A cup of gold: Darjeeling unveils India’s most expensive tea priced at Rs 1.5 lakh
Globally popular for its tea, Darjeeling is now offering one of India’s most expensive varieties of tea priced at Rs 1.5 lakh per kilogram. This tea can be purchased at a store in the Mall Road area of the city in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Speaking about the tea, Gautam Mondal, the store manager told ANI that they have extensive tea collections, boasting over 300 varieties.
“We have over 300 varieties of teas. The price starts from Rs 400 per kg. Not every tea is expensive and the maximum is Rs 1.5 lakh per kg. I have it packed in different sizes like 100 gm and 250 gm. The 100 gm one costs about Rs 15,000,” Gautam Mondal said to ANI.
“This tea is only manufactured 15-20 kgs in a year and it is different from other teas. It is manufactured from the tips of the leaves that grow in high-altitude areas. It is plucked from special gardens. These are baby leaves and are known as white tea. The tea has a different taste and is very soothing,” he further added.
Speaking about the demand of the tea, Gautam Mondal said, “We don’t show this tea to everyone and only if someone asks about it or has been abroad and specifically wants it then only we show it to the customers.”
Saying about the Darjeeling team, he added, “We offer different types of teas that include Darjeeling tea, green team oolong tea and white tea. Further Darjeeling tea is of four types that is first flush, second flush, monsoon and autumn. Darjeeling tea is healthy and organic, adding sugar and milk that causes acidity and not the tea.”
It is worth mentioning here that tea plants were first planted in the Darjeeling region in the mid-1800s. Tea plantations in Darjeeling cover almost 17,500 hectares of land.
Ms Kalinga