Kanchanjangha Noir - Premium Black

Kanchanjangha Tea Estate and Research Center Pvt. Ltd. (KTERC) is the first certified organic tea garden in Nepal that was established in 1984. Mr. Deepak Prakash Banskota; Father of our founder Nishchal Banskota, took this initiative to rid his community out of poverty. Read more about his story here. Till this day, it remains a model social enterprise that runs on cooperative infrastructure and is truly focused on the triple bottom line of people and planet before profit.

Our classic black tea is crafted using the same process and, believe it or not, the same machines we employed about 30 years ago. This technique was passed down to our current factory manager from a long-time tea maker from Darjeeling, resulting in a product that closely resembles Darjeeling Second Flush in make, character, and feel. However, the key distinction between Nepali black teas and Darjeeling black teas lies in the age of the tea bushes. Nepali bushes are relatively young, around 50 years old, while Indian bushes are nearly 200 years old. This difference imparts a fresher, more floral undertone to our teas.

The production of black tea involves four main steps: withering, rolling, oxidation, and drying. During the summer season, two leaves and a bud are plucked from each bush at seven-day intervals. This season, with its optimal heat and rainfall, is the peak time for tea production. The carefully plucked leaves are first withered in troughs for several hours or overnight, depending on the type of leaves and the season. Once most of the water has evaporated, the pliable leaves are placed in a rolling machine to bruise and break the cell walls, allowing the leaves to interact with oxygen. After about half an hour of rolling, the leaves are set aside to oxidize for several hours, depending on the desired characteristics of the black tea. Following optimal oxidation, the tea is carefully dried in a drying machine to capture its peak aromas and flavors. The dried tea, referred to as DMT (Dryer Mouth Tea), is then sorted through various machines to produce different grades, such as SFTGFOP1, TGBOP, GOF, and more. For additional details on tea grading, check out our blog on the topic. After machine sorting, the tea undergoes manual hand-sorting before being packed and shipped to our customers.

Our tea estate thrives in the eastern region of Nepal, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Kanchanjangha, which is the third-highest mountain in the world. Located precisely near the western borders of Darjeeling, India and north of the Ilam, the most famous tea growing region in Nepal, our small village enjoys the best of both worlds. Situated at an altitude of 1300-1800 meters (4,200 - 6000 feet), the area enjoys pristine Himalayan climatic conditions to produce highly unique and aromatic teas.

This tea is perfect for everyday drinkers, particularly those who enjoy a classic English Breakfast or Earl Grey. Fans of single-origin teas from Assam or Darjeeling will find this tea strikingly similar and will undoubtedly appreciate its unique flavor profile.

This classic black tea is dedicated to our longest-serving employee, Ratna Rai, who played a crucial role in the establishment of our factory. Ratna was instrumental in building the factory and later managed the fire oven for our drying machine. We are honored to name our renowned black tea, Kanchanjangha Noir, in his honor, recognizing his significant contribution to the inception and growth of our tea company.