MACHAPUCHRE BLACK TEA

" A warm and subtle Himalayan tea "

The appearance of the dry leaves is typical of a well-oxidized Himalayan tea. The olfactory notes of the infused leaves are a wonderful mixture of earth and wood with a lemony touch. They even evoke those of certain Pu Erh. The liquor is well dark, with copper reflections. A creamy texture and a sweet flavor lead us to notes of hay, earth and citrus fruits. A slight acidity without any astringency completes a particularly attractive tasting palette. We are dealing with a tea of character, well suited to the Western palate. Gourmet and warm, it will appeal to beginners as well as to enlightened connoisseurs.

Producer: Mrs Radha & Mr Nandalal, a couple living at the foot of Machapuchre

Altitude: 1600m

Location: Astam, near Pokhara, Nepal

Cultivar: These are clonal cultivars from Darjeeling, Radha & Nandalal don't know which variety. Production method: The leaves are harvested by hand and then withered for a fortnight of hours. When the leaves are ready, Radha rolls the leaves by hand in an ancestral way, gestures which are very rare now in the world of tea where machines have replaced the processes of yesteryear. Then the leaves are spread out and are oxidized for several hours until they reach the desired color. Sun drying is then carried out to obtain the finished tea.

Harvest date: Late March & early April 2022

Garden management: Radha & Nandalal have a small hotel with a view of the sacred mountain Machapuchre (6993m) and Annapurna South (7219m) and the rest of the Annapurna range. They have one small tea garden which if harvested intensively would allow the production of around 300kgs of finished tea. They produce teas according to their needs, and sell their teas to hotel visitors by 200g bag. They explain that they have never put fertilizers or pesticides in their teas.

Preparation for this hot tea: Infuse 1.5g for 100ml of filtered water at 95° for 2 minutes.

Prepare this iced tea: Infuse 15g in 1.5L of Volvic or filtered water at room temperature. Place your container in the refrigerator and let it infuse for 3 to 6 hours. when the infusion is ready, filter the leaves using a tea strainer or by slowly transferring the liquor into another container. So! it's ready to eat.

Tips:

- You can add ice cubes, but it's optional, it will keep your iced tea cold, but on the other hand will dilute it also reducing its intensity significantly.

- Iced tea can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.