Nepal Kalapani Yak

Autumn harvest from the Kalapani garden

Black tea from the autumn harvest of the Kalapani garden, located in the Panchthar district in northeastern Nepal beneath the majestic Kanchenjunga massif. The tea has regularly rolled, long, unbroken, fully oxidized leaves consisting of hairy tips and one to two leaves. The chestnut brown infusion has a full, round, beautifully balanced flavor with warm notes of pickled fruit, spices, resin, and cocoa.

How to prepare Kalapani Yak

Use 5 grams of tea leaves for 0.5 litre of boiling water cooled to 85-90 °C, steep for 2–3 minutes. Feel free to experiment with steeping time, water temperature, and the amount of tea leaves. You can also read our articles on tea preparation and water quality. These tea leaves are also suitable for Asian-style preparation, which includes multiple infusions: you steep 5 grams of tea leaves per 150 ml of water that has boiled and cooled to 85–90 °C for 30 seconds and in the following three infusions, you steep the leaves for 40, 60, and 90 seconds, respectively.

Kalapani Tea Estate

Kalapani means "black water" in Nepali, according to the dark surface of a nearby lake. A young garden located at an altitude of 1800 m on the slopes around the village of Gopetar in the district of Panchthar in Upper Ilam. The local tea production is a project of one of the managers from the nearby and well-known Pathivara Garden.
Kalapani was established in 2021 and is located in Gopetar, Panchtar district in Eastern Nepal. It is in a remote area bordering the Singhalila Wildlife Reserve, a high-diversity area of the Himalayas, famous for the rehabilitation of the Red Panda and the rare Himalayan Newt. 
It is a BLF ( Bought Leaf Factory ) where leaf is procured from small-scale farmers. The plantation range from 1800 to 2100 meters above sea level.