Celebs Share Their Love for Tea on International Tea Day

Mumbai:From the soothing sip of morning chai to late-night conversations over a steaming cup, tea is more than just a beverage — it’s a tradition, a mood, and a moment of pause. Celebrated on May 21st, International Tea Day honors the cultural, emotional, and even medicinal significance of tea across the globe. Whether it’s the kadak masala chai of Indian households, herbal infusions for wellness, or classic English blends, tea brings people together in the simplest yet most comforting way. Today, as we raise our cups, celebrities too join in to share their personal chai stories, rituals, and that one perfect cup they can never resist

Romiit Raaj
I love tea, and I start my day with masala tea. We have a very unique way of making it — we add tea leaves to boiling water and milk, and just let it be. It’s amazing with lemongrass and cardamom. My favorite tea memory is definitely from my childhood home in Kolkata — me, mom, and my brother Rohan having tea together in the morning. Sun rays would light up the living room as we sat there discussing and cherishing memories…

Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi
Tea is something I’ve grown up drinking, and Punjabi families are truly addicted to it. When I used to visit my Nani’s house in Punjab during the winters, she would serve tea in a brass glass early in the morning. We would end up drinking 3–4 cups! It’s such a cherished memory. Everything about tea is very close to Punjabi culture — whether it’s before breakfast, after breakfast, in the evening, or on any occasion. These days, there are a lot of tea varieties available, and personally, I love chamomile tea along with English Breakfast. Sometimes, I make my own tea with a unique blend: it has turmeric, roasted cumin, moringa, black salt, lemon, and ginger. I boil all of this, add a few tea leaves, strain it — and it’s so refreshing for me.

Moon Banerrjee
I am a tea addict. No matter what, I need to have at least one cup of tea daily. Well, it’s our quintessential kadak chai. I try to avoid overly milky ones, but I like it strong — maybe with ginger at times. My favorite time of the day is tea time in the evening. I look forward to that one cup of satisfaction — only a true tea lover would understand what I mean. Of course, when I was in college, drives during the monsoon were planned only for chai and bhutta or wadas on the outskirts of Mumbai. I would love to meet Rabindranath Tagore for a cup of tea and request him to recite some of his incredible poems in Bangla.

Worship Khanna
I am a hard-core chai lover. I have a very bad habit — I need my morning tea in bed. I know this isn’t a great habit and I’ve been trying to change it, but honestly, I haven’t been able to yet. Every morning, I need my tea in bed. Until I have it, I don’t like to talk to anyone. If I end up talking to someone before having tea, it usually turns into a fight because I get very irritable. If I don’t get my tea, my day just doesn’t start. For me, a perfect cup of tea means sitting with my best friend, somewhere peaceful — like in the mountains or a cozy work spot — but never in a rush. I don’t like rushed, on-the-go tea. I don’t want tea just for the sake of it. I want to enjoy it peacefully, in a beautiful mug. One of my biggest quirks is that I get bored of mugs very quickly — I keep changing them. I have a habit of drinking tea in a new mug every other day.

Indraxi Kanjilal
I love making coffee or tea because it’s the easiest thing to make. I think the perfect cup of tea is when it’s raining outside, you’re at home with your family, watching something nice, and sipping tea. My mother makes really good tea. I only enjoy tea when it’s made at home — I don’t like tea that’s ordered from outside. When I was young, I used to live at my granny’s house most of the time. I loved it there. I’d always say, “I want to go to my granny’s house.” I spent more time there than at my own home. At 5 o’clock in the evening, my grannies would make tea — it was a daily ritual. Not just them, even I would get a cup because I liked acting like a grown-up. My two grannies, my mother, and I would sit on the ground and drink tea together. I would quietly listen to all their conversations while sipping mine. It’s a beautiful memory I still cherish. Today, the whole world seems to be getting into coffee culture, with very few people indulging in chai pe charcha — which used to be a vibrant part of every gully and nukkad. Sadly, humble tea is being overshadowed by the hot and happening coffee trend.

Riddhima Sharma
I’m absolutely obsessed with tea, especially Masala Chai. My daily ritual is to wake up around 4 am, pray, and then indulge in a steaming cup of Masala Tea. It’s incredibly refreshing, especially when shared with my mother. One of my all-time favorite tea memories is imagining myself in Udaipur during the rainy season — my most loved city. There’s something magical about driving up to Sajjan Garh Palace, the way the road curves, the view gets better with every turn, and the clouds start rolling in. Once you’re at the top, you can see the whole city — lakes, hills, everything covered in mist. Sitting there with a hot cup of chai in hand, the smell of rain in the air, and the wind playing with your dupatta — it’s just… perfect. That’s the kind of tea memory that stays in your soul forever.