Assam's Manohari Gold Tea shatters record, sells at Rs 1.15 lakh per kg

The famous and rare Manohari gold tea, grown in an estate in eastern Assam's Dibrugarh district, recently broke all records, fetching Rs 1.15 lakh per kilogramme at a private auction.

RK Tea Sales purchased handmade tea for its clients Cafe Nilofer in Hyderabad and other locations.  According to Rajan Lohia, managing director of Monohari Tea, the hot favourite Manohari Gold tea's record sales are good news for Assam and its tea industry.

“For the last five years, we have been manufacturing Manohari Gold and the demand and liking for the tea is growing daily. This year, we sold 1 kg of our produce for Rs 1.15 lakh. It’s good news for Assam and the tea industry of the state. The tea was sold through a Kolkata-based private portal and been purchased by Hyderabad-based Neelofer Cafe,” Lohia added.

Till now, the estate in upper Assam had got the highest price of Rs 99,999. However, on December 16, the estate broke the past record and sold the tea for Rs 1.15 lakh.

In December 2021, Manohari Gold tea was auctioned off for Rs 99,999 per kilogramme at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC). Monohari Tea had previously sold its premium product in the state at a record price of Rs 75,000 per kg.

The Dikom Tea Estate sold its Golden Butterfly Tea for Rs 75,000 per kilogramme in 2020. Later, at the Guwahati auction, a speciality tea produced by Donyi Polo Tea Estate in East Siang, Arunachal Pradesh, fetched the same price.

With more than 850 large tea gardens, Assam is the largest tea-growing region in the world and accounts for more than 52% of all tea produced in the nation. But the industry's players are in a crisis as a result of price stagnation since 2014, unfavourable climatic conditions, and rising production costs. This has prompted many estates to produce premium tea in an effort to command higher prices, serve upscale clients, and build their brands.