Dibrugarh: We can’t do without our morning tea even for a day. But this special hand-made variety may not be everyone’s cup of tea. It was sold for a whopping Rs 75,000 per kg in the auction on Thursday!
Bright yellow in hue, this malty tea is plucked only during dawn at the Manohari Tea Estate, in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
Of the 2.5 kg of this tea produced recently, 1.2 kg was sold in an auction. “The remaining tea will be available at select outlets including Guwahati Tea Auction Centre lounge as demand for one of the rarest teas in the world continues to grow,” director of Manohari Tea Estate Rajan Lohia was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
The tea, sold by Contemporary Brokers Private Limited, was purchased by Vishnu Tea Company, Guwahati. In future, the Manohari tea will be sold on their e-commerce website 9amtea.com.
In 2018, Manohari gold tea had been purchased at Rs 39,001 and Rs 50,000 per kg in the auction.
Explaining the speciality of the tea, Lohia said: “They are plucked only during dawn to avoid exposure to sunlight. It offers aromatic, full-bodied and bright yellowish malty liquor.”
This was the highest tea price on record this year. Two years ago, the golden butterfly tea produced in Dikom Tea Estate in upper Assam was also sold at Rs 75,000 per kg.
The tea industry has taken a massive hit since December 2019 because of the anti-CAA agitation, COVID-19 lockdown and monsoon floods. Losses have been pegged at over Rs 1,000 crore so far.
