In a recent email we found out that there’s an exciting new chapter ahead for Nepali Tea Traders! Boston-based entrepreneurs Sunita and Rabin Joshi, who were born and raised in Nepal, have joined the ownership team. They are working alongside original team members, including Founder Maggie Le Beau, to advance the mission of building a sustainable tea industry in Nepal .
The official press release is below…
NEPALI TEA TRADERS ANNOUNCES EXPANSION PLANS AND NEW OWNERSHIP Nepalese Team to Advance Company’s Mission to Build Sustainable Tea Industry Boston, Mass. and Denver, Colo. – September 12, 2017 – Nepali Tea Traders, which has successfully introduced Nepali artisan teas to North America, is welcoming two Boston-based entrepreneurs—both born and raised in Nepal—onto its ownership team. Sunita and Rabin Joshi will help advance the company’s mission: to build a sustainable tea industry in Nepal by expanding Nepali Tea Traders’ geographic markets and customer base. “After the earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, Rabin and I felt the immediate urge to do something meaningful for our country,” said Sunita Joshi. “It became clear that we needed to use our business experience to give back to our homeland. We evaluated different ideas and landed on importing tea. We were fortunate to meet Nepali Tea Traders’ founder Maggie Le Beau and were impressed with her business, brand, extraordinary teas and commitment to Nepal.
We are so excited to help her advance the mission and expand the business.” The five-year old company has just moved its center of operations from Denver, Colorado, to the Boston, Massachusetts area. Le Beau and other current team members will remain actively involved. The Joshis are both from Kathmandu and have lived for 13 years in the U.S., where they completed their university degrees. Rabin served as district manager for Dunkin Donuts, with responsibility for its coffee brand across the Boston metropolitan area. Sunita, an entrepreneur, joined solar company PanelClaw as an early team member and drove its concept to tens of millions of dollars, running the entire North America operation as the company grew. The Joshis will focus on marketing the high quality of teas that are produced in Nepal, expanding the company’s geographical focus both within the U.S. and in Europe and South America. The company will continue to source teas from Sandakphu Tea Processors, Nepali Tea Traders’ primary supplier. The Sandakphu teas recently received the USDA and DAkks (German) organic certificates. The teas have also earned three recent awards in the Global Tea Championships, including first place in 2015 for its Himalayan Golden Black Tea.
“Nepal produces some of the world’s best teas, and we intend to focus on expanding awareness and distribution,” said Rabin Joshi. Immediate plans for growth include expanding sales in Boston and the Northeast corridor, marketing the teas outside of North America and exploring new distribution options, including restaurants, hotels and specialty retail. “We have an excellent supply of both spring and summer flush teas, and look forward to introducing more people to these amazing teas.”
Le Beau looks forward to working with the Joshis. “I am delighted to introduce Sunita and Rabin to our customers and the business,” she said. “They are high-energy, talented entrepreneurs, who share our passion for our artisan teas and our commitment to building a sustainable tea economy in Nepal.”
About Nepali Tea Traders… Nepali Tea Traders is the first company in the United States to offer premium teas exclusively from small farms in the Ilam region of Nepal. The company sells a variety of natural and organic tea grown at ideal altitudes of 4,000 to 8,000 feet to tea shops and specialty grocery stores. Its full line of teas is also available for purchase at www.NepaliTeaTraders.com. Four of the company’s teas have earned North American Tea Championship honors. In 2015, Himalayan Golden was named the world’s best black tea. The company’s mission is to help to build a sustainable tea economy in Nepal, providing Nepal’s tea farmers fair prices and their fair share of the profit.
Kalo Chia Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders. . . . . .
Kalo Chia Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders is no longer available for purchase on their site but I thought it was still worth a mention as it was pretty fantastic while it lasted.
It’s rich, sweet, and woodsy. But it’s more than that. It had a unique flavor of its own and really drew me in and made me crave more. It’s bold and strong but had smoothness to it, too! It wasn’t astringent or bitter at all.
There were sweet yet dry plum notes and almost caramel or date like flavor pairings throughout the sip, too!
There were intriguing layers of flavor that kept me guessing but were not completely foreign either.
This was a really great black tea that I wish I had more of in my stash! Completely YUM!
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Description
Click below for the black tea blends that are in stock.
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Where-oh-where to begin? Well…let’s start with the tea name and company, shall we? Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders. This tea took me on a wild ride recently!
The dry leaves of Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders are grayish dark green in color. The leaves are rolled and shaped differently throughout the sample bag. They are somewhat reminiscent of a loosely rolled gunpowder green tea while keeping in mind this is an Oolong we are talking about here.
