Indians love their cup of chai and there’s no denying that. We have a long-standing love affair with tea that is known across the world. Be it starting the day or refreshing ourselves at the end of a long, hectic day, chai is our constant partner. And we are glad that this soul-satisfying brew has a huge variety, produced in India itself. Tea connoisseurs swears by authentic and unique variety of tea leaves and a recent development is sure to impress them. As per a report in ANI, a unique and rare tea variety from Assam, called Manohari Gold Tea, was sold for a record price of Rs. 1 Lakh per Kg by Manohari Tea Estate on December 14, 2021. Purchased by Saurav Tea Traders at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC), the bid was said to be the highest one ever received by a tea at the auction.
Speaking about the tea, Bidyananda Barkakoty, Adviser, North Eastern Tea Association (NETA), told ANI that the Manohari Gold Tea is a specialty tea with unique plucking and preparation techniques. He also revealed how the demand for special tea like white tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, etc., have increased and so they will be increasing the production of the same besides the usual Kadak chai. "Small tea-growers in Assam are also making handmade tea. This specially crafted tea is much in demand across the world," he added.
As per a report in NDTV, Rajan Lohia, the owner of Manohari Tea Estate revealed how the tea was made. "We made the tea with the small bud with finest clove P-126. Every year our target is to produce 10 kg of Gold Tea but this year we produce 2 kg of Gold Tea. For tea production, the weather and soil quality of Assam is perfect. We only give stress to quality", he said.
As per ANI, the same tea had also created records in the years 2018 and 2020. While in 2018 Manohari Gold Tea was sold at a price of Rs. 39,000 per kilogram, the same fetched Rs. 75,000 per kg in 2020.
Twitter was quick to react to the news and some were just hilarious, take a look: