Tea Thambi in Brickfields, KL
Despite the rapid development in Klang Valley, Brickfields retains its reputation for being Kuala Lumpur’s Little India that’s home to small and medium-sized local Indian businesses.
Compared to the glossy skyscrapers in the big city, buildings in Brickfields Little India are compact, vintage-looking, and vibrant in colours – oozing a strong Bollywood vibe. Its sidewalks are lined with colourful arches beautifully carved with motifs that reflect Indian architecture.
As you walk along the sidewalk of Jalan Tun Sambanthan, you will find a small hut with a yellow roof and two tea barrels on a bicycle. That’s Tea Thambi – a tea stall that sells super affordable RM1 Masala tea and coffee.
Affordable Masala tea & coffee from RM1
Only a 5-minute walk from KL Sentral, Tea Thambi is a local stall that sells authentic Masala tea and coffee at an affordable price. The Masala drinks are served fresh and hot, and come in three sizes: small (RM1), medium (RM2), and large (RM4).
For a frothy finish, you can request for your drinks to be tarik-ed before being served.
Spices are what make these Masala drinks extra fragrant, setting them apart from other beverages.
While both are popular drinks that originated in India and have a similar brewing process, Masala tea features brewing black tea with a blend of spices – such as cinnamon, cloves, and green cardamoms. Masala coffee, on the other hand, uses ground coffee as the base ingredient instead of tea powder.
Then, sugar and milk are added to each cup for a dash of richness and creaminess.
Kuih-muih & RM2 Kaya Toast
Other than drinks, Tea Thambi also sells kuih, cakes, and bread, including RM2 Kaya Toasts.
The bun is sliced into two halves, and each spread with salted butter and toasted on a sizzling hot pan until nice and crispy. Then, a generous amount of kaya is slathered onto the toasted buns to complete this delectable grab-and-go snack that’s ideal for any time of the day.
Here’s what we thought
The Masala tea was richly fragrant yet still maintained a good balance of tea and spice flavours. As we took a sip of the tea and let it glide across our tongue, we could feel just how creamy and smooth it was. Its aroma lingered long after swallowing too.
We also loved the Masala coffee. It had a deep cinnamon flavour, but the warm notes from the spices didn’t steal the show from the coffee. The robust coffee flavour remained and was complemented nicely by the creamy milk beautifully swirled in, offering a nice consistency in the cup of brew.
The kaya toast paired with the coffee makes a perfect breakfast. The buns were slightly crusty on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The toast further proved that butter and kaya will always be the undefeatable duo, as the salty-and-sweet fusion of these two spreads made the toast so devourable.
A humble stall that began during the Covid-19 pandemic
The story of Tea Thambi started in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the fresh Engineering graduate, Kavievanan Subramaniam, struggled to secure a job due to the movement restrictions and economic downturn in Malaysia at that time.
But, instead of simply waiting out the various MCOs, the young graduate turned his passion for tea into a real business as he had always wanted to be an entrepreneur. Deriving from his mum’s tea recipe, Kavievanan started his business small – by selling the brew on a bike.
His effort eventually paid off as the business began to flourish when Tea Thambi went viral online. But while social media is what got Tea Thambi its first boost of popularity, the tasty Masala brews are what make their customers return for more.
After almost three years, the owner recently welcomed his first Tea Thambi Cafe in the City Centre. This cafe is set to open on 14th June.
Sip on RM1 Malasa tea and coffee at Tea Thambi in Brickfields
After long hours of work, a soothing cup of tea or coffee is all we need to loosen up those strained muscles and give us that boost of energy. Now, tea break is made extra delightful thanks to Tea Thambi’s affordable and delicious Masala drinks and kaya toasts.
Check out our visit to Tea Thambi by watching our video here.
Address: Jalan Tun Sambanthan, Brickfields, 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Opening hours: 9.30am-6pm, Daily
Contact: 018-390 0171
For other tasty pick-me-ups, explore these Vietnamese coffee places in KL and Muji’s first cafe in 1 Utama.
Photography by Dennis Kong.
Cover image adapted from: The Smart Local Malaysia
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