The aroma of Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders is incredibly fresh, a bit on the roasted-green side, and nutty. The surprises don’t stop there! The flavor of this tea – once infused – is that closer to a malty yet roasted black tea. YES! It’s trickery is fascinating and certainly welcomed! It’s roasty, toasty, malty, sometimes floral yet sometimes vegetal, all at the same time. This ‘brews’ darker than most Oolongs I have had in recent memory. Underneath and closer to the end of the sip I can pick up on a dried apricot flavor as well. Dragon Claw Oolong Tea from Nepali Tea Traders continues to shock and amaze me! I must put this one on my list of favorite unflavored oolongs for this year (which I will be posting about sometime in the next couple of months so stay tuned).
Here’s the scoop!
Leaf Type: Oolong
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Description
The creation of this tea is best described in a Nepalese tribal expression “Mio Kulang,” which means dragon or eagle claws. When the tea leaves open, they look like claws that slowly unfurl. Cultivated during the summer flush, the tea is plucked at the beginning of the harvest when the leaves are dark green. Processing begins with mechanical rolling and shaping, which gently bruises the leaves and darkens the color and indicates that its oxidation (60%) is complete. Its deep color reveals a surprisingly golden cup, with a rich-tasting amber cup and notes of toasted nuts, malt and apricots
Learn even more about this tea and tea company here!
Himalayan Golden Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
After a short summer season in Nepal, the Himalayan monsoon approaches the foothills with a magnanimous rush. The golden red soil of Sandakphu drinks in this moisture, producing a rare artisan tea that reflects all of nature’s goodness. After plucking, the leaves are 25 percent withered, then rolled in mechanical rollers. The tea is then placed in a shaping machine and further dried, producing uniformly curled leaves. The liquor is a distinctive rich golden color, with a cup that is mild yet flavorful, with a lovely balance of stone fruit and honey. We were honored when the tea was selected the best Black tea by the North American Tea Championship in their 2015 Contest.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
I start each day with at least one black tea and at least 3 times in the last 2 weeks I started it with Himalayan Golden Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders. The good thing is that I really love Himalayan Golden Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders but the bad thing is that I don’t have any left in my stash!
Himalayan Golden Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders has the two-toned brown/black leaves that have a medium-strong black tea that feature hints of cocoa powder when sniffed. This was certainly the highlight of my pre-infusion tea experience.
As you infuse Himalayan Golden Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders the aroma stands up to the water strong! In addition to notes of cocoa powder I could pick up on the cakey and bakey type of black tea that I have been longing for!
Everything comes full circle as you sip this tea. The taste of this Himalayan Golden Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders is pretty fabulous! It’s strong, deep, rich, cocoa-like, cakey/bakey, and has even a slightly bitter plum end sip to it. The after taste leans more towards a dried apricot. Which ever stone fruit you pick up on I feel there are many tea lovers out there that will love this tea!
Everest First Flush Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Information:
Leaf Type: Black Tea
Where to Buy: Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Description:
Our Everest First Flush tea is hand-picked in April from the tender buds of the tea plants that emerge after several months of dormancy as the days turned crisp, sunny, and bright. This unique, artisan tea is a vibrant expression of the fresh Himalayan spring. Its beautiful, long leaves reflect the subtleties of the season. Upon delivery of the freshly picked leaves to the Sandakphu factory, it is processed initially by hand by gently rolling the leaves, then allowed to wither overnight. The following day, the leaves are mechanically rolled to achieve natural oxidation while preserving the fresh, spring green color. The liquor is pale and pure. The tea’s gentle, aromatic profile features floral and lilac notes. The first sip reveals a smooth, sweet tea, with refreshing spring astringency. This tea finishes with crisp vegetal notes and hints of roasted corn. Like Nepal’s famed peak, this is the pinnacle of our first flush teas.
Learn more about this tea here.
Taster’s Review:
If you gravitate towards Darjeeling Teas I think you might like this Everest First Flush Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders. At least that is the first thought I had as I sipped on this offering from Nepali Tea Traders. It’s like a hepped-up version of a Darjeeling Black Tea.
Maybe it’s because it’s a First Flush. Maybe it’s because of the crisp floral notes. Perhaps it’s because of the astringency. Or maybe Everest First Flush Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders reminds me of a Darjeeling because of the look and feel.
The dried loose leaves look similar to Darjeeling – as does the aroma – which is springy and fresh. The aftertaste was also reminiscent of a popped rice much like you would find in a genmaicha. Everest First Flush Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders is very unique indeed!
One thing I found after drinking this – twice – I was very hungry afterwards! I don’t really know what that means – if anything – but I could REALLY go for a 5 coarse meal right now! Regardless…Everest First Flush Black Tea from Nepali Tea Traders…is a tea to appreciate and remember!