Kangra Wah Tea Golden Tips

Summer harvest from the Wah Tea garden

located in the picturesque Palampur valley in the Kangra district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh in north India. The garden lies at an altitude of 1000-1200 metres and is planted exclusively with China tea bushes, many of which date back to the original planting in the mid-19th century.
The hand-picked and processed leaves consist exclusively of top buds and one unfolded leaf. More open and regularly rolled, significantly oxidized dry leaves of a dark gray-black color with a woody, sweetly spicy aroma. The golden brown infusion has a very delicate, smooth, honey-sweet taste with notes of dried rose hips, flower nectar, and a pleasant, warm woodiness in the aftertaste.

Origin: Palampur Valley, Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, India

Altitude: 1000-1200 m

100% Camellia Sinensis var. Sinensis (China)

How to brew Wah Tea

Use 5 grams of tea leaves for 0.5 litre of boiling water cooled to 85-90 °C, steep for 2–3 minutes. Feel free to experiment with steeping time, water temperature, and the amount of tea leaves. You can also read our articles on tea preparation and water quality.

Wah Tea Estate - Himachal Pradesh, India

Wah Tea Estate is a tea garden spread over 213 hectares in the picturesque Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh, North India, at an altitude of around 1200 m. It is one of the largest and most important plantations in this not so well known tea region.

The garden was established as early as 1857 by British planters who brought Chinese-type tea trees to the area, which took permanent root here. Wah Tea is thus one of the few places in India where tea is still grown exclusively from these indigenous shrubs.

The estate took its name from the town of Wah in present-day Pakistan, where its later owner, Sir Sikander Hayat-Khan, came from. The name "Wah" is used in Urdu to express awe - and that is exactly what locals say anyone who enters this place surrounded by mountain ranges, pine forests and crystal clear air with the scent of pine trees believed to have healing powers will experience.

Since 1953, the garden has been in the hands of an Indian family business that owns the garden to this day. Now the tea is grown and processed by the fourth generation of tea masters. Today's team, led by Deepak Prakash and his son, continues the traditional way of growing and processing tea - completely pesticide-free, hand-picking and traditional processing on historic machines, some of which date back to the early 19th century.

Wah Tea is more than just a tea garden - it is a place where history, landscape beauty and craftsmanship come together. In addition to tea production, a small eco-friendly accommodation, The Lodge at Wah, has been created here, allowing visitors to experience the magic of the plantation for themselves.