Nepali tea

CTC and Orthodox tea

Tea plants grown in Nepal, are used to make tea. This tea is called Nepali tea. These plants look, smell, and taste a bit different from other tea plants. They are similar to the tea plants grown in Darjeeling, which are used to make Darjeeling tea. This may be because the eastern parts of Nepal are geographically similar to the Darjeeling region. Darjeeling produces a lot more tea than Nepal. For this reason, tea from Nepal is not as well-known.

There are two types of Nepali tea:

• Orthodox tea
• Crush,tear, curl tea

Orthodox tea

Orthodox tea

Like Darjeeling Tea, Orthodox Tea is made from the Chinese variety of tea plants. The tea is rolled by hand, or using a machine. Most speciality teas like green tea, oolong tea, white tea, and hand rolled tea fall under the category of orthodox tea. In Nepal, Orthodox Tea is produced and processed in the mountain regions, at altitudes between 3,000 feet (910 m) and 7,000 feet (2,100 m). There are six major districts, primarily in the eastern regions of Nepal that are known for producing quality orthodox tea. They are Ilam, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Terhathum, Sindhulpalchok and Kaski.

Flushes

With Nepali tea, the time of the year, when it is collected, is also recorded. There are four main times, called "flushes"

• First flush, begins in the fourth week of March and continues until the end of April. The leaves are tender and the liquor is light yellowish-green in color, having a delicate taste with subtle aroma and flavor. The first flush is more expensive, because of its light and delicate flavor, but also due to the fact that it is produced in low quantity and the demand outstrips the supply.
• Second flush, starts during the second week of May and lasts until the last week of July. In the second flush the leaves gain more strength and exhibits the main characteristics of tea in contrast to the first flush tea. Some experts state that the best tea is made during the second flush.
• Monsoon flush, also referred as "Rainy tea" begins immediately after the second flush, that is around the last week of July and continues until the end of September. The monsoon tea, due to the continuous rain, exhibits a very intense and dark fusion as the tea develops its full color and strength, resulting in a full bodied tea. It is often recommended.
• Autumn flush, usually begins in October and lasts until the end of November. The autumn tea gives a fantastic combination of musky flavors, tangy aromas and an amber liquor.

CTC tea

CTC (Crush, Tear, Curl) tea

Crush, tear, curl (CTC) tea is a method of processing the Assam variety (Camellia sinensis var. assamica). It grows at a lower altitude, where the climate is hot and humid. Most of it is grown on the plains of the Jhapa district. Most tea drunk in Nepal is of this variety, almost 95%. Because it is easier to produce, it is also cheaper than orthodox tea.

The Nepal CTC tea also has four pronounced flushes, the First, Second, Monsoon and Autumn flushes, but unlike the orthodox tea, the CTC tea is more or less uniform throughout, often showing a strong color and subtle aroma after infusion. However, the flushes do not begin and end in accordance with that of the orthodox tea, mainly because of differences in local conditions.