MUMBAI: New Delhi's first Cha Bar launched yesterday within the newly opened Oxford Bookstore in the interactive space at Statesman House.

The menu comprises 67 select brews from all significant tea growing regions of India and the world over. Spread over 1000 square feet with modern, contemporary styling, Cha Bar aims to bring to the capital the distinctive experience of relaxed tea drinking in a friendly atmosphere at price levels that offer great value for money. The conceptualisation and development of a concept like Cha Bar comes from the Oxford Bookstore, The Park Hotels and Apeejay Tea Group.

Cha Bar looks at evolving tea drinking from a dry page in history to a contemporary urban living experience and that brings alive the romance of tea. It also aims to position it as the chosen beverage of today. Proposing to educate and expose the consumer to the lost world of tea with all its possibilities and quality - not merely as a beverage but as a healthy lifestyle drink, the tea design house focusses on re-introducing tea as a trendy social beverage and make it an urban contemporary experience away from the 'dhabas' and out of the home and bring it to a ‘third-space’.

Apeejay Surrendra Group director Priti Paul explains, "Cha Bar is not only about Tea but goes beyond that and offers an experience and a concept that is built around a central theme -Tea. Our shelves are stocked with the best in national and international publishing and our cups are filled with the best brews from select gardens and cultures from all over the world. It will also be a space where exciting ‘tea’ related and lifestyle activities will be held for popular participation.”

With a wide selection of Indian and International tea to choose from including Flavoured Tea, Herbal Tea, Fruit Tea to name a few, the menu also looks offers hand picked variety from Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim, Oolong compliments the best in Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Moroccon, Sri Lankan, Thai and South African tea. Special category Cha Hindustani has been competitively priced.

This special menu has been put together with the help of in house tea experts at Apeejay Tea, a division of the Apeejay Surrendra Group.

To complement the various Cha or teas on the menu are a wide selection of snacks including signature teatime favourites. Fresh wholesome salads like Turkish and soy grilled chicken salads with a choice of dressings are perfect for a healthy meal. Scrumptious finger foods like fried vegetable puff, onion pakoras, fish fingers are ideal snacks to share with friends. Other items include all time favourite ham and cheese sandwich, Cottage cheese gherkin and scallion and tandoori paneer and chicken tikka wraps. House special soft centered muffins, fruit and nut special cookies and fresh moist centered cookies and home-style special cakes and pies is perfect to round off tea-time or to take away.

India being the largest producer and consumer of Tea in the world, accounting for 30 per cent of global production and 25 per cent of global consumption, Apeejay Tea Group is pitted as one of the world’s largest producers of tea.