"Raja Mama" tea stall owner serves special tea in clay cups in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct. 12, 2021. (Xinhua)
"Actually a very different taste. I have never taken such tea anywhere before," said Ratul from Motijheel in central Dhaka. The "Raja Mama" tea is deemed unique for offering varied flavors and drinking from a clay cup.
DHAKA, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh enjoys a very popular tea culture. While there are numerous tea stalls in capital Dhaka, a certain kind of tea, "Raja Mama" stands out for its very special flavors which are the current trend in the city.
In Bangladesh, "Raja" means king, and "Mama" means uncle. The "Raja Mama" tea is deemed unique for offering varied flavors and drinking from a clay cup.
Azahar Uddin Raja is the owner of "Raja Mama" tea stall.
He decorated his tea stall a little differently, with beautiful Middle Eastern antique brass teapots, wooing tea connoisseurs not only from Dhaka but also from elsewhere in the South Asian country.
People taste special tea at "Raja Mama" tea stall in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct. 12, 2021. (Xinhua)
"I heard about his tea stall at a friend's house. Then we decided to drink tea here," a customer named Mosammat Khadija Akhter told Xinhua.
She first came over with friends from Gazipur located on the outskirts of Dhaka. "Sometimes I would come again. It is a very good place. I really enjoy drinking this tea."
A man who called himself Ratul from Motijheel in central Dhaka said he noticed comments about the "Raja Mama" tea at a food bank on social media and came to try it.
"Actually a very different taste. I have never taken such tea anywhere before. This is the best type of tea I have ever taken," he said.
"I wish all the best for this stall and for everyone in the stall," he added.
Photo shows Middle Eastern antique brass teapots at "Raja Mama" tea stall in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct. 12, 2021. (Xinhua)
Raja, the "Raja Mama" owner, is from Mymensingh, 122 km north of Dhaka.
As he was poor and could not afford completing his higher studies, Raja went abroad to work in Dubai and made the tea stall business plan there.
He said he wanted to see "whether the taste of this foreign tea can run in my country. Today, I'm blessed to be able to bring foreign flavored tea to the people of my country."
"I make this tea with original condensed milk and cashew nuts, pesto, raisins and wood nuts," he explained.
"Today, I have 18 (tea) shops and 40 workers," he said, adding that he started the whole business on a rickshaw van initially. ■
