Chai pe 'kharcha': This Kolkata stall serves tea at Rs 1,000 a cup

"It's one of the purest teas of the world. Around 100 kg of this tea requires 3 times more time, expense, money and labour as compared to 100 kg of black tea. This is what makes it the most expensive tea of the world," said Partha Pratim Ganguly of Nirjash Tea Stall

India’s love for tea knows no bounds. For some it is the morning elixir, for others it is a break companion during long work hours. But is a cup worth Rs 1,000?

Recently, the internet was amazed to know about an exotic tea variety worth Rs 1,000 being sold at a stall in Kolkata’s Mukundpur. Partha Pratim Ganguly, the owner and founder of Nirjash Tea Stall, as per a report in NDTV Food, said that he started the business on January 6, 2014 after quitting his full-time job with a private firm.

The concept of flavoured teas was quite a new one at the time. Green tea, Black tea, Oolong tea, Lavender tea, Makaibari and much more were sourced with a number of factors kept in mind such as the quality of leaves, temperature at which water should be heated, etc. Over time, Ganguly expanded his collection to over 100 types of tea, of which 60-75 are from Darjeeling and rest from all over the world.

The Rs 1,000 tea in question is the Silver Needle White Tea.

"It's one of the purest teas of the world. Around 100 kg of this tea requires 3 times more time, expense, money and labour as compared to 100 kg of black tea. This is what makes it the most expensive tea of the world," he said.

In fact, white tea is also supposed to be healthier than regular Green tea. "White tea is of a better quality which has some exclusive antioxidants and phytochemicals such as catechins, eco-catechins and flavonoids. These are found in a higher percentage in white tea than in green tea," he explained.

Talking about his future plans, Ganguly said that he is planning to launch an interesting 'tea therapy' soon featuring another exotic tea variety - Blue tea or butterfly pea tea.

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