A first flush tea of Halmari, which fetched Rs 651 on Tuesday in the auctions, is off to Japan.

Altogether 265.8kg of broken orange pekoe grade of the CTC (crush, tear and curl) variety belonging to Halmari garden was bought by Subodh Brothers Private Limited of Calcutta and sold in the Calcutta auctions.

The tea was auctioned by J. Thomas & Co Private Ltd — the largest and the oldest tea auctioneers in the world.

The broken orange pekoe is a little bolder grade, which allows consumers to perceive the aroma and flavour to its fullest. It also provides a unique and very balanced combination of flavour and strength.

On April 25 last year, the garden, which is situated in Dibrugarh district, fetched Rs 700.

“This was a very good tea and I would have bought even at a higher price. This one is going to Japan,” the owner of Subodh Brothers, Tapan Dutt, told The Telegraph.

Dutta said the valuation of the tea was less and he was firm on buying the tea.

Subodh Brothers has three outlets in Bengal — Salt Lake, College Street and Haldia.

Leaves plucked during the first flush are the youngest and the most tender part of the tea plant and are said to yield the purest and freshest cup of tea that the plant is capable of producing.

The first flush from March to April is the first plucking after the dormant winter months. The leaves are tender and light green.

The liquor is light, clear and bright with a pleasant and brisk flavour.

There are four harvest periods for tea in the country — first flush, second flush, rain flush and autumn flush.

Assam tea is generally known for the second flush, which comes in May-June and is characterised by its boldness and robustness and is topped with classic flavours of malt and woody astringency. It is valued for its rich taste, bright liquors and are considered to be one of the choicest teas in the world.

The prices of CTC tea have been down in the auctions but the orthodox teas have shown an increasing trend.

“There is always demand for better teas in market and these get good remunerative prices,” the secretary of Guwahati Tea Auction Buyers’ Association, Dinesh Bihani, said.