The tea bomb: Dalgona, hot chocolate, move over please

Purple Earl Grey tea bomb

Green Matcha tea bomb

When tea becomes a ritual it takes a special place in the heart as we tend to see infinity in a single moment — to cherish the minutest details, to find beauty in nothingness and celebrate every little breath of life.

Any tea enthusiast or an avid Instagrammer would know what a tea bomb is and how gorgeous and stylish an affair tea has been since the trending tea bombs after Christmas. Yes, the latest rage on social media is not the Dalgona coffees or the Christmas chocolate bombs anymore, it’s the tea bombs.

Anyone who has been a lover of English classics would know what an impressive experience a tea soirée could be. Afternoon tea in delicate bone china tea sets or silverware with macaroons and freshly baked cookies and cakes along with some delicious laughter of women basking in the glory of femininity and sun have always been the most cherished affair in the old English culture. The OTT series Bridgerton, plausibly inspired by Jane Austen’s novels, could only manage to pull through for the evening teas and ball night scenes despite the poor storyline. This is the flair of a classy affair like the afternoon high tea. And nothing could have made this more interesting than the trending tea globes, the crystal clear, colourful wondrous additions to the soirée.

Chai is a way of life in India. Chai or tea is quintessentially tea with masala, ginger, cardamom something mixed in it. During the pandemic, tea was the immunity-boosting drink owing to the various ingredients or masalas used in it. A variant of adrak wali chai or saffron kahwa is a ritual I enjoy preparing. Any addition to this ritual or lifestyle known as chai is welcome. And so is a tea bomb.

Tea bombs are flamboyance at their best for tea sommeliers. They are these transparent balls that just burst into hot water releasing flowery notes of aroma and fragrance, edible confetti adding bling to our tea as well (why should only our pics have all the glitter) and with flowers or dried tea leaves, makes it drool-worthy for the aesthetically inclined tea lovers.

So there are very many DIY lessons on how to make this viral drink with your own choice of colours and flavours.

This is the new fun way to refresh high tea parties. The challenge is to be as colourful and upgraded as these tea globes.

Another invention of the internet during the pandemic era, tea bombs could be in any flavour — matcha tea or ginseng tea, chamomile or orange or lemon honey, they open up into these petals or leaves, refreshingly aromatic and adding a dash of zing like the blossom of love.

It’s simple to make at home, all you need is loose tea, isomalt crystals, cocoa bombshells and food colouring.

Heat the isomalt crystals stirring with a silicone spatula until it forms bubbles, and then add the food colour.

Pour this on the shells and quickly coat the entire mould all the way around before it dries up.

Leave it to set for a few hours.

Gently remove the shells from the mould without cracking them (this is a technique that might take some time to get the hang of).

Take a plate, microwave it and then place the shell not filled with tea.

Put the tea and herbs or petals to give its distinct flavour and aroma in the other half of the shell and place it over one on top of the other to complete your globe.

These could be herb-filled or even replenished with antioxidants and health benefits, so these healthy delights are taking over the drink scene.

Gone are the days of late-night parties and cocktails, now it has to be a mad hatter’s tea party for An Alice in Wonderland lost in these delightful, colourful, beautiful globes that melt away into subtlety and unfurl into the cup of life leaving the fragrance of first love.

So sip on the elixir of life and cherish it with each sip while also thanking the fact that social media has its upsides too.

(The author is a lifestyle coach & social media influencer.)