Jalpaiguri Dooars CTC Tea Estates West Bengal

The Dooars region of Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal produces a distinctive strong and malty CTC (Crush Tear Curl) black tea from lowland tea gardens at 100-300 metre elevation on the foothills of Bhutan and Arunachal. Dooars tea differs from Darjeeling in being grown on flat alluvial floodplain soil with higher rainfall, producing a bold, coppery-red liquor prized for blending in British tea brands. Over 150 large tea gardens and 15,000 small growers operate in the Dooars-Terai belt. Cooperative small tea grower processing units (bought-leaf factories) aggregate fresh leaf from smallholders and process CTC grades for sale to blending companies in Kolkata. Dooars tea supports over 500,000 workers including permanent and seasonal labour under Plantation Labour Act protections. The cooperative model enables small growers to negotiate fair leaf prices and access quality inputs.