Since the last century, Darjeeling tea -- the priciest variety of Indian tea -- has been sold only in private auctions. This month, it switches to online bidding for the first time, making it possible for buyers to bid for the the premier tea.
Often described as the "champagne of teas", the Darjeeling tea is prized for its aroma. Like French wines, it is only grown in tea estates centered around a small mountainous region in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, which has the perfect soil and climate. Tea leaves are hand-picked, processed, tested and certified by tasters, before being exported to connoisseurs around the world.
The cultivation of the tea is labour-intensive with the leaves being hand-plucked by women employed at the tea estate.Credit: Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty Images)The lavish private auctions for Darjeeling tea involve elaborate tasting sessions. Around 2.8 million kg of Darjeeling tea is sold annually, with the finest teas fetching astronomical prices from international buyers. In 2014, Darjeeling tea from the Makaibari estate fetched a price of Rs 1,12,000 ($1,850), the highest for any Indian tea.
Different varieties of Darjeeling tea.Credit: Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty Images)This is set to changes, as the tea will now be sold in pan-Indian e-auctions to fetch better prices, more buyers and ensure greater transparency. "The new system will allow a registered buyer or seller of tea with any one of the seven auction centres to seamlessly participate in other auction centres," Union Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said. Buyers will have to be registered with one of these seven auction centres to be able to bid. The e-auctions are scheduled to start in the last week of June.
The second-largest producer in the world after China, India started online bidding of cheaper varieties of teas in 2008. "The new system could prove to be a turning point for tea auctioning in India, which began in 1861 in this city,” Teaotia said.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
(责任编辑：探索)
Nancy Pelosi warns colleagues after info hackedCops are playing music during filmed encounters to game YouTube's copyright striking
How to delete your Gmail accountTwitter's giving away NFTs for free (it's hard to put a price on worthless)
Visualizing July's astounding global temperature recordsTyler, the Creator helped Frank Ocean celebrate 'Blonde' release in a delicious way
The release of Frank Ocean's 。 Blonde
。is a cause for celebration to the fans who waited four years fo
...[详细]
Whether you're selling an Apple Watch, giving it away, or trading it in for a newer model, you'll wa
...[详细]Loki and Bart Simpson will join forces in a new Disney+ short
Love Loki but wish Tom Hiddleston would tell someone to eat his shorts? Well, you're in luck. Loki a
...[详细]A 'Guardians of the Galaxy' game is coming in October and it looks rad
Ready for a Marvel surprise? Square Enix has a Guardians of the Galaxygame coming, and it's totally
...[详细]17 questions you can answer if you're a good communicator
Whether you regularly speak in public and write online, or you mostly express yourself over email, b
...[详细]Android's Messages app now has end
End-to-end encryption for Google's Messages app on Android is out of beta, meaning you can finally e
...[详细]'Mad Men' star Rich Sommer chats about his role on 'The Office'
Everyone knows that The Office had a phenomenal main cast, but never forget that the series featured
...[详细]Do you want to play your music but are still in need of a speaker? Well, if you have an Amazon Echo,
...[详细]Nate Parker is finally thinking about the woman who accused him of rape
Nate Parker is getting a crash course in male privilege after, in his own words, not thinking about
...[详细]COVID Discord group helps Indians find oxygen, answers, and community
Arnab Biswas first noticed the cries for help on Instagram. In mid-April, the 25-year-old started re
...[详细]