“Tea is always a good idea,” and then “We are like tea, we don't know our own strength until we're in Hot Water”... and yet again, “Where there's tea there’s hope.” Indeed, each of the quotes eulogize the wonder drink that is tea.
Ever imagine how it actually feels to visit a tea estate? Or want to see how tea is processed in person? What about the environments surrounding tea estates or tea gardens? And what does a tea planter’s or tea farmer’s life really entail, and what’s the actual ambience of life inside a tea estate?
Of course, many who read World Tea News work in the tea industry and have traveled to tea estates… but not everyone has had that unique opportunity.
A Look at Tea Tourism
The fabled land of Assam in India’s colorful and majestic North East is among the world's top tea producing regions, producing around 400 million kgs of tea annually. It is a state where approximately 2,16,2000 hectares of land is under tea cultivation and “the jewel in the crown” of the 200 billion dollar global tea industry is India’s Tea City of Dibrugarh, which is blessed with a mind boggling 177 tea estates.
Today, residing in metropolitan Kolkata, which is separated by a distance of approximately 1445 Kms. from my paternal ancestor’s house in Dibrugarh, I consider myself fortunate for having been blessed with the privilege of growing up in one of the world’s most outstanding tea cities, to be able to experience the raw, energizing and eco-friendly world of tea.
Six months back, I had gone to Dibrugarh to attend the marriage ceremony of my cousin brother and memories of my childhood days flashed inside me. A lot has changed though – urbanization in particular and the mushrooming of high-rise apartments. Yet, this distinctive Assam town is unputdownable and it was good to experience tea tourism from a home grown entity – Purvi Discovery, a brand which has carved a niche for themselves as one of North East India’s best tour operators specializing in tea tourism. Being the pioneers in tea tourism, Purvi Discovery was the first tourism entity from the North East to convert their Victorian era tea bungalows to the discerning world travelers. They have numerous tea estates spread across Dibrugarh region and… oh, boy! Aren’t they awesome!?
Since I was in Dibrugarh for just a week , I concentrated my time at Mancoota and Chowkidinghee Tea Estates, both located within the town, and the immersive experience was stellar. It was every bit rejuvenating, especially those horse-riding trips across the tea estates and factories – one great way of recreating the typical colonial planter’s life, I imagine.
A Colorful History
Assam’s tea culture dates back to the 1800s British era, and most tea bungalows epitomize Victorian style architecture – elevated wooden stilts, usually two storied, spacious rooms with exclusive fireplace, bamboo and wooden decor, antique furnishings and large verandas. From the cozy confines of the bungalow, one can indulge in never ending cups of the famed Assam tea and relish the slow paced tea life; the sight of women tea pluckers engaged in plucking two leaves and a bud, and once the red molten ball dips across the far horizon, it’s time for bonfires and tribal folk musicians to entertain – surreal stuff isn’t it?
In Assam, the British left behind a rich legacy – the legacy of tea garden life. Since the planters were mostly of British or Scottish descent, they tried to recreate the quintessential British lifestyle here in India, and the best specimens of the Raj era are the outstanding tea bungalows – each one has a story to tell. And there are as many as 765 tea estates in Assam that produce approximately 13 percent of the world’s tea, per my research. That’s how stupendous the tea tourism scenario is in Assam.
Consider for instance the Mancotta Tea Estate story. It used to be a British tea estate until 1970 and the last British Superintendent was Duncan Hayes. Their tea bungalow is considered to be an iconic one, and the ingenuity of the British architect is very palpable. The standalone feature being the total absence of iron nails in the wooden floor. I was told by a staff of Mancota that the wooden nails that have been used in the flooring were of Chinese origin.Purvi Discovery had another excellent tea bungalow property located right in the heart of Dibrugarh town – The Chowkidinghee Tea Estate. I still remember going on a rickshaw every day in my youth to the Don Bosco school that would pass through the famed Chowkidinghee Tea Estate.
The Chowkidinghee Tea estate has been in existence for a long time, and the piece de resistance is the gracious bungalow, which has been catering to the high-end visitors with a degree of sophistication that is hard to match. This heritage property has withstood the test of times – earthquakes, floods, etc., and yet remains a sentinel of colonial hospitality. Be it the Victorian decor, the fireplace or the intricately done up “Jaali” verandas, you can rest assured of the finest colonial hospitality and a perfect recap to the vestiges of its rich virile past.
Where Some of the Finest Varieties of Tea Are Produced
What makes Dibrugarh such a tea-friendly place? Well, my father who’s educated in agriculture and served in the Department of Agriculture for the Government of Assam, believes that Dibrugarh’s alluvial soil and it being off-course for tropical weather, in addition to a pronounced monsoon and temperature range between 51°F to 88°F, makes it ideal for tea crops to flourish.
