the Indian clay cup.
Chai from a clay cup – that raw, slightly bitter, textured taste of earth, mixed with gingery-sweet milk tea – is the taste of India. An Indian adventure would be incomplete without the experience of sipping chai at an open-air chai stall, and the gratifying, childlike pleasure that comes with tossing your cup and hearing the “pop!” as you watch it hit the ground and break into bits.
All over India, potters spin these small cups out of river clay, which are then sun-dried, half-baked in an open fire and delivered to local chai stalls. Before pouring your chai, chai wallahs customarily tap the unglazed cup to dislodge any loose dirt particles. Even so, you inevitably ingest a small bit of melted clay. We find the gritty taste enhances the character of the chai. One could even argue that the minerals in the dirt provide the added benefit of a daily multi-mineral supplement. (I have been tempted to add a little dirt to my chai at home.)
After use, your chai cup dissolves back into the earth.
In addition to being environmentally sustainable, the clay cup is a sanitary alternative to drinking chai from a glass. Generally, chai glasses in India get only a hand rinsing in a bucket of cold water instead of being sterilized with soap and hot water. When drinking a glass of chai, you are touching lips with the many chai lovers who have sipped chai before you. This, of course, presents the risk of being exposed to a myriad of communicable diseases. The water itself is also cause for concern. Unlike the chlorinated water in American cities, the water here is alive, and may be host to an array of bacteria, viruses, amoebas and parasites. Although chai is boiled thoroughly and poses no threat, the glasses are often reused while still dripping wet. Even a few drops of this water in your chai can cause upset stomach, diarrhea or worse. It is best to avoid this unpleasant experience by patronizing chai stalls that use the one-use clay cups.
The size and shape of the cups vary throughout different regions of India. The average clay cup holds about three or four ounces, but can vary from the size of a shot glass in Gujarat to the uncommon, American-sized, 10-ounce chai we found across from the Hare Krishna temple in Vrindavan. On several occasions we enjoyed a small, 2-ounce cup of chai for only 1 rupee (about 2 1/2 cents). The meager portion conditioned us to sip slowly and savor our chai, as well as giving us the opportunity to socialize at more chai shops throughout the day.
In Benares clay cups are called puruas, in West Bengal, bhaar, and across much of India they are referred to as kullarhs. At train stations, the cups are jokingly nicknamed pi ke put, pi ke meaning “to drink” and put referring to the sound it makes when it hits the tracks: “drink and chuck.”
With the introduction of plastic cups came the plastic pile-up from patrons accustomed to tossing their cups out the window. The Minister of the Indian Railway System has banned train chai wallahs from using plastic, but unfortunately this new rule is not always enforced.
Although technology in India has advanced at a rapid pace, ancient, yet timeless, traditions like the clay cup are preserved because of their modern applications. Considering the resources saved and the potential litter that would otherwise be created by millions upon millions of chai drinkers, biodegradable clay cups are a sustainable solutuion to our diposable dilema.
Very nice and interesting site…congrats! (I’ll post the link on my blog)
I miss India (and chai) very much, so seeing photos and reading stories on your site makes me feel happy…Thanks & Om namah Shivay
15 Sep 2008 at 6:57 am
In love with this page and the pictures here !!!
I myself am a fan of TEA and write on a blog called Chai ki Dukaan
!!!
16 Sep 2008 at 10:30 am
I used to love the chai in the clay cups in India, but they are becoming harder and harder to find. I didn’t see them anywhere my last two visits to India
17 Sep 2008 at 9:08 am
good to see you here Skywalker and Prashant, and thanks for sharing your links!
Bhavana, what do you think it would take for India to recognize the invaluable nature of these clay cups? and then promote and support the tradition to stay alive for the future? It would be so sad if plastics, paper or styrofoam replaced clay cups, not to mention it would be a big problem for the environment.
17 Sep 2008 at 10:07 am
Hello! I am a chaiaholic and I LOVE your site! Thank you for sharing!
