SAN-CHA is India's most trusted name in fine tea — built leaf by leaf, estate by estate, cup by cup, since the first store opened its doors in Old Delhi in 1981.
In 1981, a single tea store opened in the lanes of Old Delhi under the name Aap Ki Pasand — "Your Choice." It was founded by Sanjay Kapur, a master tea taster who had already spent nine years immersed in tea companies and tea estates, learning the craft from the ground up — long before most people thought of tea as anything more than a morning habit.
That single store, and the philosophy behind it, would go on to become SAN-CHA.
Over Five Decades in the World of Tea
Sanjay Kapur is widely regarded as one of India's most accomplished master tea tasters — with a career spanning more than 50 years across tea estates, tea companies, and now SAN-CHA itself.
His expertise runs deep:
- An intimate knowledge of tea clones and varietals across Darjeeling, Assam, Nilgiri, and Kangra
- A nuanced understanding of terroir, altitude, seasonal flushes, and leaf chemistry
- The rare ability to identify and curate teas at their peak expression of flavour and aroma
Every tea that carries the SAN-CHA name has passed through his judgment first.
The Art and Science of Tea
At SAN-CHA, every tea is chosen with the precision of a connoisseur, not the volume of a commodity buyer. We select based on:
- Specific clonal cultivars — including prized Darjeeling clones like AV2, P312, and B157
- Seasonal character — First Flush, Second Flush (Muscatel), and Autumnal harvests
- Micro-variations in soil, rainfall, altitude, and temperature
It's this depth of understanding that lets us curate everything from bright, floral first-flush notes to the complex muscatel character that defines the finest Darjeeling teas.
Sourced at the Origin
Direct From India's Finest Tea Estates
Our teas are sourced directly from gardens registered with the Indian Tea Association, ensuring ethical sourcing, full traceability, and consistent quality from estate to cup.
We don't buy in bulk. We taste in micro-lots — often sampling thousands of batches a season — to find the harvests worth bringing home.
Crafted With Precision
Blended and Packed With Care, in Noida
Every SAN-CHA tea is blended and packed at our dedicated facility in Noida, built to protect the integrity of every ingredient:
- Fresh, seasonal sourcing of teas, herbs, spices, and flowers
- Temperature- and humidity-controlled storage
- Strict food safety and quality testing protocols
- Small-batch blending for consistency and freshness
So every cup arrives exactly as it was crafted to taste.