Apart from being India’s tea town, Dibrugarh is also one of Assam’s largest urban agglomerations. Together with the districts of Tinsukia and Sibsagar, it produces 50 percent of India's famed Assam tea variety, whose trademark features are full bodied taste, strong aroma and its burgundy color.
After China, it is India’s North Eastern state of Assam where some of the finest varieties of tea are produced; and that too in huge quantities. An hour’s drive from Dibrugarh to the world famous Halmari Tea Estate could be a revelation.
Since my childhood, I have been a regular visitor to this awe-inspiring tea estate, and I still have my extended family who are residents of Moran, which is where Halmari is located.
Spread over 374 hectares of land and blessed with a century’s old tea legacy, Halmari Tea holds the distinction of being the highest priced Indian tea. The estate produces some of the finest varieties of CTC and Orthodox teas. Needless to say, you will find Halmari teas in some of the world’s finest hotels and in places, like Harrods. I will never forget that first sip of “Halmari 22K Gold Tea” packet that was gifted to me by my first cousin, who resides in Moran and lives in close proximity to Halmari Tea Estate. WOW!
In fact, earning accolades has become a habit with Halmari Estate – it won a best factory in the world award, as well as a Global Tea Championship Award consecutively from 2015 to 2019. That all speaks volumes about this tea estate’s rendezvous with all things good and excellent. In the words of Krishan Katyal Chairman of J Thomas and Co. and one of the world’s largest tea auctioneers, “Halmari has chosen not to sit on its laurels. They have been working to improve and it is paying now. It is no more a tea brand, it is a prized possession.”
As one of Harrods Best 9 Garden Fresh Tea Producers, a visit to Halmari is an education in itself – the manner in which the estate maintains the ethos of sustainability, their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, as well as their state of the art machineries, is exemplary to say the least.
Dibrugarh Growth, Producing Connoisseur Category Tea
This riverside town of Dibrugarh bore the brunt of the devastating earthquake of 1950 that measured 8.6 on the Richter scale and altered the course of River Brahmaputra. Old timers of the town vouch for the fact that more than three fourths of the town is still buried under water. Ever since then, Dibrugarh rose like a phoenix out of the debris of the earthquake and has positioned itself as India’s Tea Capital.
To further elevate the commercial status of this quaint Assamese town and to bring it on par with global cities, the Government of India, through the Ministry of DONER as well as the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Inland Waterways, have earmarked Dibrugarh for accelerated infrastructure developments.
Although tea tourism as a recreational concept is rather immersive, not many have opened up their estates to visitors, the primary reason being paucity of funds. A mechanism has to be found to make tea tourism happen on a grand scale, including liberal financial assistance to small tea growers, to bring additional revenue to tea-driven economies.
The tea estates surrounding Dibrugarh has been producing connoisseur category tea for more than a century and this region could be an ideal aspirant for the UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural) list. This would not only confer a prestigious crown in the cap of India’s Tea industry, but also give a further boost to the industry by luring the discerning visitors to come and savor tea holidays in this part of the world.
As the tourism industry keeps on evolving and increasingly gets closer to nature, it is expected of all the stakeholders – like the government and big players in the tea industry – to design and curate holidays that are quintessentially tea-centric.
The aspect of connectivity too needs to be revamped. Although rail, road and air connectivity has witnessed rapid growth, the maritime sector is in deep regress, in spite of the fact that one of the world’s most turbulent rivers – the legendary River Brahmaputra – flows through the entire length and breadth of Assam.
However, now with India’s Minister of Shipping – Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, who is the son of the soil from Dibrugarh and one of the most dynamic leaders at the national level – a slew of infrastructure developments are ready to take off, particularly multi-modal connectivity in the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s PM Gati Shakti. A National Master Plan that envisions seamless connectivity in the North East is on the horizon.
The importance he attaches to his hometown can be gauged by his recent press bytes at the Waterways Conclave 2022 – “Dibrugarh was an important contributor to India's economic growth. Steps are being taken to once again make Dibrugarh a major river port of the country. The opportunities provided by PM Shri Narendra Modi in developing the NW 2(Brahmaputra) and NW 16(Barak) is leveraging our connectivity with Bangladesh and giving us the route to reach markets of the world.”
In the end, if tea didn’t exist, Assam may have perished. Where there is tea, there is hope.
For further information on tea holidays in Assam, visit PurviDiscovery.com.
Subhasish Chakraborty has been working as a travel journalist for the past two decades and has been editorially involved with numerous international in-flight magazines for renowned airlines such as Cathy Pacific, Dragon Air, Bhutan Airlines, Air Asia, Airport Authority of India, etc. He was also involved with the UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) as a consultant, and is based in West Bengal, India.
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