Love and blessings and gratitude,
Cliff
17 Sep 2008 at 2:06 pm
This is a lovely continuation to the earlier post. Didn’t know there were so many shapes and names of the humble clay cup. Clay cups should be made compulsory – both for environmental reasons and for the extra kick it gives to tea lovers
22 Sep 2008 at 5:26 am
I just stumbled on your site and I think it will be the first of many visits. I am learning to make my own chai since the stuff that passes for chai in the US leaves a lot to be desired. I brought back one of these clay cups from India when I visited this year and my son was fascinated by it. Now I can show him the story behind it. Thank you!
10 Oct 2008 at 7:42 am
Hi Jenny and Patrick,
I loved reading your site. I have a charity working with orphans in India and particularly the Dalits and those in bonded labour. You can read about us on our web site
http://www.hothouseuk.co.uk then about us.
I do quite a lot of work in schools and
I had hoped to shoot some footage of a chai cup maker when I was over last time but never managed it. Would it be possible, with your permission to use the footage you have of
Mata Prasad. We would not seek to make financial gain from the footage merely promote awareness,
Best regards,
Simon Hawthorne.
16 Dec 2008 at 8:19 am
Thanks for this detailed article. And this one http://www.deccanherald.com/content/Jan42009/editpage20090103110509.asp explains why tea sellers and customers prefer the plastic cups.
25 Jan 2009 at 5:01 pm
Great website, trolling the web looking for a place to buy those great little chai glasses with the 6 glass wire holders I came across your sight.
The WHO (world health organization), according to Vandana Shiva, decided that clay cups were unsanitary. So began a campaign to crush the industry.
Y’all rule.
If you’re ever up around mpls I’ll make you stellar vegan chai complete with skin.
yum.
lot’s of love to y’all good luck with the book.
11 Feb 2009 at 11:20 pm
all of your comments have been great and helpful! thanks for sharing your experiences and articles, too! and Rachel—if we make it up there, we’ll SO take you up on that stellar vegan chai of yours! thanks!! btw, any luck finding one of those 6 glass wire carriers? i’ll have to post some chai chandelier photos from darjeeling–one of which was made from one of those carriers!
and same goes for all of you if you make it down to Taos…chai is always brewin’ in our mtns…
12 Feb 2009 at 10:37 am
Hi
i’m a potter willing to make your clay pots . let me know what you need .
Cheers Di
01 Apr 2009 at 6:01 am
On my three visits to India, I sadly never came across a single clay cup chai! All just grimy glasses or plastic. Is it true Vandana and WHO say it’s unhygienic? Does someone have a link?
16 Jul 2009 at 5:53 am
hi Veronika, where did you travel in India that you never saw the clay cups? so curious. i have heard some say it’s unygienic because of pesticides used on food and it goes into the soil and possibly into the clay which is used for the pots, but i don’t agree. i think it’s more about convenience and money. i’d prefer a clay cup over a plastic one (those MUST leach plastic when a hot beverage as chai is poured into it) or glass cusp that are are only rinse-washed with unclean water. i’ll look for that link and let you know…it’s here somewhere…
17 Jul 2009 at 1:07 pm
hi Veronika, where did you travel in India that you never saw the clay cups? so curious. i have heard some say it’s unygienic because of pesticides used on food and it goes into the soil and possibly into the clay which is used for the pots, but i don’t agree. i think it’s more about convenience and money. i’d prefer a clay cup over a plastic one (those MUST leach plastic when a hot beverage as chai is poured into it) or glass cusp that are are only rinse-washed with unclean water. i’ll look for that link and let you know…it’s here somewhere…
14 Aug 2009 at 3:20 pm
Namaste! Sorry for the late reply! I travelled around Northern India only. Delhi, Gorakpur, Udaipur are the trains I took. Only plastic cups on all these trains and platform stalls. Didn’t come across clay chai cups anywhere else either. Sure, there would be pollutants in the clay, but still it’s got to be better than plastic for biodegradeable reasons, as well as aesthetics and taste!
07 Oct 2009 at 5:36 am
Veronika, when did you last travel in the North? that is a shame about the plastic cups. We agree with you 100%!!
09 Oct 2009 at 11:28 am
This would be a great idea for the betacup project!
30 Mar 2010 at 8:26 pm