In this new feature area at The Tea House Times website – to focus on tea in India – this first post serves to introduce you to Rajiv Lochan, his family, Doke Tea, and Lochan Tea.  This introduction was prepared by Rajiv’s daughter, Neha.  Here is a look into their “Tea Way of Life.” Enjoy!

Neha and the Manager at Doke

“Our goal is to produce tea without harming the eco-system. Therefore, the protection of the air, the water, the soil, and the surrounding animals is our priority. This is why we use solar power and have installed a water management system at the Doke house. At the same time, the well-being of the people who work for us and live on the land is also very important to us.”

Let me tell you the story of the Lochan family. In 1998, after managing several tea gardens for others, father Rajiv Lochan decided it was time for him to get his own. Determined, he bought this 40 hectares piece of land at Doke, where the Doke River flows in the Bihar Region, and started his own tea plantation. Thanks to his experience and knowledge on tea, the company Lochan Tea Ltd has become a remarkable tea trading and producing company.

Sharing the same passion of tea, Rajiv thought that his wife Manisha and his children Neha and Vivek could become part of the Lochan tea adventure. In fact, today Vivek the 26 years old son is responsible of the Sales and the customer relationship. Mother and daughter, Manisha and Neha are managing the Doke Tea garden and constantly working on the taste of their tea. This family business is evolving and will keep evolving thanks to the younger generation Neha and Vivek who always come up with new ideas and rejuvenate the vision of tea.

The Doke River

Growing up in many different tea gardens such as Longview, Phuguri, Seeok, Jungpana and Ambootia, Neha has come to this conclusion: tea is not just a drink, it is a WAY OF LIFE that she today wants to share with tourists who come to visit the garden.

In fact, this is what is understood when going to Doke Tea Garden: tea is not just about pouring hot water into a cup, it’s about taking the time to enjoy the peacefulness and the quietness of the location, listening to the sound of nature and learning from other people.

Indeed, Doke Tea Garden is the most peaceful place. Out there, time has no value, nature takes over.

In order to make the visitors happy and immerse them into the Tea Way of Life, Neha has settled many environmental friendly activities to get people closer to nature. These are the activities you may find at Doke:

• Hand making your own tea from the leaf plucking to the drinkable tea
• Fishing in the Doke River in the local way
• Camping right next to the beautiful lush tea plantations
• Cultivating spices from their own organic spice plantation to have the traditional Masala Chai or to create new blends of tea
• Making pottery in the local way from mud