Nepali Tea, A Rising Star in the Specialty Tea Industry

I discovered Nepali tea in a tiny hidden teashop in Katmandu during my off-hours working with my husband in his free medical clinic. Golden Tips was the gateway for me. I fell in love with its full-bodied, smooth, golden nectar sweetness.

Background

Nepali tea plantations are located in Eastern Districts of Nepal, a few hours across the border from Darjeeling India. Unlike Darjeeling which is suffering from rigid plantation agriculture, Nepali tea bushes are young and vigorous, growing in high elevation (more than 1500 meters above sea level), mineral-rich Himalayan organic soil. The rain, mist and fog of the Himalayas’ unique climate and geography creates a superior pollution-free environment for cultivating high-quality tea leaves.

Almost all of Nepal’s premium teas are grown on tiny pieces of land owned by independent small-scale farmers. The leaves are hand-picked and hand-crafted in small batches. After the picking, buds are withered in the outside air for several hours until the tip of the buds tilt backward. Typically, Golden Tips are rolled and hand pressed into the desired shapes. Then the buds are finished by indoor drying with high temperature. High quality Golden Tips dry for 24 hours. The length of the processing contributes to the color and body of the tea and the craft brings out the unique taste and enchanting aroma of Nepali tea.

In Nepali grading standard, buds or tips produce the finest Specialty Tea. Two leaves and a bud is a minimum standard to categorize as Specialty Tea. Hand-picking the buds is labor-intensive, it needs accuracy and balance in order to keep the leaves intact and most of its properties, so that the production is limited to small batch and highly graded where quality is more important than quantity.

Taember Tea has been purchasing directly from small-scale tea farmers. In Nepal, among the tea-picking labors, 70% are women. Due to the high demand, Their hard work is finally rewarded.
Along with Golden Tips, there are many more teas to enjoy. My favorites include Silver Tips White Tea and Organic Dhankuta Black Tea. And there are more to come.

Organic Premium Nepali Golden Tips

These striking golden tips win black tea competition awards, year after year. Nestled deep in the Himalayan mountains, at altitudes more than 1500 meters above sea level, these teas are crafted entirely of young tender downy buds just before they unfurl the first new leaves. The simultaneous cooling and heating process turns the tiny white hairs on the buds into the signature golden color. The tea is extremely smooth, bright and full-bodied with tastes of refined malt, floral, honey and hints of apricot. No bitterness or astringency is to be found.

Organic Premium Nepali Silver Tips

These high-end leaves (a single tender leaf with a downy bud) are grown deep in the Himalayan mountains, at altitudes more than 1500 meters above sea level. They are the first and finest post-spring pickings from the bushes. Hand-picked with great care and oxidized under low temperature (60F) produces elegant and beautiful silver long needles. The pale-yellow liquor reveals delicate aroma, lightly sweet and crisp.

Organic Dhankuta Black Tea

Our beloved breakfast tea! Harvested and hand-rolled from the Dhankuta District of Eastern Nepal. It is bright, fruity and floral with notes of dark honey and apricot. It is also delicious as the base of Masala Chai!