Castleton Tea Estate is a
tea garden
A tea garden is an outdoor space or garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garde ...
in the
Kurseong
Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision.
Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughou ...
CD block
In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...
in the
Kurseong subdivision
Kurseong 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 the Kurseon ...
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.
Kurseo ...
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 ...
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 four ...
.
History
The garden was planted by Dr. Charles Graham in 1885. The
Goodricke Group took over the garden in 1984.
The tea estate was earlier named Kumseri. There was a building named “Bank Ghar’’, which had the look of a castle and from that building, the place became Castleton.
Geography
The garden
The most renowned of all the gardens of the Goodricke Group is Castleton Tea Estate. The earth, sun, mist and dew bless the mountain slopes to grow the world’s best teas that are in demand around the world.
Castleton Tea Estate, with a planted area of , is spread over the mountain slopes of
Kurseong
Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision.
Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughou ...
and Pankhabari, at an altitude of above mean sea level.
The names of garden sections are loaded with nostalgic emotions about the place – Bhalu Khop is a bear cave, Jim Basha means an erstwhile manager’s domain, Dhobitar was a washerman’s clothesline and Baseri means a resting place.
Economy
Quality is the essence of Castleton Tea Estate. It has been awarded the ISO9000/HACCP/ISO 22000 Quality Systems Certification. The quality levels are so high that it has fetched world record prices.
The main products of Castleton Tea Estate are
black tea
Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...
,
green tea
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from '' Camellia sinensis'' leaves and buds that have not undergone the same withering and oxidation process which is used to make oolong teas and black teas. Green tea originated in China, and since ...
,
white tea
White tea may refer to one of several styles of tea which generally feature young or minimally processed leaves of the '' Camellia sinensis'' plant.
Currently there is no generally accepted definition of white tea and very little internation ...
, Muscatel, and Moonlight, which are picked from delicate Chinese bushes. The
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 r ...
produced here has a rose like fragrance and the unique Muscatel flavour.
The Goodricke Group
The Goodricke Group owns five tea estates in Darjeeling:
Thurbo,
Badamtam,
Barnesbeg, Castleton and
Margaret's Hope.
References
External links
*
{{Darjeeling District
Tea estates in Darjeeling district