Llam, Fikkal Nepal
This month we bring you Ilam tea from Fikkal. Fikkal is located just 15km from Darjeeling town but on the Nepali side of the border and is considered a rare first flush Darjeeling and a highly prized tea.
For years Nepal has produced wonderful black teas with a Darjeeling character. Smooth, aromatic and subtle, loose Nepalese tea is often tippy and fresher tasting as the tea bushes are younger, which creates a more subtle flavour.
Nepal’s tea community is in the budding stages of a loose-leaf revolution which is why the teas are so hard to come by. By planting the tea bushes on steep, high-elevation fields, the harvest is on par with those of the most prestigious Darjeeling growers, just a stone throw away.
Accessing a tea like IIam is no easy feat and we owe a debt of gratitude to a special friend of BRUU and industry known tea connoisseur, for hooking us up with this new plantation in Fikkal.
We love everything about this tea and how the early leaves echo the stage this region is at. The entrepreneurial farmers and plantation owners, unburdened by Darjeeling’s colonial-era baggage, are developing remarkable styles of tea on their own, defying the odds with younger, more vigorous bushes thriving in comparatively richer soil. We’re sure Nepali will soon be known for its tea.
Why we love Ilam
Astringent, pale liquoring, with geranium-tropical fruit notes. Deeply silvered tip in the leaf. Very attractive khaki-bronze green hue on leaf particles. This tea is so special and it’s exclusivity really adds to the appeal. It is like a Darjeeling, but a lot fresher and more subtle. It makes the perfect afternoon tea.
Location: Fikkal
Country: Nepal
Capital City: Kathmandu
Coordinates: 28°10′N 84°15′E
Elevation: 8,848 m above sea level
Soil type: Yellow, red, and brown-forest soils
Manufacture: Smallholder tea estates
Season: Spring
Av temp: 19 °C
Facts:
> Nepal’s flag is said to represent Hinduism and Buddhism.
> The highest mountain in the world is located in Nepal.
> Namaste is the standard greeting in Nepal.
> Nepal’s capital was once a lake.
> The legend of the Yeti is said to live in the mountains.
ILAM IS AVAILABLE IN OUR TEASHOP >>