Guwahati, July 9: Halmari tea estate set a new record by selling CTC at Rs 556 a kg at the Calcutta auction today.

Altogether 260kg of broken orange pekoe (BOP) grade of the CTC (crush, tear and curl) variety was put up for sale. It was bought by Manash Chakraborty of Golden Tea House, Guwahati.

The last record was Rs 501 a kg at the Calcutta auctions on June 7.

The Halmari garden is located 28km from Dibrugarh town and 430km from Guwahati.

"In my wildest dreams I could never imagine it would witness such stiff bidding. I offered the best price and the rest is history," Chakraborty of Golden Tea House told The Telegraph.

The tea will be exported to Europe. Leaves processed using the CTC method are not rolled, but are placed through cylindrical rollers with small teeth. The rollers crush, tear and curl the leaves.

"I cannot recall when I had tasted anything better. It fetched that price because of its exotic aroma, taste and colour once milk is added. It easily gets 10 out of 10," Chakraborty said.

A tea industry official said the BOP was a slightly bolder grade that allowed consumers to get the maximum aroma and flavour. It provides a good balance of flavour and strength.

The tea was manufactured on May 23-24 and despatched on May 28 for sale.

Krishan Katyal, chairman and managing director of J. Thomas and Company, told The Telegraph that today's price was "phenomenal".

"It is no more a tea brand, it is a prized possession," a tea industry official said.

C.S. Bedi of Rossell Tea, known for the orthodox variety, said: "It is an acknowledgement of the quality of Halmari that it can command such a price."

The director of Deha tea estate - which is ranked in the top 10 at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre - Bikash Agarwal, said buyers do not get disappointed when they purchase Halmari.

"The consistency of making quality tea has paid off. The lesson which we can take from Halmari is that if they can produce that kind of quality, why cannot others do it?" Agarwal said.

Lalit Jalan of Assam Tea Traders who has a tea shop in Guwahati said once customers buy Halmari, the request is for once more.

Soham Daga of Calcutta-based Amarawati Tea Company Ltd, which owns Halmari, apart from Duliabam, said: "This achievement is dedicated to everybody at Halmari right from the garden to people at the head-office. We are constantly improving the quality of our tea which has been appreciated by people worldwide."

What will be the next record? "The sky is the limit if it is Halmari," a buyer said.