Our Story
Our story began 170 years ago when the East India Company identified the local climate and soil as ideal for cultivating tea. However their project was abandoned due to local tribal rules that prevented outsiders from working the land.
Almost two centuries later we discovered these plans and decided to plant tea on our ancestral land.
We began planting tea in 2002 on virgin scrubland and have cultivated organically from the start. Our tea bushes include a mixture of slow-growing Darjeeling and some Chinese plants from the era of the East India Company that we discovered locally. The plantation is situated on the southern bank of Umiam lake at an altitude of between 1,000 and 1,300 metres. The estate receives heavy rains during the monsoon season and also benefits from its own spring which gives clean, sweet water all year round. The mists of the lake protect the garden from drought during the dry season. Careful contour planting on Lakyrsiew’s steep slopes and our belief in organic methods of cultivation enrich the soil and create a delicate tea of magnificent quality.
We produce tiny quantities of hill tea - just 1,800 kilograms in 2015.
You can have the best conditions and the finest natural resources but you will not produce great tea without excellent people
The Artisans
LAKYRSIEW IS WONDERFUL BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT
Our workers are unique in the world of tea. Unburdened by the practices of large tea estates, they pluck only the finest leaf and discard the rest. From top to bottom, everyone at Lakyrsiew is committed to quality above everything else.
“At Lakyrsiew quality is our obsession”
We've travelled India and beyond to see how the best teas of the world are crafted with the aim of finding out what will do justice to our precious leaf
Creation
The result is a spacious and unique factory with hand built machinery influenced by the old English methods of production and our own tastebuds.
We built our rolling table out of brass because we felt it improved the quality of the roll and enhanced the flavour of the tea.
Our wilting trays are longer and wider than those of any plantation of a comparable size with the sole aim treating each leaf equally.
Most importantly, we take our time. Our team knows it takes patience and precision to craft the finest tea and we are proud to share every batch.
Discover Lakyrsiew
Click on our stockists' logo below to explore the collection of unique lots.
Contact Us
Whether you want some advice on how best to brew Lakyrsiew, some more details on how we produce, or are even looking to stock us, just get in touch via the form below and we will get back to you right away.
And yes, we can occasionally arrange visits of the garden with enough notice!
Our Garden
NH 40
Shillong, ML, 793022
India