Exploring Tea Beyond Milk and Sugar: Appealing to Health-Conscious Consumers

India tea is going! We all love a cup of tea in the morning and afternoon and countless cups in between. And our tea should be strong and sweet, milky and 'malai mar ke'! Ketan Desai, Chief & Sustainability Officer, VAHDAM India believes that in India, whether at home or in the office, guests are always offered tea or coffee, and the choice is always tea.

"And always, the tea served needs to be sweet - that's the default setting for all of us!" He smiles.

“When I am offered such tea, I always refuse it with the (not very polite) provocative reply: 'I don't drink liquid halva'! This always ensures that I don't get kind looks, but sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind. Again and again, I get asked the same question – why do I call tea, liquid halwa?” quips Desai. About 95% of the tea consumed in India is milky, sweet tea - liquid halva. “But why am I so opposed to this? The answer and the villain is sugar – a cup of tea usually contains two teaspoons of sugar which equals about 32 calories!” Desai shares.

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the recommended daily intake of sugar is 9 teaspoons for men and 6 teaspoons for women. And now comes the most worrying part – drinks account for 47% of our daily sugar intake, followed by snacks at 31%. On any typical day, we have three main meals plus 4-5 cups of tea and at least two snacks in between! Chai alone accounts for the recommended daily sugar intake, and the total sugar we consume at our other meals and snacks (and other drinks such as the occasional fizzy drink or juice or pint after work) – will far exceed the recommended sugar intake. Times therefore, is it any wonder that India is now known as the diabetes capital of the world!

“The answer to a healthy lifestyle is to cut back on sugar. Instead of drinking cup after cup of liquid halwa, why not drink green tea or black tea like Darjeeling tea with lemon? Not only is it healthy with virtually zero calories and zero sugar, it's also beautifully delicious!” Desai's signature.