Chota Tingrai Estate in Assam Produces India's First Commercial Matcha
· Business · Indian Express
Chota Tingrai Tea Estate in Tinsukia district, Assam, has produced India's first commercial matcha, a green tea traditionally associated with Japan. The initiative was driven by fourth-generation tea planter and estate director Mrityunjay Jalan, who began experimenting with authentic green tea after encountering Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian varieties while studying in Singapore. Jalan noted that most green tea sold in India oxidises into an orange liquor and is not comparable to Japanese or Chinese green tea. The breakthrough came through a friendship dating to the 1980s between Jalan's family and Ichiro Hara of Japan's Ume-no-En tea company, who had travelled to Assam in search of black tea. The Japanese connection led to years of knowledge exchange and mentorship that shaped the matcha production process at the 1,000-acre estate.
Why it matters
This positions Assam, long known globally for black tea, as a potential player in the premium green and matcha segment, giving Indian tea estates a new revenue stream as conventional black tea margins shrink. If commercially viable, it could reshape India's tea export profile and tap into the growing domestic wellness market for matcha.
Read the original report — Indian Express
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