Mumbai’s Cutting Chai

Mumbai’s Cutting Chai is steaming hot tea blended perfectly with a dash of ginger, which is poured into a trademark rippled glass. Milk ,sugar and Tea powder combine in a frothy blend to conjure up the flavour. 

Essentially  cutting chai is a half a glass of roadside tea. The full glass is cut and shared between two people as is the cost. 

India has a lot of stories to tell, about tea and over a cup of hot kadak tea. Mumbai is a city of dreams and for all the Mumbaikars a cutting chai and vada pao is the perfect companion to take you through life.

This cutting chai is really most favorite roadside beverage of Mumbaikar and also it is priced in such a way that it can accommodate the slimmest wallet also. Even tourist in Mumbai also know and love this Mumbai’s cutting Chai.
“Boss, ek cutting dena!” is a part of the common daily usage. Tapri refers to the local tea stall that serves cutting chai. Even though cutting chai is now available in many cafe’s and restaurants, for Mumbaikars, none can beat the experience of having it at a tapri, just casually standing and chit chatting with friends with hot vada pao, bread pakora or samosa. If it rains, its just cherry on the cake!

Most of the tea stalls in Mumbai begin their work at around 6 am in the morning and go upto 9 or 10 at night. There is never a dearth of customers or the regulars to whom cutting chai will be delivered at their work place without a fail by a boy mostly called chotu!

Cutting Chai is the street culture which defines Mumbai and its people. Each of the tea stalls or tapris will have their ‘secret method’ of making the tea which they would never disclose, yet its the people who make this culture great!

Have a glimpse on how to make Mumbai’s Cutting Chai… 

Video of making  Mumbai’s Cutting Chai