Newspaper Coverage
A Calendar by Golden Tips Tea Celebrates Darjeeling’s Iconic Sights
Golden Tips Tea, one of India’s oldest tea houses, has unveiled its annual calendar for the new year, celebrating its legacy. The calendar, themed on Darjeeling, was unveiled by Member of the Rajya Sabha, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, in the presence of Madhav Sarda, Founder of Golden Tips, at the brand’s flagship boutique at Chowrasta, Darjeeling.
BT Picks: Golden Tips Valentine's Special Tea Combo – A Complete Review
First published on Bombay Times
Golden Tips is one of India’s oldest and most reputed tea brands, known for sourcing high-quality teas from Darjeeling. Their Valentine’s Special Combo features three floral-infused tea blends—Hibiscus Rose Black Tea, Rose Green Tea, and Rose Black Tea - crafted for a fragrant and flavourful experience. Here's the full review.
Why This Product?
This special edition set brings together floral and earthy notes. The Hibiscus Rose Black Tea has a tart, slightly citrusy taste, while the Rose Green Tea is light, refreshing, and subtly sweet. The Rose Black Tea balances robustness with delicate floral undertones, making it a well-rounded option for tea lovers.
Packaging
The teas come in elegant tin boxes, making them a visually appealing gift option. The packaging preserves freshness while adding a premium touch. Ideal for gifting on Valentine's Day or as a treat for tea connoisseurs.
Usage
To get the most out of these floral teas, add 2 gm tea leaves in a pot. Pour 200 ml freshly boiled water over leaves. Cover the pot and steep for 2-3 minutes. Strain and serve. Adding honey or lemon can enhance the natural floral notes, but the teas taste great on their own as well. For an iced tea version, steep the leaves, let the tea cool, and serve over ice for a refreshing drink. These teas are best enjoyed without milk to preserve their delicate flavours.
Cost
Priced at ₹965, the Valentine’s Special Combo sits in the premium tea category. While it may seem expensive, the quality of whole-leaf tea, floral infusions, and elegant packaging justify the cost. It’s an indulgence, but for those who appreciate high-quality, naturally flavoured teas, it could be a worthwhile purchase.
What We Love
These teas offer a rich floral aroma and a versatile brewing experience, perfect for both hot and iced preparations. Packed with antioxidants and health benefits, they aid digestion and reduce stress. The premium tin packaging enhances freshness, making it an ideal gift or a luxurious addition to any tea collection.
Golden Tips: A Tea Brand with a strong Social ethos
Darjeeling, the queen of hills is famous for its idyllic landscapes and lush green tea gardens. Golden Tips, a premium home-grown tea brand from the region has taken several social and humanitarian initiatives in Darjeeling over the years.
My Cup Of Joy
As the son the Late Nandlall Sarda and the grandson of the Late Nathmull Sarda, who founded the tea business in Darjeeling back in 1933, my initiation into the world of teas happened very early in life.
Socially Responsible Tea Brand 'Golden Tips' Unveils New Initiative
First published on Danik Bhaskar
Golden Tips, a premium tea brand from Darjeeling, has embraced numerous social and humanitarian initiatives since its inception. With a legacy of eight decades and deep roots in Darjeeling, the brand has always strived to improve the lives of the region's tea growers. Following the principle of the "Plantation + Auction Model," Golden Tips' expertise lies in sourcing, selecting, packaging, and marketing the finest single-origin teas, tea infusions, and blends. The company primarily operates through its 15 company-owned outlets and 3 franchise outlets in Kolkata, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Gangtok, etc. Additionally, it caters to a wider audience through omnichannel marketing, including presence in select cities and airports through partner outlets, and the company's website www.goldentipstea.in, as well as online marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. The company has also sent its premium teas to approximately 90 countries through its website and online channels in the past few years. Golden Tips also has a unique presence through distributors in Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Bhutan, and China.
During the pandemic, the company stepped forward with integrity and fulfilled its social responsibility by providing free food and medical assistance to the poor and needy who were adversely affected due to the pandemic. Golden Tips has also been actively involved in various events such as marathons, Red Cross Runathons, seminars, International Tea Day, Independence Day, etc., and has served Darjeeling tea and snacks at various programs of the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, from time to time.
In one such instance, Mamata Banerjee visited the brand's tea factory along with her family and media personalities. She enjoyed the tea on offer and appreciated the picturesque surroundings, cleanliness, and hospitality of the tea factory and the Golden Tips team. Earlier, the former President of India, the late Shri Pranab Mukherjee, also visited the Golden Tips tea factory in Darjeeling during his presidential tenure and enjoyed his visit. Union Commerce Minister of the Government of India, Shri Piyush Goyal, also visited the Golden Tips tea factory some time ago and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings, delicious tea, and interactions with the brand's team.
Recently, delegates of the international G20 summit visited the Golden Tips tea factory in Darjeeling and had a great time there. Dignitaries were served complimentary tea and delicious snacks. They were also presented with premium luxury teas in specially designed gift boxes.
Film stars, film directors, and singers from Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, and other regional film industries have also graced various tea factories and events of the brand. Some international film directors have also shot their films in the picturesque outdoor locations of the factory premises, which offer breathtaking views of the majestic Kanchenjunga and the lush green Darjeeling hills.
Golden Tips Tea Serves India’s Finest Teas to the Delegates of the G20 Darjeeling Summit 2023
Darjeeling, India - Golden Tips Tea, one of the world's top tea providers, recently had the honor of serving India’s premium teas to the delegates of the G20 Summit 2023 at the Darjeeling Summit.
