The Rarest Tea Assam Makes Travels to Jakarta as a State Gift
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Indonesia's president a tin of Manohari Gold, an Assam orthodox that has sold for more than Rs 1 lakh a kilogram, months after Modi himself plucked leaf at the estate that makes it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto a tin of Manohari Gold Tea during a July 6 to 8 visit to Jakarta, Indian outlets reported.
The tea, made on a single Assam garden, has sold for more than Rs 1 lakh (about $1,200) a kilogram at auction. Manohari Gold comes from Manohari Tea Estate in Assam's Dibrugarh district, and only in small amounts: 25 to 50 grams a day, made by hand-plucking the golden-tipped buds of the estate's P126 clone bushes in the early morning, then hand-rolling and sun-drying them, the Free Press Journal and other outlets reported.
The estate's tea has broken its own auction record more than once. It sold for Rs 99,999 (about $1,200) a kilogram at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre in December 2021, then for Rs 1.15 lakh (about $1,380) a kilogram at a private sale the following year, bought by a Hyderabad tea trader for restaurant clients, Deccan Herald and Business Today reported at the time.
The Authority does not grade a tea on what it fetches at auction, only on strength by weight and measure, and Manohari Gold is not made for that test. It is a long way from the malty, milk-ready cup this office certifies each morning, and it did not have to be, to be worth this much.
Modi has already seen the estate up close. In April, on a stop in Dibrugarh during a tour of Assam, he plucked tea leaf alongside women workers and stayed the night at a retreat on the estate's grounds, India Today NE reported.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the tea represents the state's tea heritage and growing global recognition, the Sentinel Assam reported. The gift was one of several handcrafted Indian items, including artwork and handloom silk, presented during the visit.
Sources: The Sentinel Assam, "PM Modi Showcases Assam's Manohari Gold Tea on Global Stage"; Free Press Journal, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi Gifts Manohari Gold Tea To Indonesia; What Makes Assam's Golden Brew Special?"; Deccan Herald, "Assam's Manohari gold tea fetches record auction price of Rs 1.15 lakh per kg"; Business Today, "Assam's Manohari Gold Tea shatters record, sells at Rs 1.15 lakh per kg"; India Today NE, "The inside story of PM Modi's tea-garden visit in Assam".