To really understand tea, visit the source. While tea has been grown, dried, and brewed for thousands of years, the specific locations and methods of each producer dictate the final taste of any leaf. India remains the world’s second-largest producer and exporter of tea, so this landscape offers boundless opportunities to understand the tea cultivation process. The Nepal tea industry is much newer, led by local communities experimenting with approaches that have never before been tried in the Himalayas before.
After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, we are excited to be organizing our guided trips to India and Nepal again! Fully immerse yourselves in the tea making process—from field to cup. Get off the beaten path—way off the beaten path—with us and experience mountain culture firsthand, as our tour guides provide education about India’s history and connection to tea, including local delicacies and city tours. Our guided tea trips are also a chance to meet the people who make the tea you love, offering personal connections across the globe.
We offer deliciously complex, high-quality loose-leaf black tea from India and Nepal. The name of each tea represents the region from which it hails—Assam, Darjeeling, and Kumaon, to name a few. All black teas go through the same four-step process: withering, rolling, oxidizing, and drying. The differences lie in the terroir in which tea bushes grow, and the expertise of the producer in coaxing the best out of each leaf. Black tea leaves’ dark color is a result of exposure to oxygen, each one meticulously oxidized until the moment of perfection, which is marked by a peak in the tea’s aroma known as “the second nose.” Characterized by its rich, bold taste and beautiful amber color, black tea is delicious on its own or pairs well with an array of foods. Shop our collection of loose-leaf black tea today.
Green tea is a customer favorite. Many love its fresh, vegetal taste. Others incorporate green tea into their daily routine to maintain health and wellness, as green tea contains antioxidants, L-Theanine, and Vitamins C, D, and K. Steeping the leaves multiple times allows these complex teas to release their compounds in smooth, layered infusions. The name of each tea represents the region from which it hails—Nepal, Darjeeling, and Nilgiri, to name a few.
The loose-leaf green tea we offer online is typically harvested from spring until just before the summer monsoons begin. Farmers pluck the entire bud set (two leaves and a bud) and immediately heat them to stop the oxidation and preserve their green color and fresh flavor. The leaves are then rolled to break their cell walls and increase the tea’s strength. Experience the essence of sweet, smoky Nepali Green Pearl or Nilgiri Dragon's lightly roasted notes. Buying loose-leaf green tea online has never been easier or more delicious. Shop today!
As a sustainable business driven by preserving the planet, we only source from growers whose ethical farming practices avoid synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals. We know committing to an organic lifestyle is important to our customers, so we’ve gathered our collection of high-quality, single-origin, organic loose-leaf tea online in one place, so you can easily shop the teas we offer that are certified by the USDA.
While most of our teas are certified organic, in the Nilgiris of southern India, tea is grown almost exclusively by small-scale farmers who don’t have the means to officially certify their teas as organic. Their teas have all passed pesticide testing, so we’re proud to offer them as organically grown. From the caramel and bittersweet cocoa flavors in our Kumaon Black Tea to the vegetal taste of freshly cut grass in our Nepali Green Pearl, we know you will find something you love that’s also good for the planet. Browse our collection of organic loose-leaf tea online now!
Looking for tea that’s convenient and high quality? Our organic, zero waste tea bags are filled with the exact same tea that we offer in our loose-leaf collection, making them an easy option for a good cup of tea while traveling, working from the office, or commuting to work. They are in spacious, pyramid tea bags, which allows the leaf to fully open and release their complex flavors. Our tea bags are great as gifts as well! From Organic Earl Grey blends to single-origin Organic Gunpowder Green, we’ve got the full range covered for you and your tea drinking friends.
Every part of our tea bags can be disposed of sustainably, including the tea bag, envelope and carton. You can visit our zero waste page to see what each part of the tea bag is made of, or read our blog that delves into our research behind designing this line. Our goal was to ensure that we can deliver a positive experience for you, positive impact for farmers, and a positive future for our planet.
Loose-leaf white tea is one of our favorites. We love re-steeping the same leaves multiple times, releasing the finely crafted teas’ compounds in smooth, layered infusions. White teas are the least processed of all tea types and feature delicate, complex flavors. Plucked in the spring as the tea bush wakes from winter dormancy, white teas are withered and dried without any rolling or oxidizing. Because of their minimal processing, a white tea’s quality becomes a reflection of the soils in which it’s grown, the health of the tea bushes, and the tea producers’ expertise, including proper harvest time and careful post-harvest handling.
We work with small growers and farming cooperatives to offer these distinctive Indian and Nepali loose-leaf white teas. Our Nepali Silver Needles and Nilgiri Platinum Needles require incredible attention during harvest, crafted from only the tenderest of buds—no leaves. White tea is commonly paired with light meals or enjoyed as a standalone beverage so as not to overwhelm its subtle, yet pleasant taste. Browse our collection to discover a certified organic or organically grown white tea that’s perfect for you!
Interested in trying a rare tea from India or Nepal? We’re pleased to offer a collection of small-batch teas in our rotating Reserve Line. This collection will be sourced exclusively from South Asia featuring only the highest quality teas that are crafted in micro batches, often representing the only tea of its kind that has ever and will ever be made. The teas in this collection won’t last long, so get them while they are in stock and check back frequently as we routinely refresh this collection. If you have requests for teas to add to the collection, let us know! Send an email to Madelaine (madelaine@youngmountaintea.com), and she’ll do her best to find the tea you’re looking for.
Not sure which tea to choose? Our online tea bundles are specially curated collections of some of our favorites. Perfect for the dedicated tea lover, anyone who entertains often, or busy commuter, our loose-leaf tea assortments provide plenty of opportunity for changing up your tea routine. Our bundles make great gifts too! From white tea, to green tea, to black tea, we know you’ll find something to love in our online tea bundles.
For a sampling of each, try the New Origins Bundle, which will introduce you to rare teas crafted by emerging tea producers. For a dive into the classic black teas that made Indian teas famous around the world, turn to our Black Tea Bundle. To explore the vast world of Indian and Nepali teas, check out the Subcontinental Explorer for a taste of Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris, Nepal, and Kumaon. And to try a taste of the future, check out our White Tea, Green Tea, and Oolong Tea Bundles.
India has become the second-largest tea producer in the world, crafting renowned varieties such as Green Mist and Darjeeling Long Leaf. Young Mountain Tea is part of this globally beloved industry and is the exclusive U.S. importer of many of the Indian and Nepali loose-leaf teas in our online shop.
We want to create sustainable communities through exceptional tea. We source directly from small-scale tea gardens in pristine mountain ranges—like our Kumaon teas, which flourish in the Himalayas. Every ounce of loose-leaf you buy helps to create vibrant rural economies and restore the environment.
Our partnership with Kumaon tea growers supports individual livelihoods, regional commerce, and revival of a tea type that’s laid dormant for decades. That means fresh, certified organic, high-quality Indian and Nepali loose-leaf teas that you won’t find anywhere else. We’re about quality and sustainability. Raise your cup.
