From the rich heritage of Indian tea to modern café culture, our blog brings you the latest trends, brewing guides, franchise opportunities, and local favorites from Hyderabad’s tea scene. Whether you’re a tea enthusiast, a budding entrepreneur, or just someone who loves good conversation over a great cup of chai, you’ll find something special here.
Why Chai Business Growth India is Surging – And Why HCA Is Loving It
As a proud member of Hyderabadi Chai Adda (HCA), we have witnessed first‑hand the incredible momentum behind chai business growth in India in the last few years. From fast‑morning chai with sizzling biscuits to late‑night group conversations over cutting chai, the love for chai across India is rising – and that love is turning into a booming business. At HCA, we see more people choosing chai cafés over coffee chains, and that shift is not temporary – it’s transforming how India drinks, socializes, and spends.
In this blog, we’ll unpack why the growing tea market in India is outpacing coffee culture, why chai cafés are booming in popularity, why the chai business expansion is a golden opportunity – and how HCA plans to ride this wave.
What’s Fueling the Boom: Tea’s Revival Across India
Tea’s Cultural Roots – and Why They Matter
Tea (chai) isn’t just a beverage in India – it’s woven into daily life. From the early morning wake‑ups to late‑night chats, chai has been a constant companion. That deep cultural affinity means when people want a warm, comforting drink, they reach for chai. Compared to coffee, which often signifies work, luxury, or western-style café culture, chai brings nostalgia, familiarity, and simplicity.
That inherent emotional connection is one big reason for chai business growth in India – a growth rooted not just in consumption but sentiment.
Health & Lifestyle Trends Favor Tea
In recent years, as people become more health-conscious, many are rethinking their beverage choices. The traditional Indian “kadak chai” – or newer variants like masala chai, green tea blends, and herbal teas – offer a sense of wellness, warmth, and digestibility.
Market data backs this: the overall Indian tea market was valued at USD 11.50 billion in 2024.Governed by rising health awareness, premium teas, organic blends, and the growth of specialty teas, the tea market is set for further expansion from 2025 onward.
As people become more aware of wellness benefits, the shift from sugary cold drinks – or heavy milky coffees – to lighter, comforting chai (or even herbal chai) is driving demand.
Unlike a standard cup of tea, cutting chai is typically boiled for a longer time with robust Assam tea leaves, milk, sugar, and spices like crushed cardamom and grated ginger. The result is a highly concentrated, punchy flavor.
The Cultural Experience
The Tapri: It is traditionally consumed at local roadside stalls (or tapris) while standing.
The Glass: The tea is served in small, distinctively ribbed tea glasses, which give it a rustic, nostalgic charm.
The Pairing: It is usually accompanied by classic Indian snacks like bun maska (butter bread), pakodas, or a quick dunking of Parle-G biscuits.
Why Do People Drink Tea? 5 Main Reasons
Drinking tea is a daily ritual for many people. But why? Why choose to drink tea when you can drink coffee? And which tea do people prefer? From hot tea to herbal teas, there are many kinds available. What is it about this versatile drink that people adore?
If you are thinking of trying tea or want to cut down on your coffee consumption in favor of something a little less jittery, this article will explain the 5 main reasons for consuming this ancient beverage.
Our own list is based on the 5 most common reasons Zest Tea drinkers give us for choosing our high caffeine drinks.
1 – Drinking Tea is Delicious!
Tea leaves are incredibly versatile and ‘drinking tea’ doesn’t just refer to one kind of tea. From green tea to oolong tea to white tea, there are plenty of flavors to explore.
One of the main reasons we find that people switch from coffee to tea is for the greater choice of flavor. If you want that rich intense flavor that you can add sugar and dairy to, then black tea is a great choice. But you can also find blends that combine tea with other flavors – like our energy tea – or unusual tea types like yerba mate and herbal tea.
Don’t be put off if you’ve disliked tea in the past – you just haven’t found the right tea type for your tastes yet!
2 – Energy Boost
Tea types made from the same plant – the Camellia sinensis plant, which originates in China – are a source of caffeine. The leaves harvested from tea bushes to create traditional tea types, like regular green tea or black tea, naturally contain plant compounds including numerous amino acids, antioxidants, and caffeine of course. As a general rule, herbal tea is caffeine free with the exception of yerba mate.
If you need an energy boost, then regular tea is a decent option for an afternoon tea or evening tea to keep you awake. This is because most teas generally contain a small amount of caffeine – up to 50mg for standard black tea. In comparison, an 8oz cup of drip coffee can contain over 90mg.
At Zest, our tea range provides a bigger energy boost. If you want to maintain your high caffeine consumption but kick your coffee addiction, then try one of our hot teas or ready to drink teas. There’s up to 150mg of caffeine per serving!
However, the caffeine in our tea will have a different effect on your energy levels and concentration compared to coffee. Which leads us onto L-Theanine.
3 – Calm Focus
L-Theanine is an amino acid that’s found naturally in tea. There are many health benefits associated with this amino acid and others found in tea leaves, however it’s the calming properties of L-Theanine that make drinking tea all the more popular.
While coffee provides a big hit of energy that has you bouncing off the ceiling, drinking tea is gentler whether you opt for white tea, oolong tea, or any of our black or green teas. This is due to L-Theanine slowing the onset of caffeine’s energy boost. It can also reduce stress, improve creativity, and enhance focus.
This is why tea is better for your well-being and daily routine.
Many people associate tea with calmness and health, especially green tea, however L-Theanine is found in most tea types from the Camellia sinensis plant – even black tea. In our ready to drink iced teas, there’s up to 100mg of L-Theanine per serving.
4 – Health Benefits of Tea
Our article exploring the history of tea delved into how our ancestors discovered and used this beverage for their health. But these aren’t just myths. Modern research has uncovered several links between regular tea consumption and a lower risk of heart attack, improved heart health, a stronger immune system, and even the treatment of some cardiovascular and degenerative diseases.
- Caffeine is known to stimulate the nervous system, however green tea can also impact cognition and brain function to reduce anxiety and stress,
- Other studies have found that consuming 2 cups of unsweetened tea per day provides a level of antioxidants and flavanoids that decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke,
- Regularly consuming tea has a positive impact on your blood pressure despite containing caffeine. This applies to both black and green tea.
Herbal teas have varying health benefits too – learn about these in our comprehensive guide to herbal tea types.
5 – It’s Better Than Coffee
Tea consumption in American households is steadily growing even though many people still love coffee. While 58% of people drink coffee to wake up in the morning, only 23% of people brew and consume tea daily.
We think that should change. Tea is flavorful, versatile, easy to make, and provides a much smoother energy boost. As a result, you’ll enhance your productivity and sharpen your mind to attention. It’s perfect for when you have a late night study session planned, a hard workout to get through, or just another Monday in the office.
Furthermore, with Zest Tea, your brewed or ready to drink iced tea can contain just as much (or more) caffeine than a cup of coffee.
To discover which tea beverage is best to replace your morning cup of coffee, read our article Best Tea to Replace Coffee.
High Caffeine Teas
To create our high caffeine tea which contains up to 3x the caffeine of regular tea, we combine high quality tea leaves with additional tea extract. This enables us to naturally boost the levels of caffeine and L-theanine while retaining that delicious tea flavor.
We are also proud to use natural, non-GMO ingredients to blend tasty flavors, for both our hot tea range and iced tea cans.
That’s another great thing about tea – it’s available in so many different formats.
If you don’t have time to slowly brew our pyramid teabags or loose leaf in hot water, then our ready to drink iced teas will be better suited to your routine. They’re low to no sugar, free of artificial sweeteners, vegan, and keto-friendly too.