Nepal is a great place for fresh starts and new beginnings. Home to the highest mountain range in the world, it is easy to feel both insignificant and unstoppable. It can make you realize that life is a struggle, but anything is possible. In many ways, this is also the story of the Nepal tea industry. Nepal is geographically ideal for growing world class tea, but political instability, civil unrest, lack of infrastructure, energy rationing, and overshadowing by their powerhouse neighbor, India, had, for a long time, lead to stagnated growth in the Nepal tea industry. This, however, is changing, and Nepal is now a competitive player in the world tea scene.

Nepal Tea Types

Most of Nepal’s tea is produced using the CTC (crushing, tearing, curling) method.  This produces a broken leaf, yet bold and evenly brewed tea ideal for chai, blends, tea bags, and other basic, everyday tea products.  CTC is often machine picked, is easily scaled up for large scale production, and the expectation of exceptional quality is fairly low.  Although a good CTC is an essential part to one of the worlds greatest inventions, chai, true tea connoisseurs generally look to orthodox tea for high quality and true tea essence.  Orthodox tea is often hand picked and the processing maintains leaf integrity and results in whole leaf teas with tippy, fuzzy buds, complex flavors, and full, floral and fruity aromas.  These days, the orthodox tea industry in Nepal is truly blossoming and many of the teas being produced there are the best to come out of the country yet.

History and regions

Nepal’s original tea growing region is Ilam, a district in the far eastern edge of the country.  Tea first started being produced here in the late 1800s.  Ilam borders India’s famous tea producing region, Darjeeling, and produces most of Nepal’s orthodox tea.  For a long time, this was the only real tea producing area in Nepal.  Now, however, many new regions have been developed for tea production and different terroirs are being recognized for the character they bring to the tea grown there.  One of these newer areas is the Dhankuta region.  Situated in the hills about halfway between Ilam and Nepal’s capital city, Kathmandu, Dhankuta, and specifically the town of Hile, is an ideal place for producing superb quality orthodox tea.

In the past, much of the orthodox tea from Nepal was sold to brokers in India and re-branded as Darjeeling tea.  As Nepal’s reputation for quality tea grew, this started happening less and less, and the Nepal tea brand has gotten more and more recognition internationally.  These days, many discerning tea drinkers search out authentic Nepalese tea for it unique flavors, and recognize producers on par with some of the great Darjeeling estates.  The newer generation of tea producers also tend towards organic farming methods as well as fair employment and wage policies.

New Wave Nepal Tea

One of the producers in this new wave of the Nepal tea industry is Jun Chiyabari.  Jun Chiyabari was established in 2001 by two Nepali brothers (Lochan and Bachan) who had attended boarding school together in the famous Indian tea town of Darjeeling.  Their time in Darjeeling had imbued them with a deep reverence and passion for great tea.  Many years after returning from India, the brothers decided to bring this passion to life in Nepal.

Although Jun now has a factory in Ilam, they originally chose the small town of Hile, in the Dhankuta district of the Eastern Himalayas, for their first factory and plantation.  They collected the best plants they could find form India, Japan, China, and Taiwan and started a clonal garden.  They also hired the best tea makers they could find from some of the most famous gardens in Darjeeling.  They were determined to make world class tea in Nepal, but they also wanted to create an industry that would benefit the local people of Hile.  To do this, they decided to only grow a maximum of 60% of the tea leaves themselves; the rest is bought at an above market  price from local farmers as long as it is quality leaf.

Jun Chiyabari now works with over 130 local farmers both individually and through farmers collectives.  They teach these local farmers about quality tea production and encourage organic and bio-dynamic farming methods.  They provide interest free loans for farmers and factory workers, encouraging them to start their own businesses, buy livestock, or improve their farms.  Nepal is a country in transition and a sustainable tea industry is an important factor in its future success.

Jun Chiyabari makes several types of tea, including green, white, oolong, and black.  Some of the most exciting teas they are making are their Hand Rolled varieties.  For centuries, people in the Himalayas have been making a rudimentary type of tea by simply picking the leaves, quickly rolling it in their hands, and then drying it in the sun.  This is a somewhat crude type of tea processing that pops up in many remote regions like south west China and Laos.  Jun Chiyabari has taken this age old technique and combined it with expert tea makers, modern and sustainable agricultural practices, and a passion for high quality tea.  The resulting tea is full flavored, yet delicate and complex with ripe fruit aromas and sweet flavors.  A true delight!

Tea as a global beverage has a long history and is deeply entrenched in tradition.  It often feels like tea enthusiasts are living in the past and retreading old paths.  Nepal feels different.  It is a tea destination that is very much moving forward, and tea industry in Nepal is in its most exciting moment yet!

Check out our Tea Tour to Nepal!  This year, we will be traveling to Nepal from September 29th – October 9th to explore the tea industry and enjoy some time in the Himalayas.  Join the adventure!

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5 Reasons to Visit Taiwan

Are you thinking about taking a vacation, looking for somewhere new to explore, or just wanna daydream about your next adventure?  Why not visit Taiwan!  Taiwan is a small island off the coast of China with a vibrant culture and a lot to offer travelers.   Here are my 5 favorite reasons to visit Taiwan.

5. Temple Life

Taiwan has a lot of temples.  So many that it’s probably impossible to count them all.  There seems to be a different temple around every corner.  You’ll find temples on mountain tops, deep in the jungle, and squeezed in next to 7-11s in Taiwan’s bustling cities.  They are everywhere and they are fascinating.

Most temples are either Buddhist, Taoist, or Confucian, but some are a mix of all of these along with other folk religions.  Each temple has its own unique style and character.  Some temples are loud, vibrantly colored, and heavy with decorative details, while others are simple, austere places for contemplation and prayer.  There is often incense wafting through the air, and the architecture is always intriguing.

