In Mumbai, although we drink tea all the time it's boringly basic: the 'cutting chai' that canteen boys in newspaper offices pass around in small, squat glasses (never very well washed); the malodorous 'masala chai', redolent with ginger and sticky sweet cardamoms; the Parsi 'fudna choy' (made with fresh lemon grass and mint sprigs) and served with small butter biscuits called 'batasas' that you dunk inside and slurp up all soggy; and the ubiquitous tea bags that you quickly dip, dip, dip and sip, sip, sip.

But out there in New York, it's all sleek and slick. So here I am, sitting with the bushy browed James Labe, at the tail end of Mumbai's misty monsoon, only to discover that he's the world's first tea sommelier. The title was created for him in 1998 with the opening of the flagship W Hotel in New York City. A professional tea taster, James was tasked with marrying fine tea to fine dining, creating a trend which has rippled through the American world of haute hospitality. 

Obviously, he knew what he was doing because by 1999 daily tea sales for W hotel's 140-seat restaurant reached $1000, with teas that retailed up to $450/lb.  'Cheers' magazine awarded him for the 'Best Non-alcoholic Beverage Programme in the USA', a first-time honour for a tea programme. 

He's modest and charming, but proud to be a pioneer. His love of tea began in childhood, when he would buy unusual teas from Philadelphia's Chinatown to drink and compare them. In the '90s, James moved to Seattle and managed a teahouse, which he eventually acquired and operated until 2006.  He has consulted for numerous hospitality and fine dining establishments. Events include banquets for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, tea tasting dinners at the East West Center (Honolulu) and India's Taj Hotels.  He has personally prepared over 100,000 pots of tea for his guests over the years!

"I'm an expert on the origins, flavours and varieties of tea from around the world," he patiently explains. "There are teas people have never tried. For instance, in India, although you have a tea drinking culture, most people haven't tried

"Tea is now considered fine food. It's a great socializing and relaxing companion. You can grab a coffee out of a vending machine and run. But a cup of tea requires you to pause and even  meditate, as the leaves mingle with the hot water and release their fragrance and flavour. And you don't need the world's best or most expensive tea to pause and savour that magical moment. There's a lovely white tea from Sri Lanka, called the Silver Needle, which is very delicate. And, there's what looks like dried cowdung! "This is Pu Ehr, the darkest tea in world, from China. It's pressed into cakes and aged. Like wine, it gets smoother and sweeter with age, and more expensive!"

Chinese or Japanese teas. And vice versa. I'm well versed in all the great teas of the world, and the traditions of tea preparation, and I have  become creative with these principles," he adds.

For instance, he asserts that Japanese green tea has to be made with cooler water because the tea is so raw it would get stewed otherwise. "Chinese Oolong Tea is exotic," he continues, "and the leaves unfurl very slowly, so you have to use a huge amount of water and steep it many times. There's an art to appreciating each steep for its own unique flavour."

This is a fascinating conversation, and James is happy to oblige. "There's a Japanese green tea where the farm is shaded for three weeks before the tea is plucked to make it sweeter," he offers. "The world of tea is very varied. I try to bring it all together."

Whenever he travels, he takes exotic teas with him and holds workshops like he did in Mumbai recently. He goes up to his room and brings back some of his prized loot. There's a lovely white tea from Sri Lanka, called the Silver Needle, which is very delicate. And, there's what looks like dried cowdung! "This is Pu Ehr, the darkest tea in world, from China. It's pressed into cakes and aged. Like wine, it gets smoother and sweeter with age, and more expensive. What I have here is ten-years-old," says James.

I enquire after his tea tasting dinners. "It's much like matching food and wine, except tea is much more subtle. I have to choose a tea that is a natural progression of the food being served. For instance, white tea goes well with peaches or melons. Pu Ehr tea should be had with duck or dim sums as it cuts the fat. Japanese green tea is good with chocolate. And Goan curries are great with Darjeeling tea." Which are his favourite tea regions? "India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and Taiwan (I think the greatest Oolong tea in the world comes from Taiwan)."

"In India," he adds, "Darjeeling tops the list. But the Nilgiris also produce a very aromatic and complex tea." Back home, he begins his day with a mug of Assam tea with milk and honey. He follows that with, on an average, 50 cups of tea per day. "Most tea tasters take a sip and spit it out. But since I specialize in very high quality tea that's really expensive, I enjoy drinking it," he smiles.

How expensive? "The Matcha, which is used for the Japanese tea ceremony, is at USD 1,000 per pound. Pu Ehr would be at USD 250 per kg. A good Darjeeling could go up to USD 200. The Japanese and Germans bid on teas at auctions and everyone wants to buy the year's best crop so prices rise."

"You see," he contemplates, "tea is now considered fine food. It's also a great socializing and relaxing companion. You can grab a coffee out of a vending machine and run. But a cup of tea requires you to take a moment and, maybe, meditate as the leaves mingle with the hot water and release their fragrance and flavour. And you don't need the world's best or most expensive tea to pause and savour that magical moment."