Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
A stunning Himalayan massif, Annapurna is Sanskrit for “Goddess of the Harvests.” One leaf and a bud, plus a mature leaf are plucked. The tea is oxidized slowly, in cold air, then double fired. An exceptional Darjeeling-sytle oolong, Annapurna Oolong is infused with apricot and muscat grape flavors. Its liquor is full bodied, revealing a beautiful red-amber hue distinctive to our teas. Subtle notes of malt and caramel linger in the finish.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
My heart goes out to the people of Nepal. The recent earthquakes in that timeless, beautiful country is astronomically devastating. I can’t imagine what I would do if it was safer to sleep on the sidewalk than in my own home. I have always been entranced with the Himalayas and every single tea that I have had from that region is flawless. This Annapurna Amber oolong is no exception.
I tend to steer clear of darker oolongs, at once point I even avoided them like the plague. This one is more along the lines of Darjeeling when it comes to taste. None of that burnt ash taste in my mouth. I had to double check may gaiwan, I thought I was drinking a high quality dian hong! I get the same mouthfeel on this tea as I do for that classic Chinese red. Notes of brown sugar coat the tongue and insanely delicious notes of sweet potato fries and cocoa follow around each sip. The aroma of apricots and roasted peaches waft up into my nose as I steep the tea. This true amber liquid is quite exquisite, I am surprised at how deep and clear it is. An excellent and unexpected darker oolong that I would recommend to any Darjeeling or even Chinese red lover!
On a side note, I saw this company’s tea at my local Whole Foods! I can now buy this tea as well as a selection of sachets in the same trip as my late-night ice cream runs! I like that grocery stores near me are really upping their tea game. I didn’t know that this was a local company until I found a small selection of their teas on the shelf. Sweet!
Editor Note: To assist with the efforts to restore Nepal in the aftermath of the earthquakes, Nepali Tea Traders recently launched their Nepali Tea Restoration Fund. Here are more details:
Many of you have inquired about what can be done to help. As you likely know, funds are needed for this urgent and critical relief effort, and for massive rebuilding. We have been touched by the expressed support and concerns, and in response, we have decided to launch the Nepali Tea Restoration Fund. In order to seed this fund, Nepali Tea Traders will donate the greater of (1) all profits for the remainder of the year and (2) 20 percent of sales. We hope that you will join us by contributing to rebuilding this beautiful country for these wonderful and gracious people.
Nepali Oolong from The Tao of Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: The Tao of Tea
Tea Description:
From a small tea garden and farmer cooperative in the Dhankuta district of the eastern Himalayan region of Nepal. The co-op actively encourages small farmers to not only grow tea, but to bring bio-diversity into their land.
This leaf represents a new tradition and style of making tea in Nepal. The leaves are hand-rolled instead of large conventional mechanical rollers, then carefully roasted over low heat.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I’m revisiting this Nepali Oolong from The Tao of Tea because when I reviewed the tea, it was one of my favorite Oolong teas that I had tried up to that point and I’ve tried a lot of teas since then. Because my experience with the Napali Oolong was so memorable, I wanted to revisit it to find out if I still enjoyed it as much as I remember. I wanted to find out if it still deserves that place in my heart as one of my favorite Oolong teas.
In addition, since the time of writing that original review, I have come to learn the joy of brewing in a gaiwan and what a difference it makes when it comes to steeping an Oolong tea. Armed with that knowledge, I measured out a bamboo scoop of the tea leaves into my gaiwan, administered a 15 second rinse, and then steeped the tea for 1 minute at 180°F. I resteeped the leaves, adding 15 seconds onto the second infusion, and then I combined both infusions into one cup.
My first cup (infusions 1 & 2) is sweet and abundant with buttery flavor and there’s a buttery texture to go along with it. I’m tasting strong fruit notes -a note of peach that’s so delectable! This cup is smooth with very little astringency and no bitterness. The fruit notes provide quite a bit of the sweetness but I’m also tasting a honey note and sweet floral notes. It’s has a buttery taste and texture to it too.
So, very much like what my review suggests, although I think I’m tasting more fruit now than I did in my first infusion back then. I’m also tasting the honey flavors that I didn’t notice or recognize back then.
With my second cup (infusions 3 & 4), I noticed that the strong buttery presence has diminished somewhat. The texture is lighter and the flavor is a little less buttery – still there, certainly, just lighter. The honey notes are still strong and the peach notes are still just as strong (if not a tad bit stronger!) I’m also picking up on some notes of plum now – like a fully ripened, sweet plum that’s been dried to retain it’s sugary sweetness.
As I’ve already mentioned, the texture is lighter with this cup and because of that, I’m picking up on the slightest note of astringency. It’s still quite smooth, but this is a little more astringent than the first cup. Don’t let that sway you though, because the first cup wasn’t astringent at all – and now, just a slightly dry, tangy sensation at the tail.
My third cup was delightfully peachy-plumy-yummy! I don’t get much buttery flavor that I experienced with the previous two cups – but this tea is still worth the extra infusions because the sweet fruit notes are so amazing. A light honey note and a floral note begins to emerge, weaving its way in and out of the sip. This cup is more astringent than the second cup, but it’s still a rather light astringency.
A truly remarkable tea – definitely worth exploring – and re-exploring as I have done today. This tea is currently out of stock at The Tao of Tea but please keep your eyes peeled! I consider this tea a must try for all tea lovers!
Rara Willow White Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: White
Tea Information:
A classic, aromatic, second-flush white tea. Meaning? It’s sweet and fruity with subtle classic white tea notes. There’s also citrus notes to be noticed subtly in the finish. This is a fine example of a white tea! It’s a summer harvest that’s hand-picked – one leaf and one bud.
