Country of Origin: Nepal
Leaf Appearance: small, dark and curly with golden buds throughout
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 195 degrees
Preparation Method: porcelain cupping set
Liquor: reddish amber
This blog is all about promoting good teas from good people. Nepali Tea Traders is a great example of that. I’ve explained their mission at length in previous posts. I highly recommend checking them out if you haven’t already. TLDR; they do a lot good for the tea industry in Nepal. All of the reviews that I’ve written so far have been for white teas so it was about time that I shared a black tea from their collection. This tea initially caught my attention because it is a summer flush.
Leaf
If I was tasting this tea blind, I easily would have guessed this was a Bi Luo Chun style black tea from China. The leaves were dark and tightly curled with a generous scattering of golden buds. I took so many pictures of this tea trying to get the right angle to show off that bling. They had a promising earthy, malty aroma. The inside of my sample bag was covered in trichomes.
Porcelain cupping sets have become my go-to method for preparing these types of teas. I find that they help to standardize my brewing a bit more. After tasting for the main review I’ve enjoyed this tea both in a more casual western fashion and ever grandpa style. Don’t be afraid to play with your teas and try brewing them in different ways!
Liquor
Khumbu Black Tea brewed up a reddish shade of amber. The maltiness that I picked up in the dry leaf was a prominent part of the flavor profile. This tea would be a great choice for people who enjoy Assam for that reason. It was smooth and sweet with nutty notes. The tannins were defined but just enough to add a pleasant briskness. It never stepped over into overly astringent, even with slightly extended infusion times. This tea was fairly versatile in that it can be mellow or fairly strong depending on how it is brewed.
Have you ever tried a black tea from Nepal? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Khumbu Black Tea sample provided for review by Nepali Tea Traders.
Nepalese teas are gorgeous, though I have a soft spot for all Himalayan blacks which leaves me a biased. They are also generally well priced so rationing can go out the door.