Lopchu Tea Estate is a

tea garden A tea garden is an outdoor space or garden where tea and light refreshments are served, or any garden with which the drinking of tea is associated. Especially in India, it is also a common term for a tea plantation. The tea garden was a part o ...

in the

Rangli Rangliot Rangli Rangliot is a village in the Rangli Rangliot CD block in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Rangli Rangliot is located at . Area o ...

CD block in the

Darjeeling Sadar subdivision Darjeeling Sadar subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. Subdivisions Darjeeling district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions: Police stations Police stations in ...

of the

Darjeeling district Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters. Kurseon ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

Etymology

"Lopchu" is a derivative from

Lepcha language Lepcha language, or Róng language ( Lepcha: ; ''Róng ríng''), is a Himalayish language spoken by the Lepcha people in Sikkim, India and parts of West Bengal, Nepal and Bhutan. Population Lepcha is spoken by minorities in the Indian states o ...

, which prevailed in the area when the garden was set up.

History

Lopchu Tea Estate was owned by British planters, possibly the Langmore family, in its earlier days. The garden was established in the early 1860s. In 1954, Lopchu Tea Estate was purchased by S.N.Kanoria and G.L.Kanoria, two cousins and both jute traders. Now, their grandsons, Rajesh Kanoria and Sandeep Kanoria, own the garden.

Geography

Lopchu Tea Estate is located north-east of

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal, ...

, mid-way between Darjeeling and

Kalimpong Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...

, and close to

Sikkim Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Siligur ...

. The nearest

Darjeeling tea Darjeeling tea is a tea made from ''Camellia sinensis var. sinensis'' that is grown and processed in Darjeeling or Kalimpong Districts in West Bengal, India. Since 2004, the term ''Darjeeling tea'' has been a registered geographical indication ...

estate is

Glenburn Tea Estate Glenburn Tea Estate is a tea garden in the Rangli Rangliot CD block in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Established in 1859 by a Scottish tea company, Glenburn Tea Estate has ...

, separated by a hill.

Takdah Takdah Cantonment is a neighbourhood in the Rangli Rangliot CD block in the Darjeeling Sadar subdivision of the Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India. It is one of the upcoming tourist centres of the Darjeeling hills. It is called Takdah, whic ...

is also close-by. Located at a height of nestles in a glen overlooking the majestic

Kangchenjunga Kangchenjunga, also spelled Kanchenjunga, Kanchanjanghā (), and Khangchendzonga, is the third highest mountain in the world. Its summit lies at in a section of the Himalayas, the ''Kangchenjunga Himal'', which is bounded in the west by the T ...

peak. Lopchu has under tea cultivation. Most of tea plants were transplanted from Yunan province in China, and much of the tea gets exported to Germany and other European countries. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Lopchu tea

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. It is owned by The Times Group. ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961. As of 2012, it is the world's second-most widely read English-language bus ...

says that Lopchu, a 90-year old tea brand, "has won a dedicated, global following after enduring tough competition." Many of the leading Indian tea connoisseurs love its aroma and smoky taste.

References

External links

* {{Darjeeling District Tea estates in Darjeeling district