Avongrove Tea Estate is a

tea garden A tea garden is an outdoor space 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 of early Eng ...

in the

Mirik Mirik is a small town and a Notified Area of Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Mirik subdivision. The name ''Mirik'' comes from the Lepcha words ''Mir-Yok'' meaning "place burnt by fire". ...

CD block in the

Mirik subdivision Mirik subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It was declared a subdivision on 30 March 2017. Subdivisions Darjeeling district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions: ...

of the Darjeeling district in

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Geography

Avongrove Tea Estate, located in the Rangbhang Valley, sits on the banks of the

Balason River Balasun is one of the main rivers of North Bengal and Darjeeling Districts.https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/pwd-starts-construction-work-on-new-bridge-over-balason-river-near-matigara-on-siliguri-outskirts/cid/1956070 Geography Bala ...

at feet above sea level. This high-elevation estate goes up to . Approximately of land is growing

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...

, and there are 500 workers who live on the estate to maintain optimal plucking rounds. Avongrove means "Nest of Birds". Avongrove is certified as an organic tea estate under USA (USA), JAS (Japan), NOP and NPOP (India and the EU). 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.

Production

The factory was built in 1889 and produces of tea a year. The estate has a perennial source of water and almost the entire area under tea can be

irrigated Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has be ...

Economy

Approximately 60% of the area under tea has chinary and chinary clonal bushes. Of the 40% that remains, about 20% are hybrid bushes and a very small percentage are pure

Assam tea Assam tea is a black tea named after Assam, India, the region of its production. It is manufactured specifically from the plant ''Camellia sinensis'' var. ''assamica'' (Masters). Assam's people tried to plant the Chinese varieties in Assam soil bu ...

. Avongrove offers a range of specialty

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

, such as the

peony The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguish ...

rosette and florette, the latter of which expands when allowed to gently brew in a tall container, revealing a flower when the hot water makes the outer leaves unfurl. One woman, working an entire day, can make only six of them. Avongrove 2

References

{{Darjeeling District Tea estates in Darjeeling district