Kashmiri chai, a winter staple, travels from Himalayan homes to city cafés across Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: On a chilly winter evening in Pakistan’s capital this January, friends and families gathered around steaming mugs of a pale pink tea, its surface dotted with almonds and pistachios, as conversations stretched late into the night at a popular café.
The drink is Kashmiri chai: a slow-cooked tea known for its creamy texture, delicate saltiness or sweetness, and distinctive pink hue. Made from special tea leaves, milk and warming spices, and finished with dry fruits, it has long been prized as a winter beverage in colder regions of the Himalayas.
Once closely tied to homes in northern Kashmir and to ceremonial winter weddings, Kashmiri chai is now steadily becoming part of Pakistan’s urban café culture.
“Earlier, people used to drink Kashmiri chai at home, mostly in Kashmir,” said Muhammad Safeer, a Pakistani government employee from Azad Kashmir who works in Islamabad. “Now it’s common in big cafés too, and warm dry fruits are used in this. Its taste is very different and the toppings give you warmth naturally.”
