Brightest pick: Over 200 workers pluck one of the finest tea leaves under full moon

MP | 9 Mar 2023 : It was a celebration, ritual, song, dance and meticulous work all rolled into one as workers of Majherdabri Tea Garden went about plucking two leaves and a bud under the bright full moon on the night of Dol Purnima. 

This is believed to be the perfect blend to produce one of the finest CTC teas in the country. The tea is none other than the famous “Moonlight Tea”. 

“This year we are preparing this tea for the second time. About 225 skilled workers were involved in plucking these leaves across 10 hectares of the tea garden on Tuesday night of Dola Purnima. 

About 1278 kg of leaves were plucked throughout the night. We will prepare around 400 kg of Moonlight CTC tea from the plucked tea leaves,” stated Chinmoy Dhar, Manager of Madherdabri Tea located in Alipurduar. 

The Moonlight tea is plucked thrice a year during three full moon nights of Dola Purnima, Budhha Purnima, and Kojagori Lakshmi Purnima as the moon is closest to the earth, so the tea leaves get a special aroma, informed the Manager. 

“During the day the aroma gets diffused owing to the heat of the sun. After sunset, evaporation stops on the surfaces of the tea leaf. The fragrance of any flower is stronger after sunset as there is no evaporation. The same happens in the case of tea leaves. That is why the tea processed from the leaves plucked on the full moon has a superior aroma and flavour,” stated Dhar. 

“Workers were given special headlamps. It increases visibility along with safety. In some sections, fire torches were also used as a prevention and to ward away wild animals, including Leopards which frequent tea gardens in Dooars,” added Dhar. 

Experts claim tea plucked under the full moon produces a unique aroma naturally due to the cosmic rays of the moon. 

After preparation in the factory, the aroma increases further. While the average price of good quality CTC is around Rs 400 per kg, the Moonlight Tea sells at an average of Rs 3000 per kg.

Rebika Minj, a tea garden worker, said: “Plucking leaves at night is more convenient than plucking leaves during the day. The plucking is accompanied by singing and dancing. It is fun and a unique experience.” 

The moonlit plucking was also witnessed by a group of tourists. “We had taken a group of 6 tourists to see this full moonlight tea plucking this year. They were thrilled. 

The moonlight tea plucking can be a perfect tool to further promote tourism in Dooars,” stated Biwajit Saha, Assistant Secretary, Alipurduar District Tourism Association. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/brightest-pick-over-200-workers-pluck-one-of-the-finest-tea-leaves-under-full-moon-511110