Assam’s Woolah Tea secures patent for India’s first bagless tea

Assam’s first bagless tea model, Woolah Tea, has been granted a 20-year patent (No. 567895) for its modern ‘compressed true whole leaf tea dips and method thereof’ (patent title). Founded by Upamanyu Borkotoky and Ansuman Bharali from Sibsagar district in Assam, Woolah is a start-up rooted in Assam’s tea heritage.

Compressed tea bundle, the bagless tea by Woolah Tea
| Photo Credit:
Prabalika M Borah

Woolah’s tea is created from a compressed bundle of eti koli duti paat (one bud and two leaves), sure by a pure string —eliminating the necessity for standard tea luggage. The founders filed for the patent in 2020. “Initially, we experimented with fibres like banana and bamboo to replace typical tea bags,” says Upamanyu. “But the leaves didn’t unfurl properly. Our focus was to eliminate microplastics that leach into tea from standard bags.”

“The bagless concept was entirely new — it took us over a year and 167 trials to get it right,” says Upamanyu. “Initially, we compressed the tea by hand and dried it over a tea dryer. We filed for the patent even before launching the product.”

Neither Upamanyu nor co-founder Ansuman had prior expertise within the tea trade. An opportunity encounter with a farmer promoting hand-rolled natural tea throughout a go to house sparked their curiosity. “I used to think green tea couldn’t taste good, but that changed,” says Upamanyu.

The crew of Woolah tea at their new unit in Tinsukia
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

They ultimately stop their company jobs and commenced working with natural tea farmers in Assam, significantly in Sibsagar, Kaxhopothar and Dibrugarh.

Woolah was featured on Shark Tank India Season 4 and was the one tea model to obtain affords from all of the sharks. The model is now making ready to export to the US, UK, UAE, Australia, and New Zealand.

Woolah can also be representing Assam in celebration of 200 years of Assam Tea at The Summer Fancy Food present at New York.