If you’ve visited Finjaan Cafe in Banjara Hills, you know you that you would experience tea like no other place in Hyderabad. The founders have been serving Hyderabadis their best teas for the last 100 years by the name ‘Ispahani Company’. At Finjaan, (an ‘oofy’ tea brand branched out of Ispahani), you have to go through a ritual of sensory experiences. It begins by selecting your tea based on their perfume. Soon, the tea of your choice is presented in a glass filter kettle. After a few seconds, the scent changes and is invigorating -— you may have your cup of tea now, the way you like it.
Finjaan serves over 50 varieties of exotic teas. “Along with tea, people get the opportunity to experience a tea ceremony on a Chinese tea table which is an exclusive experience in the city. Apart from this, we serve snacks. But more than anything, our guests love the ambience,” says Taha Taiyebi, one of the owners of Finjaan, who is also a pharmacist running a 100-year-old pharmaceutical store in Old City. The Taiyebi family’s passion for tea gave birth to a small tea store in 2005 at Tolichowki, which later metamorphosed into a cafe at Imam Khomeini Road Lane, Banjara Hills Road No. 7. The family, which loves tea, drinks eight-10 cups a day.
“In the early ’90s, my grandfather went to Kolkata on some personal work. There, he ended up buying 30 kg of tea leaves and sold it here in Hyderabad. That’s how Ispahani was established. My father Mohammed Taiyebi and his brother (chacha) Salman Taiyebi came up with the idea of starting Finjaan Teas. They began promoting this grade of tea in the last few decades,” Taha adds.
Finjaan aims to push every household to consume tea for its many health benefits. “There is no secret to our recipe, we prepare it the way people do at home. We also sell a variety of tea leaves,” he says. Speaking about his personal favourites, Taha adds, “I like Jasmine Pearl and Blooming Tea -- both bloom like a flower when dipped into a kettle of warm water. They have a very soothing taste. I also love the Herbal Relief Tea which not only tastes great, but also prevents allergic reactions.”
Along with teas, Finjaan also serves pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and pastas. Their signature dish is the Finjaan Classic Chicken Pizza. “There is no signature tea, the tea picks its drinker. One must try them all before the tea picks them,” he says.
What: Finjaan Cafe
Where: Imam Khomeini Road Lane, next to Iran Consulate, Road No 7, Banjara Hills
Cost for two: Rs 700-Rs 800