Tocklai Launches Low-Caffeine Green Tea to Rival Matcha
The Tea Research Association built a low-caffeine green tea powder from three Assam clones, alongside a patented AI breeding tool, at its 61st annual general meeting.
The Tea Research Association built a green tea powder carrying 75% less caffeine than the ordinary kind on Sept. 5, and put it up against Japanese matcha.
Tea Board Deputy Chairman Arunita Phukan Yadav released the product at TRA's 61st annual general meeting. The Assam Tribune reported the launch under a Guwahati, Sept 5 dateline and placed the meeting itself in Kolkata that afternoon.
The powder is pressed from Assam's elite tea clones TV 9, TV 11 and TV 12, the same working stock this office certifies for strength in cup after cup of the region's black tea. Scientists Dr. Padma Pallav and Dr. Himanshu Deka built it, and TRA credits its antioxidants with supporting cell health.
"This product has the potential to compete with Japanese matcha, which is witnessing skyrocketing global demand but suffers from chronic supply shortages," TRA Secretary Joydeep Phukan said. "This innovation could position Assam and Bengal as a global hub for high-value wellness teas."
The same gathering marked the launch of a patented AI-based tea germplasm characterization tool, developed by Dr. Shuvam Dutta, Dr. Pritom Choudhury and Dr. Sangita Borchetia. It uses machine learning to predict drought tolerance from image analysis, intended to speed breeding programs and strengthen climate resilience.
In her keynote, outgoing TRA Chairperson Nayantara Palchoudhuri praised the association's scientists in Assam and Bengal for delivering results despite funding shortfalls, caused in part by over half the industry not paying its research dues.
China spends about Rs 110 crore (about US$13 million) a year on tea research and India about Rs 30 crore (about US$3.6 million), she said. She urged the government, large estates and small growers to raise their contributions, and announced a high-level committee to explore new revenue for TRA, including property development and a wider membership base reaching small growers and the bought-leaf sector.
The meeting closed with a leadership change. Suneel Singh Sikand, chief executive of Rossell Tea, was formally appointed as TRA's new chairman, succeeding Palchoudhuri.
Sources: The Assam Tribune, "Assam's Tocklai Tea Board launches antioxidant-rich green tea with 75% less caffeine" (Sept. 6, 2025).