Arunachal Pradesh Tea: the Donyi Polo Garden
Arunachal Pradesh tea is still a rare production in India, carried by a handful of pioneering gardens. Donyi Polo, founded in 1985 on the banks of the Siang river, is today the most internationally recognized name, and it is from this garden that our two Indian teas, Golden Tippy and SFTGFOP, come.
Located in East Siang district, at the foot of the Himalayas, Arunachal Pradesh is the last Indian state before the Chinese border. Tea growing there is recent compared to neighboring Assam or Darjeeling, but it is progressing quickly thanks to demanding estates like Donyi Polo.
A Garden Founded by a Woman, in a Region Where Tea Had Just Been Born
The estate is named after the Sun-Moon deity, Donyi the sun and Polo the moon, worshipped by the Tani peoples of Arunachal Pradesh as a symbol of balance between the forces of nature. It was created in 1985 by Yadap Apang, wife of one of the state's longest-serving heads of government, at a time when almost no tea garden yet existed in this remote region of India.
Forty years later, the estate spans 420 hectares of tea bushes, complemented by 320 hectares dedicated to social agroforestry and food crops. Part of the land is now being converted to certified organic farming.
The picking and processing of the finest lots rest on a small, highly skilled team, mostly women: about ten specialized pickers produce, between April and July, the estate's most sought-after harvests, from white tea to oolongs to the black grades we import.
A Singular Terroir, Between the Siang Plain and the Himalayan Foothills
The garden borders the Siang, one of the great rivers flowing down from the Himalayas into the Brahmaputra plain, near the Daying Ering wildlife sanctuary. This low-altitude, humid and wooded terroir produces leaves different from those of neighboring Darjeeling, grown at altitude: liquors that are often rounder, with a characteristic silky texture.
Since 2018, Donyi Polo has regularly broken price records at the Guwahati auction, the largest in Northeast India, with lots of white tea selling for more than 12,000 rupees per kilo.
From Leaf to Cup: the Donyi Polo Grades at Maison Bouali
We import two grades from this garden, selected directly with no intermediary. Arunachal Golden Tippy stands out for its golden buds and a honeyed liquor with a silky texture, with a subtle hint of cocoa. Arunachal SFTGFOP is bolder, marked by more pronounced woody and cocoa notes, with fine tannins. Both are part of our Origin Tea collection, alongside our teas from the Okayti garden in Darjeeling, the Wah garden in the Kangra valley and our teas from Sri Lanka.
Why Import Directly from a Garden Like Donyi Polo
A tea as high in quality as Donyi Polo's traditionally passes through several hands before reaching Europe: a broker, an importer, sometimes a second wholesaler. Each step takes its own margin and pushes the price paid a little further from the real value of the work done at the garden, particularly that of the pickers who sort the buds one by one for the finest grades.
By buying directly from our partner in India, we shorten this chain and keep the lot's traceability, from picking all the way to packing on our end. It's the same direct-sourcing logic we apply to our teas from Sri Lanka.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Donyi Polo garden located?
The Donyi Polo garden is located in East Siang district, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, in northeast India, on the banks of the Siang river.
What does "Donyi Polo" mean?
"Donyi Polo" means "Sun-Moon" in the languages of the Tani peoples of Arunachal Pradesh. It is the name of their traditional indigenous faith, based on the worship of the sun and the moon.
What is the SFTGFOP grade?
SFTGFOP stands for "Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe". It is a whole-leaf black tea grade, made up of young shoots and golden buds, considered one of the finest in the orthodox classification.
Does Arunachal Pradesh tea taste like Darjeeling?
Not directly. Darjeeling grows at altitude while Donyi Polo sits in the lowlands, near the Siang river. The resulting liquors differ: Darjeeling is known for its muscatel character, Donyi Polo for its roundness and its notes of honey and light cocoa.