Nepali Tea Traders

Regional Buy.

Drank this one with breakfast yesterday before I’d left my mom’s house. I guess in a way this one sort of closes out the teas I drank this holiday season?

It was nice enough; I drank it Western style because that was more convenient since I was in the process of packing up everything I’d brought with for the weekend. I got lots of this from the group buy so it’ll be easy to go back and revisit it Gong Fu when I have time.

This is my first white tea from Nepal, I do believe, and it was interesting because I didn’t notice a lot of flavour qualities that make it distinct from other whites I’ve tried. It had that straw/hay quality whites often do, and a honeysuckle like sweetness even if I think it was a little less delicately sweet than Chinese white’s tend to come off as. You know, more of an abrupt flavour than a nuanced one that weaves through the sip. I also thought there was a great cucumber flesh like vegetal quality to this which was light, crisp, and refreshing but also very soft and in the background. Perhaps a little malty, but also kind of creamy? Like a cross between malt and fresh cream.

I’m very fascinated by this one, and look forward to trying it again.

White tea will never be my favorite, but silver tips white tea seems better than most. It doesn’t taste so strongly of hay. There’s almost a light muscatel note here, plus a combination of sweet and savory notes. Re-steeped well.

Gong Fu Sipdown (214)!

- Approx. seven infusions
- Very sweet overall and smooth
- Some Assam like notes: malt, honey, French bread, cocoa, molasses
- With jammy fruit undertones
- Actually considerably different than the Western cup of this that I drank

As much as I’m enjoying this “Gong Fu in the moment” thing I seem to have going on lately, I have to admit that I don’t like how it translates into my tasting notes. Yes, it’s enjoyable to be able to just sit down with a pot (or in this case Gaiwan) of tea and just have a good experience, but then I feel like I’m also losing something in not full mapping out the evolution of flavours between infusions.

Plus, in the case of a tea like this which was so different steeped Western vs. Gong Fu I think I would have liked to have had a more documented account of those differences just for my own reference in the future…

How do you guys find a balance?

Hooray! The regional group buy I bought from LP on Black Friday is here, and I’m cracking into it today before I have to head off to DAVIDsTEA for work…

I’m starting with the black Nepalese tea because that’s the one I was most excited about; I have a particular fascination for Nepalese teas more than any other region/country so these were the teas I was most eager to get my hands on. I just love everything I know about the country; and the idea that the terroir is so similar to India’s really intrigues me as well because I do enjoy Indian black tea a lot.

I’ve even been off and on planning with a farm down in Nepal to come and work for them for a couple weeks during harvesting season – the only thing stopping that from happening, at this point, is just the money/travel costs. Someday, though!

I’m really enjoying this one though; the flavour is sort of medium bodied on the cusp of a full bodied flavour with a nice briskness to it. It finishes very cleanly, as well, with a honey sweetness. As far as body flavour goes, I definitely feel like the primary notes coming through are malt and raisin, with maybe a bit of a rye bread sort of mild undertone. There’s also something very autumnal about it; sort of the autumn leaf pile sort of flavour. As it cools down some of that fruity flavour described by the company comes though, but I’d argue more of a red fruit note than a stonefruit.

It’s nice! Very smooth, and clean. That keeps in line with the other Nepali black teas I’ve tried; all have had very clean profiles and medium(ish) bodied flavours. I’ve yet to try a Nepali green/white from what I can remember, so I’m really curious for those experiences next! I think I’m going to have a lot of fun with this group buy…

Got 3 grams of this in a stash buy and had it with rhinkle to finish up lunch today.

Used all 3 grams and a lot less water in the gaiwan than I normally would, of course. This brews up a nice reddish amber with a deep roasted scent. Did a good few steeps and got a consistent, roasty flavor, with hints of floral. This one didn’t stand out to me very much, but it was enjoyable and rhinkle really liked it.

Another that I got from Haveteawilltravel.

Dry leaves smell roasted with a hint of sweetness, carries over into liquor, which is a nice deep red.

Sweet, roasty. Deep earthy sweet scent clings to cup. First sip of the second steep has a bit of bitterness, followed by nuttiness, like eating a walnut. The next couple of steeps come with a pretty stone-fruity aftertaste that lingers for a good while.

This was pretty good, and as far as I can tell, Nepali no longer has this on their site, so I’m glad we were able to try it!

Well, the wet leaf of this tea smells vile, but that’s really not unique. In fact, I think I’ve had another tea from this very company whose wet leaf smelled like rotten hot dogs.

FORTUNATELY, the brew neither smells nor tastes like rotten hot dogs. The brew smells sweet, like gentle spring flowers. Peonies? I have no idea if peonies bloom in the spring, but just go with it. Don’t shatter my bubble. Maybe some honey in there, but mostly the flowers.

I don’t have a lot of experience with whites, so I don’t know what I am supposed to expect. The brew is sweet and floral. I’m not really familiar with the individual scents of flowers, but I’m feeling pink ones. Shall we stick with peonies? There’s also a little funk, which reminds me of a green tea. Perhaps some sweet snap peas?

I think this might be a tea best enjoyed in the spring.

