GUWAHATI: A tea variety from Donyi Polo garden in Arunachal Pradesh is poised for a “strike” at the auctions again for the first time….only this time, its aiming for a “purple” patch, quite literally.
Yes after fetching the highest price ever at the auctions with its golden needles variety selling for Rs 40,000 in August, Donyi Polo has come up with another special variety — purple tea, to be auctioned by Contemporary Brokers at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre here at the next sale.
The tea is made from plants rich in a type of flavonoid called anthocyanin, which accounts for a distinctive reddish purple appearance.
The flavonoid releases antioxidants which is good for health. Besides, the presence of anthocyanin is evident when tea turns purple with a drop of lemon juice.
According to Manoj Kumar, the estate’s senior manager, the purple tea plants were found in a forested area in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh a few years back.
“The tea is mild and tastes like green tea. Around 10,000 purple tea leaves are needed to make a kg of purple tea,” Kumar said.
The tea estate is putting up 1.2kg of purple tea for sale at the auction at GTAC that starts from Tuesday.
Donyi Polo, which operates under Siang Tea and Industries Pvt Ltd, was set up in1987.
In terms of variety, Donyi Polo has been a revelation. Apart from specialty teas, it manufactures CTC, orthodox, Oolong, green and, white teas.
The trend of speciality teas being sold at good prices at GTAC is also being noticed elsewhere in the country and world now. Experts foresee GTAC becoming a global hub for specialty tea, attracting more business for the centre and global buyers.