Darjeeling boasts India's most expensive tea at Rs 1.5 lakh per kg

Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], April 24 (ANI): Darjeeling, a town in the foothills of the Himalayas in West Bengal, is renowned globally for its tea, offering one of India's most expensive varieties priced at Rs 1.5 lakh per kilogram.
This prized tea can be found at a store in the Mall Road area.
Gautam Mondal, the store manager, spoke to ANI about their extensive tea collection, boasting over 300 varieties.

"The motto of our Chairman is to give people the right tea at the right price. We have over 300 varieties of chairs. 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 15000," he told ANI.
Speaking about the speciality of this tea, he said, "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 is known as white tea. The tea has a different taste and is very soothing."
When asked about the demand for this tea, he 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 customer."

"We offer different types of teas that include Darjeeling tea, green tea, oolong tea and white tea. Further Darjeeling tea is of four types that is first flush, second flush, monsoon and autumn. All four tastes different and are made in different seasons," he added.
While breaking the myth about the harmful effects of tea, he said that the Darjeeling tea is healthy and organic, adding that it is sugar and milk that causes acidity and not tea.
Tea plants were first planted in the Darjeeling region in the mid-1800s.
Darjeeling tea industry employs a large number of people here and is a major contributor to the economy of Darjeeling. Tea plantations in Darjeeling cover almost 17,500 hectares of land. (ANI)