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The Kashmir Timeline

Kahwah and Noon Chai

Two teas that belong to every Kashmiri day.

Kahwah and Noon Chai photograph

Photo: Antara Sarkar · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Kahwah is a green tea brewed with saffron, cardamom and cinnamon and served with almonds, traditionally from a metal samovar. Noon chai, also called sheer chai, is a salty pink tea taken with bread in the morning and afternoon.

Facts

  • Noon chai gets its pink colour from the way the tea is brewed and then mixed with milk, with a pinch of baking soda.
  • Kashmiri samovars are usually of copper, with a central tube that holds burning charcoal.