As they supervised sowing of the little green shrub of camellia sinensis, the first tea planters, perched on rolling slopes of Asian hill stations, could hardly have imagined how ubiquitous and well-loved the brew will one day be. Not just in India but across the world, people are re-discovering tea and what used to be just another beverage is now becoming the chic-est drink in town.

From the already popular Golden Orange Pekoe, Kho-Cha and Earl Gray varieties, tea has now graduated to such flavours as chocolate, peach and blueberry. For the more adventurous, there's a pick of such exotic variants as raspberry, apricot, vanilla and cinnamon. And of course, this is only milk tea flavours; the iced tea varieties are even greater in number.

As Chef Aji Joesph says, "This new-found taste for 'tea with a difference' is because Indians are now exposed to a slew of flavours. Since more Indians than ever before are now traveling abroad, they sample new kinds of tea and want to replicate this experience at home." While this argument holds, what is equally true is the fact that tea makers are now raring to experiment and go beyond the ginger and cardamom varieties and give the market a whole new range of tea to savour.

The Karachi Sweet Mart on M G Road is one such shop in the city, which stocks a whole new brand of tea and has a separate counter manned by an employee of the concerned franchisee. "This counter, owned by the tea franchisee, began functioning about a month ago and has seen a great response till now. People are more than willing to try something new and this proved to be the ideal opportunity for them," says the proprietor Jaya Athwani. "We have a lot of untried and exciting flavours, like Bimini Mint, Green Lime, Rum Vanilla, Organic Bergamot and Cat Island Chamomile in herbal tea and Red Chai and Cranberry, Vanilla Chai and Spiced Chai in milk tea,” adds Athwani.

The most widely-consumed beverage after water, there are generally four types of tea -- black tea, oolong tea, green tea and white tea available worldwide. However, although in India, tea was till recently, only consumed with water and resembled a hot, milky, syrupy brew, change has come to the beverage and though the masala chai remains a favourite, people are more willing than ever to experiment with novel essences.

As Chef Joesph says, "There's no such thing as a type of tea which will appeal to Indian palette. That palette is now so well-exposed and well-travelled that it's become imperative to offer it innovative and original flavour. For some connoisseurs, the aroma of the brew is what appeals most, while others look for a distinct, hard-to-replicate taste."