Here at this tea house I met this friendly couple and helped them sort through their sacred tea. I was helping pick through the sacred flowers from the plant, and taking out the stamen/stigma, as this makes the tea bitter.The tea in Nepal is beautiful, it is very similar to Darjeeling tea in India.
There are four flushes of tea in Nepal:
- First flush – light and delicate
- Second flush – more flavour but still delicate
- Monsoon flush - very intense and dark
- Autumn flush – strong
A flush is the first picking season of the year
The tea in Langtang National park is grown only for consumption in the park and is for locals and teahouse use, what a great example of subsistence farming. The tea plant is also a used as a traditional Buddhist blessing.
I t was such a privilege to and drink some of the highest tea in the world, my recommended best cuppa is at 4,500m (14,400ft).
If you want to find out more about Nepalese tea click here.