Taiwan is also home to a vibrant temple going culture.  The temples are not just decorative.  Most are heavily used by the locals.  On any given day, you will find people crowded in a temple, lighting incense, and going through their daily rituals of prayer, contemplation, or paying respect.  If you are lucky, you may even stumble upon a temple celebration with food, fireworks, parades, and music.

4. Food

Taiwan has amazing food.  The Taiwanese love to eat, and they especially love to eat out, so there are restaurants, snack stalls, and food markets everywhere.  Taiwanese cuisine is a rich mixture of different regional mainland Chinese, indigenous aboriginal, and Japanese cuisines with just a touch European influence.

You will find all sorts of foods made with all sorts of ingredients.  Abundant seafood dishes, fresh vegetables, wild mountain pork, multitudes of different mushrooms, bamboo, noodles, tofu, soups, dumplings, soup-dumplings, hot pot, and, of course, perfectly cooked rice.  Whether you are strolling through the night markets or sharing in a family style banquet dinner, you will surely find a ton of new, mouth watering flavors.

Some of Taiwan’s most famous dishes include beef noodle soup – a rich, deeply flavorful beef broth with succulent noodles and tender beef brisket or beef shank; xiao long bao (soup dumplings) – delicately wrapped dumplings with a gelatinous pork mixture that melts into a deliciously savory broth inside the wrapper when steamed; oyster omelettes – a quickly cooked egg omelet wrapped around juicy oysters and Chinese greens then drizzled with a sweet and salty sauce; and the ubiquitous and often misunderstood stinky tofu – fermented tofu with a strong and unmistakable aroma that is often fried and served with spicy cabbage.  There is really something for everyone – sweet, savory, and unusual.

Stinky Tofu

Mango Shaved Ice and Tapioca

3. Landscape and Scenery

When someone mentions Taiwan, most people imagine a bustling, crowded. and polluted city like Taipei, and to be fair, Taiwan does have its share of chaotic cityscapes, but there is another side to Taiwan that outsiders rarely see.  When the Portuguese first encountered the island of Taiwan, they dubbed it Ihla Formosa, or Beautiful Island, and for good reason.

Taiwan has some amazing scenery and jaw dropping landscapes.  For such a small island, there is a lot of geographical diversity – natural hot springs, tropical beaches, snow capped mountain tops, lush forests, cascading waterfalls, bamboo groves, and numerous other natural wonders.  You can go from climbing a 4,000 meter (approx. 13,000 feet) tall mountain to relaxing on the beach within a few hours.  Taiwan’s central mountain range basically runs down the center of the island.  Most of these steep slopes are covered in thick forests and jungles, but they are also scattered with small mountain villages.  There are some great hikes through the mountains of Taiwan, and amazing views are abundant.  The east coast is less developed and offers some amazing rocky cliffs that dive right into the ocean.  The southern tip of Taiwan has a tropical climate and beautiful beaches.

Some of the famous natural areas include Taroko Gorge in Hualien, Ali Shan National Scenic Area in Chiayi County, Yangmingshan in Taipei, Beitou Hot Springs in Taipei, Sun Moon Lake in Nantuo County, and Kenting on Taiwan’s southern tip.  And in case you are a city person, Taiwan’s cities offer some great architecture – Taipei 101 to name the most obvious.

2. Tea

Yup, one of the best reasons to visit Taiwan is for the tea.  The Taiwanese take their tea very seriously, but at the same time, it is very accessible for an outsider.  Taiwan is world famous for its oolong tea.  Oolong is a broad ranging category of tea that roughly covers any tea processed to a level in between green and black tea.  There are light, green oolongs, there are dark, roasty oolongs, and there are oolong teas that cover everything in between.

Oolong tea is probably the type of tea that is most dependent upon the skill of the tea maker, and the Taiwanese are some of the best in the world.  Since oolong covers such a wide range of colors and flavors, knowing what the final product should be, based on your raw material, and executing it well requires an immense amount of skill and experience.

Although oolong tea is the most famous, Taiwan also makes some great green and black teas.  Taiwan is constantly on the cutting edge of modern tea making.  The productive Tea Research and Extension Station is constantly introducing new cross strains and production methods to the tea world.  Two of its most famous varietals are Ruby Red No. 18 and Jin Xuan (Golden Day Lily, Milk Oolong, or #12).

The best Taiwanese teas are like fine wines – smooth, complex, and flavorful with varied aromas and flavor profiles.  Taiwanese tea can be sweet, roasted, floral, nutty, or grassy.  They can have notes of honey, tobacco, fruit, or cream.  They can be fresh, light and refreshing or deep, robust, and grounding.  Tea is also very easy to find in Taiwan.  The Taiwanese love iced tea, and although some are better than others, there are ice tea shops on almost every corner.  Cities and towns of any size will also have at least a handful of quality loose leaf tea shops, and most of them will let you sample their teas for free!

1. People

The best reason the visit Taiwan?  The people.  Its hard (impossible in fact) to generalize an entire population, but it is even harder to deny that the Taiwanese are some of the nicest people in the world.  There are many cultural and social differences between Taiwan and western countries; however, most Taiwanese people are extremely friendly and welcoming to visitors.

Taiwan gets a fair share of tourists from Japan and mainland China, but it is not a top destination for Europeans or Americans.  This means that there’s not a lot of the typical tourist trap infrastructure and culture that has slowly taken over many other world tourist spots.  It is still relatively easy to connect with real people in Taiwan, and a lot of the time, they are excited to connect with you.  After all, this is the goal for many of us when we travel, no?  You can read all about a place in books or online, but when you make a connection face to face, the rewards are so much greater.  It is impossible to visit Taiwan and leave with out having made new friends!

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