Bhergaon's First Yellow Tea Sells for Rs 13,334 a Kilogram
Bhergaon Tea Estate sold its first yellow tea, a rare and labor-intensive style, at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre for Rs 13,334 a kilogram.
Bhergaon Tea Estate sold its first yellow tea, a 2-kilogram lot, for Rs 13,334 (about US$145) a kilogram at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre.
The lot was sold by the broker J. Thomas & Co. Pvt. Ltd. at Sale No. 29, EastMojo reported July 22. The buyer was Vedanta Tea Company of Guwahati, which is sending the tea to a cafe in Rajasthan, not to Assam.
Few gardens anywhere make yellow tea. The leaf is heat-fixed like green tea, then sealed and left to yellow slowly, a step green tea skips, yielding a paler, milder liquor. The style originated in China.
The tea was made by Bhrigu Parasar, the estate's factory tea maker. Avinash Borooah, the estate's director, said it was developed entirely in house after the estate's white tea and golden tips drew encouraging feedback.
"If marketed well, yellow tea can catch on like matcha," Borooah said. He said it could become a commercially viable specialty tea, opening premium domestic and export markets, if quality holds steady.
Assam producers have been moving into specialty categories, white tea, oolong, purple tea and matcha among them, to improve value realization in a competitive market.
Yellow tea has reached the Guwahati auction floor once before. Donyi Polo Tea Estate, in Arunachal Pradesh, brought the first lot there in 2018. Bhergaon's is Assam's own, and for now the first batch is already gone, sold to a cafe outside the state rather than a cup at home.
Sources: EastMojo, "Assam tea industry turns to rare yellow tea for premium markets"; PragNews, "Assam Tea Diversifies: Rare Yellow Tea Commands Premium at Guwahati Auction".