Taj of Tunes

The gentle murmur of the Krishna River served as a fitting backdrop when Taj Mahal Tea unveiled its latest enchanting creation — the Chai Bansuri. In this serene setting, the Hindustan Unilever (HUL)-owned brand continued its harmonious journey of marrying music with tea, presenting a beautifully crafted kettle that not only brews tea but also plays the soul-stirring notes of the pentatonic Hamsadhwani Raaga. As steam ascends through the kettle’s spout, a specially integrated flute springs to life, creating an immersive experience that taps into sight, sound, smell, and taste — all at once.

“Taj Mahal has always strived to leave a distinctive and meaningful impression in the minds of the consumer. Even with the latest campaign, we believe consumers were left with a feeling of serenity and wonderment. The unique concept of a raag being created by the brewing of tea made consumers go ‘Wah Taj’. We chose a bansuri because it fit perfectly with the idea of a kettle in which we would brew the tea to create music,” says Ishtpreet Singh, Vice President (Beverages), Hindustan Unilever.

With this innovative installation, Taj Mahal Tea reaffirms its deep connection to Indian classical music, a relationship that has been decades in the making. In doing so, it doesn’t merely sell tea; it offers a cultural ritual — a multisensory celebration of refinement, tradition, and artistry.

“The warm touch, the rich colour, the calming aroma, and the relaxing taste—a warm cup of tea already speaks to so many senses. Add to that the spectacle of watching Tea play the flute, as you sipped tea. What can beat that? Megh Santoor was a massive success and we knew that we had to continue its legacy. When we started thinking about how to do it differently this year, one obvious answer was to make tea also an integral part of the idea. Since brewing tea produces steam, and flowing steam can mimic the human breath, we decided to go with a wind instrument. That is how the flute was decided,” says Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India.

However, designing a kettle that plays music was no small feat. Engineers and artisans had to collaborate closely to ensure that the steam pressure, the angle of the spout, all aligned to produce clean, musical notes. Beyond the technical brilliance, there was a larger philosophy at play — to create a brand experience where the act of making tea itself becomes an art form.

“The project was a challenge from day 1 to the day it played in Vijayawada. To us, the biggest challenge remained making the performance completely authentic. This ambition came with many challenges, like deciding on the material of the flute and kettle, ensuring a steady flow of steam, developing a working proof that could be adapted to such a large size, choosing a Raaga that will go best with this idea and getting over the million things that went wrong before we got it right,” says Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India.

Taj Mahal Tea’s tryst with music began in the 1980s, when it partnered with tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain for the iconic ‘Wah Taj!’ campaign. In a market where tea brands were often reduced to price wars and commodity marketing, Taj Mahal took a bold, differentiating route. By linking itself to the elegance and complexity of Indian classical music, the brand positioned itself as the connoisseur’s choice — a tea for those who sought something more refined and soulful.

“Taj Mahal Tea is one of the most loved brands in India, known for its flavourful tea and long-standing support for Indian Classical Music. As a brand, it has built on this distinctive brand asset, making itself synonymous with classical music. Historically, Taj started off as the brand of experts - it was a tea that was ‘hazaaron mein ek’, and its unmatched quality was the product of handpicking only the finest grade of tea leaves and tasting 1000s of cups a day to deliver the perfect one. However, we realised that the brand resonated the most with consumers when the experts featured were classical musicians. And so was born the BCI (Brand Communication Idea) of the brand - Soak in the Classical,” Ishtpreet details.