A Tea Trail From Guwahati Unfurls The Mysteries Of The Widely Consumed Indian Tea

A saunter in Assam’s tea estates and a dip in the production process must find a place on every connoisseur’s bucket list. Kumar Shree discovers the nuances of his morning cup and the life of a planter on a tea trail from Guwahati.

- Kumar Shree

In the first 20 minutes of the drive to the hotel, the landscape transforms from stark urban streets to idyllic roads flanked by hills and fields before a highway leads me into the heart of Guwahati. My accommodation for the night, the Novotel Guwahati GS Road, is a plush metropolitan hotel that blends into its charming surrounds.

The next day, I am on the road by 7 am, while the city is still snoozing its alarms. My destination is Misa Polo Club in the picturesque Kellyden Tea Estate, a three-hour drive from Guwahati. The long drive ensures I have enough time on hand to savour the landscapes en route. Under an overcast sky, settlements appear in the midst of verdant fields—colour clusters cropping up against vast expanses of green.

At the destination, surrounded by verdant tea plantations, a slow drizzle makes the Misa Polo Club look like a toyhouse. The club may appear tiny from the outside, but it oozes royalty inside. A regal shade of brown dominates the decor, as the walls narrate a long and rich history. After a quick breakfast and a tour of the 18-hole golf course, I hop over to the production factory of the tea estate (amalgamatedplantations.co.in).