Meghalaya - Lakyrsiew

A black tea like no other, from the hidden hills of Meghalaya, India. Crafted in tiny, hand-processed batches at Lakyrsiew, it delivers a subtle, sweet introduction that evolves into rich chocolate, caramel, and honey notes - a truly memorable tea.

£11.00 GBP

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Size 50g 250g

Delivery & returns

As standard we offer a signed for delivery with Royal Mail. This means that you need to be in when the order is delivered - and as such it can be easier to list a daytime address such as work as the Shipping Address.
The signed for option that we prefer for our deliveries, allow us to track the consignment should we want to know its whereabouts.

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Full Description

Meghalaya is one of the most exceptional teas we’ve ever offered. A rare black tea from Lakyrsiew, a small, family-run garden in the hills of northeastern India. Grown between 980 and 1260 metres above sea level, overlooking the serene Umiam Lake, this tea represents the remarkable potential of a region still largely unknown in the world of fine tea.

Situated between Assam and Darjeeling, Meghalaya’s terroir captures the best of both worlds. The tea inherits Assam’s structure and malty richness, yet carries the floral lift and brightness associated with high-grown Darjeeling. This balance gives Meghalaya its unique dual character - depth and delicacy in equal measure.

Lakyrsiew, meaning “The Awakening” in the local Khasi language, was founded with the goal of creating teas of exceptional quality rather than volume. Every lot is small, hand-harvested, and processed within 24 hours to preserve freshness and integrity. The garden’s use of both Darjeeling cultivars and heritage Chinary bushes, propagated from 19th-century plants, contributes to the tea’s remarkable flavour complexity.

Our 2024 Autumn harvest opens with subtle sweetness before developing into rich, layered notes of chocolate, caramel, and honey. The liquor is smooth and long on the palate, best appreciated without milk to allow its nuanced character to shine.

Produced in micro-lots of around 14kg per date, this is one of the rarest teas in our collection. Meghalaya is not just a tea - it’s an experience, one that reminds us why craftsmanship and provenance matter.

Origin

Meghalaya is a small, mountainous state in northeastern India, sharing borders with Assam to the north and Bangladesh to the south. Despite its proximity to Assam and Darjeeling - two of the world’s most famous tea-growing regions - Meghalaya’s tea story is only now beginning to be told.

British colonial records from the 19th century note that the region was originally earmarked for tea cultivation. However, strong local opposition to British control redirected efforts to Assam and Darjeeling instead. For decades, Meghalaya’s potential lay dormant until small, independent growers began to reintroduce tea to the landscape in the early 2000s.

Lakyrsiew Tea Estate was one of the pioneers of this revival. Perched on the slopes above Umiam Lake near Shillong, the garden sits between 980 and 1260 metres and benefits from misty mornings, rich red loam soils, and a unique microclimate that bridges the qualities of lowland and highland teas. This combination gives Meghalaya teas their signature - body, fragrance, and a natural sweetness that lingers.

Processing

Lakyrsiew’s approach to tea making is guided by precision and restraint. The garden’s philosophy is centred on producing small, meticulously crafted batches that reflect the terroir rather than uniformity or scale.

The leaves are hand-plucked (typically just the bud and two leaves) ensuring only the youngest, most tender shoots are used. They are withered under carefully controlled conditions to reduce moisture and develop aromatic compounds, then gently rolled to shape and release the leaf’s natural juices. Oxidation is monitored closely, allowing the tea to develop its distinctive golden-copper liquor and complex layers of flavour before being oven-dried to preserve those characteristics.

This autumn flush tea differs from spring and summer harvests in its richness and depth. Cooler temperatures slow the leaf’s growth, concentrating its natural sugars and producing the signature notes of chocolate, caramel, and honey. Every batch is processed within 24 hours of plucking to capture the freshness and vitality that define Lakyrsiew’s teas.

Brewing guidelines

Best enjoyed black

1g per 100ml. Boiling. 3 minutes.

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Meghalaya - Lakyrsiew