The Guwahati Tea Auction Center on Wednesday claimed to have sold about 1.2 kg of purple tea at a record price of Rs 24,501 per kg, an industry source said here.
The purple tea, produced by Donyio Polo Tea Estate of Arunachal Pradesh, was sold to Dugar Consumer Products Pvt Ltd here, the source said.
"This is the first time purple tea is being manufactured in India. The tea was sold by Contemporary Tea Brokers Pvt Ltd here at the highest price," Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers Association secretary Dinesh Bihani told PTI.
The Guwahati Tea Auction Center, which has recently added purple tea in its basket, sells various types such as golden tips, silver needles and other speciality teas.
Bihani said Dugar Consumer Product Pvt Ltd sells tea under the brand name 'Uphaar', one of the "largest tea packet sellers in the North East region".
Around 10,000 purple tea leaves are required to make a kg of purple tea, another industry source said.
Donyi Polo had in August sold the golden needles tea variety at a record Rs 40,000 per kg, consisting of a 1.1 kg lot, the source added.