Teamonk Global makes the tea bag a little more special

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Green tea is known for its phenomenal health benefits including anti-ageing, detoxifying, slimming, and aiding digestion, besides relaxation and rejuvenation. Gradually, there is a shift towards higher green tea consumption, as the awareness of its health benefits increase, says teamonkglobal.com, an online portal for speciality teas.

“We offer a range of ‘Signature Teas’ carefully selected from the ‘best’ tea gardens for a unique tea taste experience and amazing refreshment for the consumer. The pricing for the products at the launch-phase starts from approximately Rs 325, and goes up to Rs 750 per 100 gm. Our portfolio includes a range of pure and natural Nilgiri green teas with natural ingredients like cardamom, cinnamon, tulsi, jasmine, ginger, peppermint and spearmint,” says Teamonk Global MD Ashok Mittal.

So what is a speciality tea? Mittal explains, “Unlike mass produced CTC (cut tear curl) varieties of teas consumed with milk and sugar by majority of Indians, speciality teas are handpicked and curated from the best tea plantations in India. Speciality teas which are long leaf (orthodox ) include black, white, oolong and green tea variants. Right from the selection of the gardens where these teas are grown to the quality of the tea plant clone, leaf-plucking format till the end of the process, where these teas are packed involves personal non-mechanised handling.”

The firm sources tea leaves mostly from the high-grown areas of Darjeeling and Nilgiris. “Our strategic alliance with the best tea plantations engaged in speciality tea manufacturing is an exclusive tie-up. It helps us create a portfolio curated as per our requirements,” Mittal says.

“The process involves identifying and plucking the most delicate and tender ‘two leaves and a bud’ from select tea bushes in a specified area,” Mittal says.

“In case of black teas there is a controlled oxidation of the rolled tea leaves followed by drying to control oxidation, rendering a distinct colour and aroma. Green teas do not go through oxidation and are either pan-dried or steamed to render a natural raw taste to the tea leaves. Oolong teas are partially oxidised and dried to give it a unique taste experience of green and black,” Mittal added.

The six-month-old bootstrapped company is committed to deliver fresh and unique taste experience to the tea-lovers around the world. This could include selling through online and offline formats as long as it delivers on the core brand promise. “We are looking to associate with all major ecommerce players including Amazon, Flipkart, SnapDeal, BigBasket and Godrej Nature’s Basket. We are currently live on Amazon and will shortly go live on other portals,” Mittal said.