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“We were very young and into music,” recalls Rabin Joshi, Co-Owner and President of Nepali Tea Traders. “We’d come over in our motorbikes at the junction [tea bar], we’d order tea, and talk about music. By the time we left, we’d finished five to six cups of Masala chai---each!”
Rabin is a guy with a Bandana
On the heels of caffeinated inspiration, Rabin returned home to write music. He experienced the happy buzz of gratitude, knowing that friends and bandmates shared in tea time camaraderie.
“Each person bought for the group,” explains Rabin, which means each person took turns buying rounds. The custom fostered ease because there were days when you’d buy for others, and days when others would buy for you. It’s the quintessential art of giving and receiving.
Rabin remembers these times with heartfelt nostalgia. He recognizes that tea was the reason for coming together.
“Tea will bring you to those places where you have good memories,” he says.
Clanking pots, the turn of a faucet, and the click-click-click of the stove. These are things that Sunita Karmacharya Joshi remembers.
“We lived in a two-floor space with the kitchen upstairs,” explains the co-owner of Nepali Tea Traders. “My mom would make the first pot of tea for the whole family and she would start waking us up. ‘Get up,’ she’d say, ‘it’s time. Tea’s almost ready!’”
Sunita's mom making Sel roti, a traditional Nepali homemade, sweet, ring-shaped with rice bread.
Sunita and her siblings would walk into the kitchen and be greeted by aromas of fresh cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon. They’d sit down at the table in a half-groggy, half-asleep haze.
“The entire family would share what they were going to do that day,” recalls Sunita. “You knew your family members had your back; you knew you’re all together with no matter what.”
Sunita claims tea is the ritual that sealed her family’s bond. She treasures these memories and seeks to preserve the tradition now that she lives in the United States.
“We make our tea in the morning and we try to have that consistency,” says Sunita. “It’s such a strong and beautiful way to start any day.”
YOUR TEA TIME MEMORY
Nepali Tea Traders believes tea is not only a product but an experience. We love hearing our customers’ stories of laughter, warmth, and the unexpected conversations that pop up during tea-time gatherings.
What’s your favorite tea time memory?
Add your comment to share with the NTT community. ☟ ☟ ☟ ☟ We can’t wait to hear from tea drinkers around the world.
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