Noman is known in Cox’s Bazar as the “Smart Tea Seller”. Once struggling to attract customers with ordinary tea, he nearly gave up after suffering losses. Instead, he changed his approach, introducing different flavours and ingredients to make his small tea shop stand out.
Today, his shop offers 12 varieties of tea, including malta, mint, tamarind, honey-lemon, cashew nut and spice tea.
Located on the ground floor of the Central Cooperative Super Market beside the main road in Jhautola, the Smart Tea Seller remains busy from 10:00am to midnight. Residents and tourists often stop by after visiting the beach or other parts of the city.
Dressed in a coat over his shirt, gloves, and a saffron-colored cap, Noman prepares tea for customers who choose from a price list displayed beside the shop.
Alongside regular tea, the menu includes malta tea, milk-coffee tea, mixed spice tea, green tea, mint tea, tangy-spicy or chili tea, honey-lemon tea, tamarind tea, “Adani” tea, kopi tea, and cashew nut tea.
Prices range from Tk10 to Tk50. Regular tea costs Tk10; malta, milk-coffee, mixed spice, green, mint and chili teas Tk20 each; honey-lemon and tamarind teas Tk30; “Adani” and kopi teas Tk40; and cashew nut tea Tk50.
A native of Bhola, Noman came to Cox’s Bazar about seven years ago to find work. He initially opened a cooling corner in the Jhautola vehicle yard but closed it after suffering losses and returned home.
He later invested around Tk200,000 to open the present shop and launched Smart Tea Seller. After initially selling only ordinary tea, he began experimenting with fruits, spices and other ingredients.
“I used to sell ordinary tea, but sales were poor. Customers increased after I introduced different flavours,” Noman said.
Resident Rahim said the tea tasted different from what he had tried elsewhere, particularly the combination of malta and mint.
Noman now earns around Tk50,000–60,000 a month after expenses. He supports his mother, wife and son, who studies in a Hifz programme.
Besides running his business, Noman promotes a healthy lifestyle through a sign beside his shop that reads: “Say no to smoking, build a healthy life.”
By Mohammad Morshed
Photo: Mohammad Morshed
