Assam-made Chinese pu’er tea cakes auctioned at ₹12,000 a kg
Five kilograms of the specialty tea were sold at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre, paving the way for varieties such as the Singpho community’s phalap
Assam-made Chinese pu'er tea cakes sold at ₹12,000 per kilo at Guwahati Tea Auction Centre
Chinese pu'er tea cakes, originally made in Yunnan province, were auctioned at ₹12,000 per kilo at the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) on Friday, September 25, 2026. The 5-kg batch came from Gauripur Tea Industry in Golaghat district, Assam. Assam Tea Traders purchased the lot through brokers J. Thomas & Co. Pvt Ltd. GTAC had previously sold a similar lot to GTAC in 2023 at a lower price of ₹9,000 per kilo.
Aparaj Saikia, managing director of Gauripur Tea Industry, explained the unique process used to make the Sheng-style pu'er tea. The Sheng style takes only a week from plucking leaves to compressing into cakes, as opposed to the Shou style, which requires aging for three to four years and controlled post-fermentation techniques. Saikia's company began producing the Sheng-style pu'er tea with Assamica variety of tea leaves found naturally in Assam.
The tea is handmade, starting with small batches for personal consumption, before launching commercially three years ago.
This auction marks a milestone for Assam tea, as it experiments with varieties beyond conventional black and green teas. NETA advisor Bidyananda Barkakoty said higher-value products can be created from tea resources in the state. The Assam government recently increased the subsidy on production of orthodox and other specialty teas from ₹10 to ₹15 per kg, effective from the 2026-27 financial year.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
