Golden Tips Tea

The story of Nepali tea begins in the 1860s, when the seeds of Camellia sinensis first arrived in the eastern hills of Nepal from neighboring China and Darjeeling. Colonel Gajraj Singh Thapa planted the first tea saplings in the Ilam district, nestled at elevations between 1,200 and 2,500 meters above sea level. The unique terroir — a combination of misty mornings, cool nights, mineral-rich soil, and the pure glacial waters flowing from the Kanchanjungha range — created conditions that rival the finest tea-growing regions of the world.

For over a century, Nepali tea remained a hidden gem, overshadowed by its more famous neighbors. But in recent decades, the exceptional quality of high-altitude Nepali teas has captured the attention of tea connoisseurs worldwide. The slow growth at extreme elevations concentrates flavors and antioxidants in the leaves, producing teas with complex muscatel notes, delicate floral aromas, and a natural sweetness that cannot be replicated at lower altitudes. Today, Nepal's orthodox tea gardens — particularly in the Ilam, Panchthar, and Dhankuta districts — produce some of the most sought-after single-origin teas in the world.

At Golden Tips Tea, we carry forward this rich heritage by sourcing directly from small-scale farmers and artisan tea estates in Nepal's eastern highlands. Every leaf is hand-plucked with care, processed using time-honored orthodox methods, and delivered with full traceability from garden to cup. Our mission is simple: to share the extraordinary flavors of Himalayan tea with the world while supporting the farming communities that make it all possible.