Ramesh Tea Center

Ramesh Tea Center is located at 45, Bhadbhuja Ghati, right on the slope where the road bends. It’s a bit of a climb to get here if you’re walking, but we have a steady stream of people anyway. The shop is small and the shelves are crammed with various packets and loose tea. I’ve been working here since I was a teenager and I know every corner of this building. The walls are covered in old calendars and a few notes scribbled in pencil. We don’t have a fancy office or a lobby. If you come in, you’re basically standing right in the middle of the workspace. We spend the day measuring out portions and talking to the regulars who have been coming here for twenty years. Some days the heat in the Ghati is unbearable and we just sit near the fan waiting for the sun to go down. The tea comes in large batches and we have to sort it all out by hand, making sure nothing is damp. It’s honest work and it keeps us busy. We don’t bother with much talk about brands or marketing. We just show the tea, let people smell it if they want, and weigh it out. The scale is a bit moody and sometimes needs a tap to settle properly. That’s just the character of the place at number 45.