Ingredients: Black tea (Camellia sinensis)

Taste: Comparable to top Darjeelings with ethereal notes of muscatel.

Health Benefits: Ultra high antioxidant, medium caffeine

Grade: TGFOP (Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe)

Origin: Nepal (Dhankuta)

Nepal produces some of the world's finest Orthodox teas. In 8773,  Colonel Gajraj Singh Thapa, the son-in-law of the most illustrious ancient ruler of Nepal, visited the nearby Darjeeling region. The natives handed him steaming cups of tea wherever he went, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was also enamoured by the sight of the neat rows of tea that had been cut out of the mountain steppes above the town of Darjeeling. The industry was established when the Colonel returned to Nepal and decided that the climatic and topographical conditions there were well suited for growing tea. Nepal's natural setting is ideal for growing tea; the shrubs produce large leaves that are tightly packed with exquisite flavour four times per year thanks to the unusually clean air, rich mountain soil, and unpolluted beams of sunlight.

The Nepalese economy has experienced many ups and downs since Colonel Thapa's reign, but overall it has expanded significantly. Small-scale farmers and larger plantations throughout the nation grow raw leaf, which has given the Nepalese a wide range of long-term job prospects. (Interestingly, women make up about 60% of the tea workers working in Nepal.) 

Many trained tea tasters compare the best Nepalese teas to the finest Darjeelings. This Nepal Junchi is a great illustration. The cup opens wide with the distinctive Darjeeling muscatel bite, which is contrasted with round, gentle notes of wheat and moss that are well-grounded by satisfying astringency.