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Green Tea

Organic Nepali Green Pearl

$19.99

Nepali Green Pearl is a fresh, strong organic green tea rolled into tight pearls. The tea makers at the Tinjure Cooperative carefully shape the leaf using heated pans, coaxing out a wide range of aromas and flavors that are best explored by steeping the same leaves at least twice.

Preparation

Steep 1 1 tsp / 2.5 g  |  8 oz  | 180° F  |  2 min
Steep 2  8 oz  | 190° F  |  3 min

Tasting Notes

Smoked artichoke & Meyer lemon

Origin

 Ilam District, Eastern Nepali Himalayas

Tea Makers

 Tinjure Cooperative

Certifications

USDA Organic, Rainforest Alliance Certified

Flavor & Aroma

On the first steep, this beautiful green tea jumps out of the cup with a citrus bouquet. As it relaxes in the second steep, its tightly wound pearls fully unfurl with a magnitude of savory flavors, ranging from briny seaweed to comforting smoked artichoke. To release this tea’s full vegetal strength without being overwhelmed by its astringency, it’s best to begin with a light, short steep that sets up your cup for the longer, hotter second and third steeps. Lovers of Japanese sencha and matcha green tea are likely to enjoy this tea.

Origin Story

Nepal’s best-known tea growing regions are in the far eastern part of the country, bordering India and in the shadows of Mt. Everest. While tea has long been part of eastern Nepal’s past, it lacked the market access to establish its own identity. As a result, most Nepali tea has historically been sold as knock-off Darjeeling, given the two region’s nearly identical soils. The birth of an independent Nepali tea industry is being led by small-scale farmers whose families have moved fluidly throughout the region, long before Nepal and India were separate countries. As generations of community members traveled between eastern Nepal and northeastern India, many of Darjeeling’s Camellia sinensis saplings and secrets came with them. The emerging region is blending expertise with invention, and, in the process, paving a new model for tea in South Asia. Read our blog about this region here.

  • Origin Story
  • Production

Tea Makers

In the early 1990s, three villages on three hillsides banded together and began growing tea. They named themselves Tinjure in homage to their geography -- Tin (“teen”) means three, and jure (“joo-ray”) means hills. The new Tinjure Cooperative sold its harvested green leaf to nearby established gardens, including Kanchenjunga Tea Estate, whose teas we also carry. In 2013, the Tinjure Cooperative raised funds to establish their own processing facility to craft their own tea from the green leaf they harvest. Today, the Tinjure Cooperative is 240 members strong.

Impact

The Tinjure Cooperative is Nepal’s first cooperatively owned and operated factory. By processing their own teas, farmers at Tinjure earn 20 times more than they did when selling the same green leaf to privately run factories. Tinjure’s board of directors, composed of both women and men, is actively organizing and guiding other communities, and helping transform Nepali tea farmers into the more profitable part of the tea maker business.

Our Sustainable Packaging

Tins

Durable and reusable, made from 100% recyclable steel. Labels are not recyclable but made from 50% hemp and 50% post-consumer waste.

Bulk Bags

Tough, resealable stand-up pouches with storing moisture and oxygen barriers. Not recyclable due to a 3-layer structure that serves as a food-safe barrier to keep your tea fresh as long as possible.

Pyramid Tea Bags

Recyclable stand-up pouches with tea bags, strings, and tags made from 100% sugarcane PLA, commercially compostable and degrades into organic matter. For best results, use a commercial compost facility.