Seraj Anwar/Patna

Sheer Chai, the pink-coloured Himalayan salt tea has traveled to Patna and is now has become an affordable exotic street food during the month of Ramazan. The original recipe is altered to make it sweet and yet retains its colour and the original name is almost a must-have for those observing fast in the holy month.

The teashops selling this interesting brew in Sabzibagh of Patna are back in to business after two years of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

This brew recipe has been adapted to make it a delicious and a must-have for those observing fasts in the month of Ramazan. People come from far-off places in the city to taste this ‘chai.’

Interestingly, Sheer chai is available only in Ramazan. It takes eight to 10 hours of boiling a particular grade of tea leaves that locals call Kashmiri tea leaves, to boil with meetha soda to prepare a concentrate. This can be preserved and used as and when the tea is to be made.

The milk, water, and salt are added to the concoction to make this pink tea. The fasting people feel that taking this tea curbs their need to have water and is filling. In Kashmir and Ladakh, this tea (with salt) is taken to digest heavy meals.

The rush outside a Sheer chai shop in Patna

Many Sheer chai shops are decorated with vegetable gardens. This time the chai shops are full of people as they have missed it for over two years due to the Pandemic.

Nobody cares about the origins of the tea and for everyone it’s a local brew something like what Haleem is to Hyderabad.

Going by the local story, Ghaffar Ustad, a resident of Patna Market, invented Sheer Chai in 1962.

Initially, people were surprised to see this unusual-looking tea. He started the trend of Sheer Chai in 1972.

After his death, four of his disciples, Sadru Mian, Nizam Mian, Pappu Mian and Phool Mian opened their small businesses across Patna and today there are more than 50 Sheer Chai stalls in the city.

People of all ages and even women visiting the vegetable market for shopping must have this tea before returning home during the Holy month. They realize that the tea is only available for one month.

A local enjoying Sheer Chai

It is generally savored after iftar. While returning from the mosque after offering namaz, a lot of people can be seen throng the Sheer tea stalls. The fasting people say they feel refreshed and energised after drinking the tea.

According to Muhammad Haider, the maker of Sheer Chai ‘Kashmiri’ leaves are boiled in water for three hours (to make a concentrate); then it’s cooked by adding milk, water various dry fruits like cashews, almonds, dates, cinnamon, large cardamom, poppy seeds, walnuts, etc. After thickening, a mixture of sugar and kewra is added to enhance its flavour.

The cup of Sheer chai costs 15 rupees. On average, a teashop sells 500-1,000 cups of Sheer Chai daily in the month.

Shopkeeper Mohammad Haider tells that the demand for this tea is high in other states, from here people take it to their friends in other states and drink it, this tea can be kept for 24 hours which does not lose its taste.

Mohamed Haider Sheer has been making tea for 40 years. He told Awaz-the Voice that earlier it used to cost Rs 2 for a cup.

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He considers it a good business with high profit and low inputs.