Nepali
Nepali black tea comes overwhelmingly from the eastern Himalayan hills, above all Ilam, just across the border from Darjeeling, and that proximity is the key fact: similar altitude, overlapping cultivars and orthodox processing make fine Nepali black a near-cousin of Darjeeling, often at a friendlier price. Expect light-bodied, fragrant, muscatel-leaning cups with spring (first flush) and summer (second flush) seasonality. The variable that matters is orthodox versus commodity processing, and which flush you are buying.
Quality Nepali orthodox is fragrant and lively: floral, fruity, often muscatel on a light-to-medium body, with a clean finish rather than heavy malt. As with Darjeeling, the leaf appearance tells you a lot, well-twisted, multi-colored orthodox leaf with some tip, not the uniform pellets of lowland CTC. Flush matters: first flush (spring) is lighter, greener and brisker; second flush (summer) is rounder, fruitier and more muscatel. Look for a named estate or at least the Ilam or eastern-hills origin; vague 'Himalayan' blends often hide Terai-lowland CTC. A stewed, flat, or coarse cup means commodity leaf, not the hill-grown orthodox you want.
Most specialty Nepali tea grows in the eastern hill districts, especially Ilam, with Dhankuta, Panchthar and others nearby, in country geologically and climatically continuous with adjacent Darjeeling. Gardens use a mix of older Chinese-type (sinensis) bushes and modern clonal cultivars (the same AV2-type clones found in Darjeeling), processed orthodox for the specialty market. The lowland Terai produces mostly CTC for the domestic and bulk market, a separate product. The shared terroir with Darjeeling is real: the main differences are often branding and the Darjeeling geographical indication rather than the cup itself.
Treat like a delicate orthodox hill tea: first flush around 85-90°C, 2.5-3 minutes western (3 g per 200 ml); second flush tolerates 90-95°C. Gongfu: 4-5 g per 100 ml, 90°C, short ascending steeps, which suits the aromatic, lighter body. Avoid full boiling water on first-flush lots, it brings out astringency and buries the florals.
Single-estate Nepali orthodox is good value, €10-25 (about $11-27) per 100 g, with top first- and second-flush lots from recognized gardens reaching €30-50 (about $33-54) per 100 g. Bulk Terai CTC is a separate, much cheaper category.
Prices reviewed June 2026
Darjeeling
The obvious benchmark just across the border; shared hills, cultivars and processing mean fine Nepali orthodox often rivals Darjeeling for less, the gap being largely the GI and the brand.
Nepali Green (Ilam)
The same eastern hills, unoxidized; shows the green side of Nepal's increasingly varied output.
Nepali White (Ilam)
Nepal's delicate white teas from the same gardens; together with the black and green they show how much range these estates now produce.
Nepal's eastern tea gardens sit so close to Darjeeling that the leaf, cultivars and weather are effectively shared, yet because the famous Darjeeling geographical indication stops at the border, comparable Nepali orthodox tea often sells for noticeably less, which is why it has a reputation as a connoisseur's value play.