Country of Origin: Nepal
Leaf Appearance: varied shades of green, twisted
Ingredients: green tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 190 degrees
Preparation Method: glass teapot
Liquor: pale gold
Happy Earth Tea is one of my favorite vendors. I love that 10% of the proceeds from this tea are donated to the Ama Foundation, a nonprofit that houses abandoned and disadvantaged children in Nepal. Given the severe earthquakes that this region suffered recently, their work is even more important than ever. The dry leaves were quiet nice to look at. They were gently rolled so they were mostly whole with lots of complete bud sets. In truth I don’t drink as many green teas because they usually don’t have kind of complexity that I’m looking for. This tea was an exception to that rule. It was sweet and vegetal with complex floral notes. For some reason green bell peppers kept coming to mind. Overall it was a crisp cup without being astringent or overly drying. It held up well to multiple infusions and might even do well if prepared using a gaiwan. If you haven’t experienced many Nepalese teas, I think this one is an excellent place to start.
Himalayan Evergreen #121, Organic Jun Chiyabari, Autumn 2014 sample provided by Happy Earth Tea.