LAKYRSIEW

Shillong was once the capital of Assam and interestingly included by British prospectors as suitable for tea cultivation. As it happened, the Khasi ruler of Shillong refused to allow immigrant workers into Shillong. With insufficient labour available, Shillong did not get a tea industry. Eventually, Shillong became the capital of Meghalaya. In the 1970s, the Tea Board of India resumed the idea of a tea industry in these parts. Grown at a high elevation, Meghalaya’s teas are also called ‘cloud teas’, because of the elevation they are grown in. They are famous for their thin leaves, a pleasant aroma and taste. In the 1990s, Geert Linnebank, a Dutch journalist, and his Khasi wife, Nayantara, considered planting tea on land they had inherited, close to Shillong. They named the garden Lakyrsiew – awakening. It’s a quintessential boutique garden, resolutely refusing to bow down to large factory practices. Lakyrsiew has obtained organic certification, works only with the local community, and insist on artisanal practices with a singleminded focus on quality. Their teas can be found on the menu of Noma Australia. I think their summer teas are especially good, and some season, we enjoy a most exquisite Black ‘ Cloud Tea’ from here – a rare tea, produced early in the season. Lakyrsiew Exotic Summer Black Tea is priced at ` 14,900 for a kilo.