Black Tea | Golden Tips (Camellia Sinensis)

Several distinctive modifications have been made to the standard black tea processing method for our special Kumari Gold black tea, also referred to as golden tips tea. Similar to other specialty teas, in the second flush (summer season), only one or perhaps two leaves and the terminal bud are typically harvested with care.

To remove moisture from the tea leaves and ensure that they stay intact while rolling, the delicate, freshly hand-picked leaves are allowed to dry for a few hours. Several stages of rolling are carried out under low, medium, and high pressure, with great care used to ensure that the leaves are not broken and that the essential oils and other fragrant components of the tea are brought to life. The leaves are left to oxidize—some may refer to this as fermentation, but it is merely a reaction with oxygen; no bacterial fermentation is occurring—for 8 to 10 hours, depending on the type of leaf and the season, following a full rolling process that takes roughly 20 to 25 minutes.

The leaves are frequently rotated and arranged in a variety of ways as they oxidize. This is essential for extracting the desired flavors, but it also improves the buds' golden hue by oxidation. The leaves are transported for drying when their aroma is at its strongest, capturing the flavors and scents that will later be more noticeable in the drinker's cup after brewing.

Kanchanjangha Tea Estate and Research Centre Pvt. Ltd (KTERC), Nepal’s first certified organic tea garden, was founded in 1984 by Mr. Deepak Prakash Baskota with the mission to eliminate poverty in his neighborhood. Located in the eastern region of Nepal, nestled in the foothills of Mt. Kanchanjangha, the third-highest mountain in the world, our tea estate thrives.

Our modest community sits between the renowned tea-growing region of Illam to the north and the western borders of Darjeeling, India, benefiting from the best of both worlds. At altitudes between 1300 and 1800 meters (4,200 and 6,000 feet), the estate enjoys pristine Himalayan climate conditions, producing incredibly distinctive and fragrant teas. KTERC remains a model social enterprise, operating on cooperative infrastructure and prioritizing people and the environment over profit.