. She was recently invited to launch her signature line of handcrafted teas by the Kempinski Hotel Muscat, Oman, at their tea boutique. Her brand offers organic, plantation-fresh whole leaf teas and elevates the Indian tea palate to include characteristic variants like Darjeeling white oolong and black leaf barmagot. In a conversation with FoodService India, Batra outlines her professional philosophy of the art of serving tea.
What inspired you to take up a career in tea pairing and blending?
Tea was an innate part of my childhood. My father, being in Merchant Navy, came back home with the choicest of teas from around the world and the global etiquette around it. I discovered white green oolong and many more phenomenal flavors. My mother used to brew the best slow cooked tea blended with her kitchen herbs each day. Some of my family’s most important decisions in life have been made over a cup of tea. I grew into my liking for the beverage and it seemed like the most perfect thing to happen to me. I was always sure of starting my own business in the segment. You could call it a well-built opportunity combined with my passion to serve the best tea leaf. Although it was a slow segment back in 2006, I started offwith a humble tea boutique which showcased the entire tea journey and encompassed elements like tea ware and accompanying savories. I collaborated with the best tea gardens in and outside India and have slowly built a strong value chain. I now sell teas from India, China, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Thailand.
What is it about being a tea sommelier that gives you the greatest professional satisfaction? What do you enjoy most in this line of work?
This story is from the September - October 2018 edition of foodService India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September - October 2018 edition of foodService India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
How Smart Technology Can Lead The Way For Safe Eating Environments
As many forms of consumption drivers come together to fuel the growth of Indian food and beverage service retail industry, there is an increased focus on food safety, especially in terms of food preparation, packaging and distribution.
Thinking out of the box
Benjamín Calleja is the founder and CEO of Livit, one of the world’s top restaurant design firms. He shares his views with us on the role of design and technology in creating restaurants that are profitable and efficient as well as great on guest experience.
Zomato acquires UberEats India for approx Rs. 2,500 crore
Zomato has acquired Uber’s Food Delivery Business in India in an all-stock deal. Uber will have 9.99 percent stake in the Deepinder Goyalled food delivery platform.
Millennials are looking for food that goes back to the roots
The millennials are very much aware of the benefits of healthy food; so the farm-to-table approach is growing and there is a boom in the demand for organic food cooked with sustainable methods. Chef Raji Gupta, in a conversation with FoodService India, throws light on the future of the food industry, changing trends and choices of people and the importance of catering to the evolving demands of customers.
Survey reveals that breakfast is not a favourite cooking moment for Indian moms
If making breakfast is an art, more often than not, the mother in the family happens to be the artist. It is regularly pegged as the most important meal of the day. But in the madness of rushed mornings, is it even possible for the artist to give it its due? To gain deeper insights into it, V-Guard, country’s leading electrical appliance brand partnered with Momspresso. com, India’s largest user-generated content platform that allows women to express themselves through different formats including text, audio and video across ten languages, to conduct a nationwide survey with 500 Indian moms.
Burger Singh to open 66 franchise outlets in the next 2 years
Burger Singh, the burger chain popular for its big burgers with an Indian twist, has become a name that’s on the favourite burgers list of every foodie. With an appetite as big as that of its customers, the famed burger chain is now heading for aggressive expansion across the country.
Éminences grises of foodservice industry ring down the curtain on India Food Forum 2020
India Food Forum returned for its 13th edition at the Renaissance Convention Centre at hotel Renaissance Mumbai on 5-6 February where the crème de la crème of India foodservice industry came together on Day 2 of the event to offer insightful takeaways on the innovations in food retailing, HoReCa and food technology, and also ensuring that all those attending the day’s deliberations were empowered with the products and insights that would help to maximise the opportunities offered by India’s vast consumer universe.
“People look for quirky things and innovative concepts in summers”
Amit Johari, Co-Founder, House Of Commons, which is located at Connaught Place, Central Delhi, talks to FoodService India about how summer trends differ from the other seasons in terms of the choice of beverages & appetisers, and on the profitability prospects for restaurants during the season.
A bar that does not burn a hole in your pocket
Yudhveer Singh, Founder of Delhi-NCR based The Beer House Café, in a conversation with the FoodServcie India, highlights the unique features of his establishment and the market strategy it has adopted to stay relevant in a competitive market.
A childhood passion becomes a profession
A childhood passion turned into a full-blown career for Chef Shaurya Veer Kapoor, Head Chef, Gola Sizzlers (A Naresh Gola Group). In a conversation with FoodService India, he discusses the changing tastes of Indian consumers and how he has created the themes for the diners at Delhi-based Gola Sizzlers and Cafe Hawkers.
