Kangra Tea is a tea from the Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh. Both black tea and green tea has been produced here. It is known for its quality, unique aroma and tinge of fruity flavor. The history of Kangra Tea dates back to 1849, when Dr. Jameson, the superintendent of the Botanical Tea Garden, announced that Kangra region is ideal for tea cultivation. It is grown at an elevation ranging from 900 to 1400 metres. This tea is mostly produced in Palampur and Dharmshala. This tea also received gold and silver medals at international convention at London and Amsterdam. It was granted Geographical indication tag in the year 2005.
The Kangra valley region is the smallest in the whole of India;hence the tea requires a specific temperature for its plantation. Between March and October, it is planted in the ideal temperature of 13-35 degree Celsius. Kangra district suffered a deep damage in the year 1905 when it was struck by a huge earthquake in the region. Thousands lost their livelihood and their home, the tea industry itself was destroyed and British owners sold the gardens. The planters then struggled a lot to receive Kangra’s lost glory back. In the year 1964, the Himachal Pradesh government decided to support the tea planters and established four cooperative tea processing factories at Palampur, Bir, Sidhbari and Bajinath as it will help many tea growers to set up their own small factory.
Today there are around 6000 tea gardens in the district. Its green and black teas are travelling to Afghanistan, Russia and Central Asia via Amritsar, whereas from Kolkata it is shipped to Europe and America. In the past two decades, acreage under this tea has started increasing, production is increasing, the quality of tea is much better and it’s earnings is at peak. The process of this tea is firstly it is freshly plucked and wither on the floor to reduce the moisture content of leaves before they are rolled. By this process it has lost around 70% of their moisture. After this it is quickly kept in drying machine to prevent fermentation and reduce moisture. This tea is sorted out in three levels- leaf, broken leaf and dust. The leaf grade is costly. Tea and Tourism are important parts of economy in this area. Tea plantations prevent soil erosion, according to Himachal Pradesh land holding act, the Tea owner cannot sell their farms or use them for other purpose. Also Tea Board of India came forward to encourage large growers to invest in the region and to implement new schemes for tea planters.
Recently scientists from the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource technology (IHBT) in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh made a claim that this tea is very much effective in boosting immunity as they can block Coronavirus activity. The findings on this tea comes after on earlier research study where Indian and Japanese scientist claimed that Ashwagandha (Herb) may hold an efficient anti COVID-19 drug. The Indian council of Medical Research (ICMR) also claim that the chemicals found in Kangra Tea could be effective in boosting immunity to fight coronavirus better than anti- HIV drugs.
Priya Singh @Samacharline