This tea is available from Amoda Tea.
Learn more about subscribing to Amoda Tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I reviewed this tea last year but I’m revisiting it for a couple of reasons: first, it was part of my January box (themed “Fresh Start”) from Amoda Tea. Second, it’s an amazing tea that I’m only too happy to be enjoying once again.
I think I’d like to start this review by pointing out that I just love the boxes that Amoda Tea curates! They have great taste when it comes to tea and it’s evident in the teas that they select that they are very passionate about tea. If you haven’t yet tried their new monthly subscription, you’re missing out!
This is an excellent white tea. I described it previously as a trip to the candy shop on Main Street in Disneyland – the flavor of this tea reminds me of those yummy rock sugar lollipops I used to buy there! That description still pretty much nails my first impression of this tea – it’s sweet and delightful.
Once your palate becomes acclimated to the sweetness, you start to pick up on light citrus notes, especially noticeable near the finish. I find this citrus-y note to be very refreshing. My palate feels clean and invigorated after each sip.
As I said in that previous review: this is a tea that all tea drinkers should try. It’s a remarkable white tea. One of the finest I’ve ever tasted. It resteeps beautifully too – the second infusion is just as delicious as the first!
Himalayan Masala Spiced Black Tea Blend from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
An authentic medley of black tea lightly spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and other spices traditional in Nepal.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
This is a different chai! Usually, when I think of a chai, I think of a very strong black tea base with spices that are equally as strong to create a robust, full-flavored cuppa that is ideal as a latte. This isn’t that chai.
That’s not to say that I dislike it. On the contrary, I’m actually quite enjoying this Himalayan Masala Spiced Tea from Nepali Tea Traders! It’s different, sure, but, I like the warm, cozy flavor of this tea. It’s a lovely tea to enjoy on a chilly afternoon – like today!
The black tea base is lighter than I’m used to in a chai – but it’s smooth and crisp. I’d categorize this as a medium-bodied tea, it’s a little crisper, and a little lighter than an Assam or a Nilgiri which are the teas most often used as a base for a chai. This base is more reminiscent of a Darjeeling, but perhaps a little more substantial. It has some lovely fruit notes to it that meld beautifully with the warm spices.
The spices here are consistent with the body of the tea – that is to say that the spices aren’t overpowering the tea base. Instead, since this is a slightly lighter bodied tea, the spices are not as strong. I get gentle notes of cardamom, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. It’s a cozy, comforting combination of flavors that is reminiscent of a spice cookie.
I didn’t go latte with this blend because I felt that it would overwhelm the lighter character of the cup. And because it is a little lighter, if you’re one who automatically adds sweetener to your tea before tasting, I’d suggest tasting this one first. It has a gentle sweetness to it and it’s really good without anything added.
A really lovely chai – this is one I’d recommend to those who tend to shy away from chai blends because they find them to be too spicy. This one might be more to your liking – it’s a warmly spiced blend, but not what I’d call spicy. It’s quite delightful.
Nepal 2nd Flush 2014 Golden Tips Black Tea from What-Cha Tea
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black
Where to Buy: What-Cha Tea
Tea Description:
An incredible black tea made entirely of young buds, the smoothest black tea we have tried with a refined malty taste and no bitterness or astringency.
We are proud to source all our Nepal teas direct from Greenland Organic Farm, who are very much at the forefront of a burgeoning Nepali tea industry dedicated to producing high quality artisanal teas. Greenland Organic Farm are completely pesticide and chemical free farm dedicated to producing tea in an ethical and fair manner. Greenland Organic Farm is located in East Nepal in the shadows of Mt. Kancghenjunga at an altitude of 3,000m.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
Oh my goodness, these Golden Tips from Nepal are so lovely!
The dry leaf is visually stunning. The coloration of the leaves vary from a chocolate brown to a golden brown. The tips are golden (as the name implies!) It’s very fragrant, smelling of fruit and flower with notes of earth. The brewed liquid smells much like the dry leaf.
I steeped this tea in my Breville One-Touch using 500 ml of freshly filtered water and 2 bamboo scoops of tea. I steeped it at 205°F for 2 1/2 minutes and … the tea tastes simply amazing!
Honey! Malt! Cacao! Caramel! Sweet notes of fruit! Hints of flower!
The mouthfeel is pleasant. Thick and smooth, it feels a little bit like thinned honey as the tea glides over the palate. And it tastes like honey too. This tea is rich and full-flavored.
The malty notes marry beautifully with the caramel-y undertone to create a rich, satisfying sweetness. The notes of cacao are bittersweet. As I continue to sip, I start to pick up on warm notes of spice. This is a cozy tasting tea and as the weather has finally begun to cool the warmth from this tea is certainly welcome. It’s a cozy, comforting cup of tea to enjoy.
Many of the Nepalese black teas that I’ve tasted are more reminiscent of Darjeeling but not so with this one. This doesn’t have that crisp, lightness of a Darjeeling, instead, this is richer, reminiscent perhaps of a Golden Yunnan or a Fujian Black.
This tea is also good for two infusions, so be sure to re-steep those leaves and get all the flavor you can out of them! The second infusion is just as delightful as the first!
This is not a tea that I would reach for on the mornings when I need to get up and go. Instead, this is the tea I’d want to reach for on the mornings when I can curl up under a fluffy blanket and just relax a little. The kind of tea that you want to linger over for a while because it tastes so good that you don’t want the cup to end!
It is as I said at the start: this is oh-so-lovely!