Okayti Tea Estate starts the First Flush plucking ceremoniously
Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], April 4 (ANI/PNN): For every estate in the hills of Darjeeling, the plucking of the first flush is an event in itself. But Okayti Tea Estate celebrates the plucking of the first flush like no other estate in the region.
Managed by a company dedicated to tea, Okayti ceremoniously observed and kick-started the event by organizing an elaborate program that included felicitation of workers for their hard work. The event was also graced by Subir Hazra, the Deputy Director of the Tea Board of India. Rajeev Baid, the MD of the estate motivated the workers by laying out the ambitious plans for this year and asked for their dedication to move forward and take the estate to newer heights.
The program was followed by a wonderful cultural event by the local artists from Okayti, Mirik. The tea plants shoot their first flush of the season after hibernating throughout the winter months. At the advent of spring in the hills, lively light green shoots are seen in the tea plant and it is then the time to harvest the first flush of the season. It is the start and will be followed by flushes known as summer and autumn flush teas.
First flush teas are a variety in themselves when it comes to orthodox Darjeeling teas. Since the tea plants shoot the flushes after long months of hibernation, the tea carries a lot of nutrients along with light and floral hues typical only to the first flush teas. Nestled in the foothills of the mighty eastern Himalayas, Okayti Tea Estate has been producing not any Darjeeling teas but a special range of orthodox and organic Darjeeling teas that have once been served at the royal tearooms of Europe. Its teas still feature in some of the most luxurious tea houses in the world.
What makes the teas from this estate exclusive is the agro-climate condition specific to the place it is grown and the enormous amount of attention to detail. Utmost care is taken in every aspect of the process, from production, harvesting, and processing. To packaging and delivering so that the connoisseur’s expectations are fulfilled. Perched in the undulating foothills of Darjeeling, the estate has been producing top-notch teas since its inception in 1888.
Erstwhile known as Rangdoo Tea Estate, the estate’s name was changed to Okayti in the initial years as the auctioneers from London claimed the tea from here are the only ‘Okay tea to be served in the royal tearooms. To commemorate the appreciation, it was named Okayti Tea Estate and the rest is history. Truth be told, teas from Okayti are more than just okay!
Website: https://www.okaytitea.com/
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