Haveteawilltravel threw this in with the other stuff I bought from their stash. Used all 3g of this. The rolled leaves are varying shades of brown and have a sweet but somewhat roasted aroma. I fill the 100 ml gaiwan about halfway up with water for a quick rinse, and then refill it the same amount for the first steep.

The leaves expand pretty quickly. They are brown, mostly whole and have a very roasted smell. The liquor is a nice amber color. This is a fairly oxidized oolong, but it has a nice mellowness that I can enjoy.

We open up some castella-style dorayaki to eat as we drink. The taste of the tea reveals some faint sweet and bitter notes as we drink. All-in-all, it doesn’t blow us away, but we’re glad we got to give it a try!

This steeped out so light that I wasn’t sure there was going to be any flavor to the brew—a light yellowish green. Though the flavor itself is light and refreshing, it’s stronger than the color would lead me to believe.

It’s hard to pin this one down. It tastes green and yellow at the same time—partially dried grass and hay? The easiest flavor to pick out is the buttery bean flavor that I associate with gyokuro, but it’s not as intense a flavor.

This is a very good tea, but I would say that there are better out there.

From the Regional Group Buy.

First brewed in a ceramic infuser mug, then in a glass tumbler with the same infuser.

Himalayan Golden Black looks somewhat like black Bi Luo Chun: small, downy, golden-tipped black curlies. My favorite aspect of this tea by far is the aromas. The packet is filled with the fragrance of bitter dark chocolate. I let the leaf sit in the pre-heated mug, covered, and this brought out cinnamon and cocoa powder. Ready for baking! Made me think of those microwavable cakes in mugs.

At first, I follow the packet instructions: 1 teaspoon per 8oz for 3-4 minutes. I like to get out as much as I can with loose leaf tea in general, so I go with 3 minutes. This produces – in spite of a rich golden color – a weak infusion. The chocolate flavor tastes watered down. I brewed the second infusion for 10 minutes. Even worse.

I couldn’t leave my experience with this tea at that since I didn’t think it’d be fair. I have another go-around with it later. I simply double the leaf amount. And this time, I timed the first infusion for 4 minutes. Much better results. Once I get passed the tannin and malt, the liquor is very flavorful and rich with notes of fudge-frosting brownies, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Liquid dessert. The next and last infusion is timed for 9 minutes and it tastes the same. (I had used a glass instead of the mug this time. Huge difference. I’m not brewing black/red tea in thick ceramic ever again.)

You may want to double the amount of leaf if you acquire this. It’s worth to do so. I’m very glad it worked out. The packet parameters make work for you – no harm in messing around.

Semi brisk like the region’s tea normally is. You taste the bitter notes but do not feel them.

Old salty water candy of a flavor that you dislike; it’s sweet, but not in the appealing way… if that makes sense.

From LP’s 2016 Group Buy: http://www.liquidproustteas.com/listing/470490943/regional-2016-tea-group-buy
Backlog 20 August 2016

The tea reminds me of wet hay, with earthy undertones; slight malt. Very floral, too, in both flavor (aftertaste) and smell. Dandelions, maybe?

Very sweet. Very excellent.

Smells hayish. Westren 175F
1 min- strong pea, slightly sweet. Pea very strong flavor. Infused tea almost clear, mouth coating. Green bean soybean
1 min- umami, reminds me of gyokuro, but less good.
This tea was a little too much veg. 78

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.

Full review
http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/07/30/everest-first-flush-black-tea-nepali-tea-traders/

Highly recommended! Passing along to Nichole for review on Sororitea Sisters!

90+ rating :)
Full review over at Sororitea Sisters
direct link to review:
http://sororiteasisters.com/2016/08/10/himalayan-golden-black-tea-from-nepali-tea-traders-2/

I liked this tea for the morning. And as it smelled like a Jin Jun Mei, it tasted like a Jin Jun Mei too. Very dry with a slight sweetness, and very smokey and bready despite it being nicely light gong fu. Orange blossom kept popping up in my head when drinking it. Could just be me. I used a little less than two teaspoons beginning with 20 seconds at 180 F.

I personally enjoyed it, but I can imagine some people being turned off by it. It could just be solid black tea for some. I will try it western to see what I get different, but I like it just fine gong fu for now.

From the group buy – I’m terrible at reviewing in any timely fashion as this is a Sipdown.
At 212F for 3 min –
thick, slightly bitter (probably overleafed), malty, cocoa

This tea was okay overall, though I’ve had better teas that have similar profiles.

From the group buy:
Dry leaf – small and twisty, golden tips. Smells of malt and raisin.
212F, 100ml gaiwan
Pretty consistent taste – malt and raisin with light body.
I wish it was more fully flavored. I’ll have to try it with more tea or westren. Definitely not as strong as a chinese black.

Taste of dry hair inside a pile of wet hay and some shaved corn straw.

This tea looks really tippy and smells great. Undertones of musk making the straw like chocolate because less astringent. Somewhat like cocoa cooked yams.

This is one of the most crisp tasting teas I’ve ever had. The color make it seem like a green tea and the taste is in the middle of a green, and black tea.

Fresh. Crisp. Sticky on the tip of the tongue with a mild sweetness.