Digitisation Is Helping India's Premium Tea Reach The Millennial’s Cup
Tea for India is not just a beverage but an emotion. Ask anyone, there is always a memory or moment connected to tea, whether it is morning or evening. But is India’s love for all things chai enough to sustain and grow the cash crop business?
Missing link in the great Indian tea bazaar
Tea planters in picturesque Darjeeling say the biggest challenge for India tea lies in its packaging, because producers rarely package their products.
Pomegranate Tea Martini Recipe
A refreshing concoction made of fresh pomegranate juice, ginger juliennes and green tea. It is a perfect beverage to sip on during evenings.
Tea retailer Golden Tips plans to expand network through strategic partnerships
Meanwhile, the retailer had purchased organic white tea, a special variety of the beverage, at Rs 23,000 per kilogram and 'Moonlight' tea at Rs 21,000 per kilogram from Goodricke's Badamtam estate in Darjeeling, he said, adding that the prices are the "season's highest so far".
An easy mocktail mar’tea’ni for a pleasant monsoon evening
If wellness choices have made you that ‘mocktail person’ at a party, here’s a way to spice things up for yourself! Who said you need to have a few cocktails to have fun, this mocktail mar’tea’ni is here to bust that myth.
Earl Grey Black tea is popular among tea lovers
First published on Sunday Guardian Live ; contributed by Madhav Sarda, Managing Director, Golden Tips Tea
Madhav Sarda, MD of Golden Tips Tea, says that the flavoured tea market is growing at a fast clip in India.
Flavoured teas are particularly popular in India and worldwide. Known for boosting immunity, these particular teas are now in demand post-pandemic. Madhav Sarda, Managing Director of Golden Tips Tea, said that Earl Grey Black tea is particularly favourite among tea lovers across the globe. Excerpts:
Q: According to you, what could be the future market growth of flavoured tea? Flavour in tea can be added in the form of spices, nuts, flowers, or flavour extracts such as essential oils of Bergamot, Lemon, Cranberry, Honey, Mint etc. With several organised players in the industry entering the fray, the flavoured tea market is growing at a fast clip in India. According to industry sources, flavoured tea market growth is estimated at 45% per year in India. As some reports suggest, the size of the flavoured tea market in India in terms of volume and price is approximately 60 million kgs and Rs 3,600 cr respectively. So, the flavoured tea market amounts to about 10% of the entire packaged tea consumption in India.
Q: Which flavour is higher in demand? Could you share some details on why customers favour that particular flavour? Earl Grey Black tea is by far the most popular flavoured tea from the Golden Tips stable. Apart from its numerous health benefits, the citrusy, aromatic and bold flavour of Earl Grey tea has made it a big favourite among tea lovers across the world. Earl Grey’s citrusy taste is due to the addition of natural Bergamot oil.
Q: As Golden Tips Tea has plans to expand globally in a phased manner, which state or region (national and international) has higher demands for flavoured tea? Could share in detail about the growth in demand pre-pandemic and post-pandemic? Apart from the domestic market, our brand has dedicated customers across the globe and has shipped Golden Tips teas to almost 90 countries at some point of time in the last several years. Even though the distribution may not be very significant in terms of volume, the geographical spread is fairly noteworthy. Golden Tips also has exclusive representations in Russia, Japan, Mongolia, Taiwan, Nepal, Bhutan and now China, through distributors. Also, North America and Europe, particularly Russia have a fairly good demand for flavoured teas. Major factors driving the global market for flavoured tea include the easy availability of tea all over the world through various channels, especially online ones. Tea is exported all over the world and flavoured tea is receiving special attention in modern times, due to its added varieties and enhanced tastes. This is resulting in a surge in demand for flavoured tea across the globe. The demand for such functional teas has increased in India and globally particularly after the onset of Covid-19, as teas augmented with spices, fruits, nuts and natural herbs are known to boost immunity. Reports suggest that the moving annual total (MAT) of the packaged tea market in value is growing by around 19% in August 2021, over MAT August 2020 in India. Pre-pandemic, the growth was around 7% (2019 vs 2018).
Q: Has the economic crisis in Sri Lanka affected the growth of Golden Tips Tea? Plucking, processing and the final made tea are probably being stocked in Sri Lanka, and will eventually find their way to the market in spite of the current imbroglio. In the current situation, Sri Lanka is in dire need of US dollars and other hard currencies, and tea is one of their top forex earners. Hence, they are likely to do everything possible to ensure that their tea reaches the global markets and fetches the much-needed foreign exchange. Therefore, even if there may be some temporary minor benefits, significant long-term gains or benefits for Golden Tips emanating from the current socio-political scenario in Sri Lanka, are unlikely as exports will surely continue from that country.
Q: Due to the increased price rate, how do you plan to keep flavoured tea more affordable for the general public? As the prices of orthodox teas are spiralling, we are using broken and plain tea leaf varieties which have comparatively less character and are much cheaper than traditional made teas. The advantage of using these teas is that they are markedly less in price than full leaf teas and do not alter the taste of the tea in a significant manner.
Q: Where do you see Golden Tips Tea in 5 years? Golden Tips presently operates through its 14 tea boutiques, mostly in eastern India in Darjeeling, Mirik, Kalimpong, Gangtok, Bagdogra and Kolkata. Customers can buy our teas through our omni-channel routes like our website, www.goldentipstea.in, online marketplaces like Amazon and Flipkart, several leading retail chains and select distributor networks across several countries. In the next five years, Golden Tips has the potential to become one of the noteworthy global home-grown Indian tea brands with a strong focus on business ethics, quality, optimum pricing, customer centricity and sustainable supply chain practices.
