Guwahati: The "greens" stole the show at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) on Tuesday.

Two green teas from Aideobarie Tea Estate in Assam's Jorhat district and Donyi Polo in Arunachal Pradesh broke the previous record of Rs 2,501 per kg for green tea set by Deha tea garden of Assam in 2015.

The pan-fried whole leaf from Aideobarie got Rs 3,531 per kg, which is the highest price for green tea at the GTAC, followed by Emerald Green from Donyi Polo, which got Rs 3,501. Another invoice of Aideobarie got Rs 2,500. The total quantity offered by Aideobarie was 9kg while Donyi Polo offered 2.8 kg. The GTAC confirmed that the price received by Aideobarie was the best for green tea at the centre.

Raj Barooah of Aideobarie told The Telegraph, "It is a fabulous feeling as this is the result of around six years of trials and research to perfect pan-fried teas with Assam Tea. We will evolve with this experience and better our quality. Assam green teas require proper standard as we go along and that is what we should strive to achieve as a mature industry. It is the fundamental responsibility of all stakeholders involved in this arduous journey of making Assam green tea internationally acceptable."

He said the fundamental difference between black and green tea is that while the first goes through oxidation, in the second heat is used to de-enzyme leaves (destroying enzymes that allow oxidation). Heat can be applied by using steam or frying the tea leaves in a pan.

"All Japanese green teas use steam whereas the Chinese use direct heat by frying leaves in a pan. In India, generally steam is used. Aideobarie is one of the first tea estates to apply pan-fry heat. This is an art because use of direct heat requires constant supervision and monitoring. The margin for error is very small," he said.

A senior official of Donyi Polo, which holds the record (Rs 18,801) in auctions in the country, said this is the first time that emerald green has been offered in the GTAC. "We have been offering new teas in the auction and have been well received," he said.

Pankaj Vohra of D. Dayalbhai and Co, which generally buys CTC tea, said they had bought both the invoices of Aideobarie tea as there is a demand for good tea in western India.

A senior GTAC official said the demand for green tea is picking up and it is good that producers are choosing the auction centre to sell their produce.