Doomni Oolong tea hits a record

Guwahati, May 17: Oolong tea produced at the Doomni tea estate in Assam's Baksa district today set a new record of Rs 1,151 per kg at the auction, breaking its earlier record of Rs 1,103 in 2015.

The 29.5kg Doomni Grand Oolong tea was bought by Manash Chakraborty of Golden Tea House at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC).

He had earlier bought tea from the Halmari estate at record prices. It was sold by J. Thomas, the largest tea auctioneers in the world.

Oolong tea made its debut at GTAC in 2015. The highest price fetched by the Oolong variety at the Calcutta auctions was Rs 2,860 per kg from Darjeeling's Thurbo garden in 2014.

Originating in China, Oolong (black dragon tea) is a variety between green and black tea as the leaves are partially oxidised during processing.

"Doomni Grand Oolong is a perfection of semi-fermented tea manufacturing. The silver-tipped leaf is more black than green. After being infused, it gives an orange cup. It is likely to be favoured by those who prefer mildness and delicacy," said Gaurav Jalan, director of Sublime Agro Ltd, which owns the Doomni garden.