Country of Origin: Nepal
Leaf Appearance: small and dark, somewhat curly with some golden and white tips
Ingredients: black tea
Steep time: 30 seconds
Water Temperature: 212 degrees
Preparation Method: clay gongfu sized teapot
Liquor: amber
I still get pretty excited about samples of Nepalese teas because I don’t get them very often. Single Origin Teas is a new to me company whose premise is to source high-quality teas from specific locations at a reasonable price. This particular tea comes from Jun Chiyabari. It is a fairly young tea estate, planted in the early 2000s, and is smaller than most of the plantations see in India or Sri Lanka. Although this is technically a 2nd flush black tea, it was a bit more mellow than I would have expected. There were earthy and sweet notes with just a hint of floral that became stronger with each infusion. I always wait until after I’ve written my review before reading the tasting notes on a vendor’s website and was happy to find that my thoughts were correct. They’ve pegged this one pretty well as being reminiscent of maple and rose. It’s an interesting combo and one that I don’t think I’ve experienced elsewhere. A tea like this would work well when brewed western style but I still prefer using my little Tsuki Teapot.