Sreemangal and Sylhet tea

The story

Tea came to this region under British rule. An early garden in Chattogram did not last, and the first commercial estate in what is now Bangladesh was set up at Malnichhara, near Sylhet town, in 1854. Planters soon found that the low, rolling hills and heavy rainfall of greater Sylhet suited the tea bush, and gardens spread across Moulvibazar, Habiganj and Sylhet. Today the large majority of the country's estates are in greater Sylhet, with others in Chattogram, including Fatikchhari, and a newer, smaller tea area in Panchagarh in the far north.

Sreemangal in Moulvibazar is called the tea capital of Bangladesh because so many gardens surround it. It is home to the Bangladesh Tea Research Institute and to a tea auction centre alongside the older one in Chattogram, and its neat green slopes draw visitors all year. Sreemangal is also where the striped "seven-layer tea" was invented, a café novelty in which differently coloured teas are layered in one glass. It is fun to try, but it is not a traditional way of drinking tea.

The gardens are worked largely by tea-worker communities whose ancestors were brought from other parts of India in the colonial era, many of them Adivasi peoples with their own languages and festivals. Their wages and living conditions have long been a subject of protest and public debate, which is worth remembering when you enjoy a cup.

How to spot the real Sreemangal and Sylhet tea

Most tea sold in Bangladesh is CTC (crush, tear, curl): small dark granules that brew fast into a strong, deep red-brown cup, ideal with milk and sugar. Orthodox tea keeps the leaf rolled or whole, brews lighter and more aromatic, and is usually drunk without milk. Green tea is not oxidised, so the leaf stays green and the cup is pale and grassy. Good tea looks even in size and colour with few stalks or dust, and smells fresh and malty or floral, not musty. A common home check for added colour is to drop a pinch into a glass of cold water: real tea colours the water slowly, while dyed tea streaks colour almost at once. A stamped garden name and packing date are worth more than any label calling a tea "premium".

Buying tips

Price depends on the grade, the type (CTC, orthodox, green or specialty), the garden and the time of plucking, and the packing. Ask the seller which garden or area the tea comes from, when it was packed, and whether it is CTC or orthodox. Loose tea sold by the kilogram should still carry a packing date. Buy amounts you will finish in a few months rather than a large stock.

Each shop on Midmart sets and charges its own delivery, so tea from a Sreemangal seller and spices from another shop arrive as two parcels with two delivery charges. Midmart does not take payment or arrange delivery; the seller agrees both with you directly. Ask for sealed, moisture-proof packing, especially in the monsoon.

Keeping it fresh

Keep tea in an airtight, opaque container in a cool, dry cupboard, away from sunlight, steam and strong-smelling foods such as spices, because tea absorbs odours easily. Do not keep it in the fridge, where moisture can get in. Use a dry spoon every time. Tea stays at its best for several months once opened.

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Shops from where it is made

No shop from Chattogram, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet is on Midmart yet.

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