Kolkata Airport Gets a Taste of Makaibari Tea

By Prashant Acharya 

Siliguri, 10th May:

Discerning Tea connoisseurs now have a plush new address - a slice of a 19th century Plantation Bungalow - in the heart of the Kolkata Airport. 

Makaibari - the world's oldest tea factory - dating back to 1859 - has unveiled its first retail store inside a major metropolitan airport.

The 20 square metre space at the Domestic Terminal of Kolkata opened its doors on May 1 and is  reminiscent of an old Tea Estate Bungalow.

Chequered black and white floors, arches symbolic of the colonial balconies, dark wood panelled cabinets, old lithographic wallpapers, wood ceilings, furniture representing those in old Kolkata homes interspersed by memorabilia from the Estate like century old guest books, hand made sketches of the Estate and rare archival material that truly establishes Makaibari's enviable rich history. 

 The store at present houses 24 varieties of the world's most revered brews - including Makaibari's Rare Silver Tips Imperial - a variety of hand crafted tea that sold for a record $1850 (around Rs 1.11 lakh) a kilo a few years ago, becoming the most expensive tea ever.

It also houses Luxmi Estates' vast portfolio of the world's finest tea grown across its plantations in Assam, Tripura and Rwanda. 

They include all certified organic infusions like Citrus Sky (Lemongrass Ginger Green Tea), Hibis-Kiss Black (Hibiscus Berry Black Tea), Indian Passion (Mango passion Fruit Green Tea), Lavender Valley (Lavender Rose White Tea), Midnight Bloom (Jasmine Green Tea), Valerian Dream (Valerian Root and Chamomile Herbal) and Summer Solstice Muscatel among others. 

Kolkata is now India's sixth busiest airport and the gateway to the NorthEast. Latest government figures show that The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport recorded a whopping 17,768,862 human traffic going through it in 2022 alone. 

Rudra Chatterjee, MD, Luxmi Tea Estates said "Though we have a store in the Bagdogra airport, this is our first major retail tea store in a metropolitan airport. We intend to open similar stores in locations where people really enjoy the finest tea. The decision will not be based on revenue but on taste. While visualising how I wanted the store to be, I wanted people to get a small taste of a tea bungalow living room in the middle of a bustling airport. Now that it is up and running, it truly reminds me of how an estate manager would entertain guests at his Burra bungalow - warm, intimate yet spectacular". 

An immediate attraction of the month is however Makaibari's Coronation Blend - produced and blended  specially to mark the historic day when the former Prince of Wales Charles III became King of the United Kingdom last Saturday. 

This limited edition tea - prepared from four special clones of Makaibari - with a subtle, satiny floral flavour - will only be available through the Coronation Month of May. 

Chatterjee says only 1000 boxes of this limited edition brew - totalling to 100 KG of quantity will be available this month. 

King Charles' love for Darjeeling Tea is no secret - a habit he takes after his late Mother - Queen Elizabeth II - Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, who sat on the throne for 70 years. 

Prince Charles who became King on the death of his mother on Sept 8, 2022 has been a connoisseur of the tea from Makaibari and sent a letter appreciating it on 26th May, 2017. 

Chatterjee said "He loves Darjeeling and expressed his concern for climate change 

There have been other occasions of royal favour. The Emperor of Japan and the Queen of England were long connoisseurs of Makaibari teas". 

Chatterjee added "This blend of Oolong tea has Muscatel and Sweet flowery notes has been specially curated for the Coronation Ceremony. This curated blend has a subtle floral flavour that leaves you invigorated. These tea buds used to make the blend are unique and bloom slowly. Plucked this spring and crafted by experienced tea makers to get the smooth flavor that is royal and a class apart". 

Talking about the Makaibari's Rare Silver Tips Imperial being available at the Airport store, Chatterjee said "This is the world's most exclusive tea - forest nurtured, organic and biodynamic certified and is part of the top of the line tea portfolio of ours under our Tea Treasures. People travelling through the Kolkata airport will now be able to pick up this tea as they travel. They are available in 50 gram loose packs and are priced at Rs 1950."

"The Silver Tip has a phenomenal legacy to it. It is like an elixir: smooth, rounded, liquor that is a yellow hued sapphire gold. The first sip offers smooth delicate soft floral peony notes. The following note has hints of a summer fruit, notes of mango. Followed by sublime floral notes of frangipani. The uniqueness of this tea is in its creation - it is grown biodynamically - surrounded by forests that feed its flavour". 

"It is also plucked ceremonially in the moonlight under the flaring fire torches. It is picked on four or five full moon nights in a year aligning with the biodynamic calendar.  It has been scientifically proven that the capillary action inside the two leaves and a bud are at its maximum during full moon greatly increasing the flavours and aromas in the tea. Prime minister Narendra Modi had himself gifted this rare variety to the late Queen Elizabeth on his visit to Buckingham Palace in 2015". 

""Moonlight tea plucking is a spiritual ceremony of waiting patiently for the stars to align, it’s an age-old practice of plucking tea leaves at midnight, in sync with celestial rhythms of the moon and stars. It is usually done during the summer solstice. Moonlight Silver Tips tea-leaves are harvested on a full-moon night in June. The cosmic energy of moon light is considered different from that of the suns. The moon’s rays and the alignment of celestial bodies are said to impact the flavour and nutrient density in the leaves impacting the flavour, aroma and the body of liquor that comes from leaves harvested from plucking. This tea is one of the most premium teas in the world due to the small window of harvesting available to pick the leaves, which has to be done at the right celestial moment, the weather conditions have to be perfect as well; the night the tea is picked has to be bright and clear".

Makaibari - established in 1859 was the first garden to be certified for trade in the world. In 1988 it was the first garden to be awarded/ certified as a fully organic tea garden and thereafter the first to get Biodynamic DEMETER certification in 1993 along with fair trade certification. Makaibari produces around one lakh kg tea annually. Chatterjee adds "There is no greater tea estate in Darjeeling than Makaibari - it is the last word among teas, whether in Japan, or in England’s royal houses. It is also the choice of tea Satyajit Ray decided for his fictional detective character Feluda". Makaibari has over 1,500 people associated with their tea estates, with 400-500 engaged daily in plucking, who are primarily locals from nearby 7 villages of Makaibari.