A batch of handmade orthodox speciality tea, grown in Assam’s Mokalbari tea estate, fetched Rs 22,000 per kg at an auction in Kolkata—the highest price at the tea auction centre.
The tea was bought by Bhansali & Company, Kolkata, for their Russian Buyer Masterskaya of Tea.
“These delicacies are handmade from a special cultivar of tea. We usually export such high valued specialties to Europe directly and rarely sell through auction. But we are very happy to receive good response from the auction buyers and will offer more such specialities in future,” said Ajay Jalan, director of Mokalbari Tea Estate, situated in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
The price, fetched by the tea, is the highest received at the Kolkata auction so far. Anish Bhansali, director of Bhansali & Co., said in a statement: “We have many buyers across the globe who are interested in such specialty teas. Mokalbari, one of the top Assam orthodox manufacturers, rarely sells such specialty teas through auctions. Our buyer is delighted to be able to purchase these teas.”
Orthodox speciality tea refers to the special blends of loose-leaf tea made using traditional methods of production, which involve plucking, withering, rolling, oxidation/fermentation and drying.
Some speciality tea produced by Assam gardens were earlier sold at as high as Rs 99,000 per kg. But those were sold either through special auctions or auction centres in Assam.
Assam is the world’s largest tea growing region and the state contributes nearly 52 per cent of the country’s total tea production. It has 800-odd big tea estates and more than a lakh small gardens.
Tea gardens in Assam are now focussing on speciality tea for better price and to meet the demand from high-end customers, not only in India but abroad.