Tea Rebellion embarked on a thrilling journey through the picturesque landscapes of Nepal from Kathmandu to tea farms in Eastern Nepal on the food-hills of the Himalayas in Ilam and Phidim. We were thriled to be back to visit our now six year long partner farm Kanchanjangha and see the school we crowdfunded for in 2018.
As we traversed this captivating landscape, we wanted to share with you the essence of our journey through Nepal and its diverse tea farms and tea offerings, Prepare to be captivated by the allure of Nepal's tea travel adventure with Tea Rebellion.
Exploring Kathmandu's highlights
Immersing yourself in the local culture is an essential part of the tea travel experience. The city offers a wide array of traditional Nepali cuisines, which you can relish during your stay. As we explored Kathmandu, we engaged with the locals and had several experience with Momos and Thalis - two common and very tasty local dishes.
Some highlights from our days in Kathmandu:
- Sitting in the gardens of Kathmandu Guest House, sipping delicious teas from Kanchanjangha farm brewed up at the new Tea Bar hosted by Nepal Tea Collective
- Roaming the streets of Thamel for nice, outdoor adventure gifts as well as local crafts to take home and gift for the holidays
- Visiting cultural highlights such as the Durbar Square's palace and Boudhanath Stupa
- Going to the old town of Patan to visit the Durbar Square there and the Patan Museum. Have lunch on a rooftop restaurant with delicious Momo and Mint Lemonade.
Travel to Bhatrapur and Ilam
After a strenuous and bumpy one hour flight we arrived in Bhatrapur and met our great driver to take us 4X up and down the foothills of the Himalayas.
This time around Annabel, founder of Tea Rebellion was excited to spend more time in Ilam, the tea capital of Nepal. This region is renowned for its tea production, and the unique geography and climate contribute to the distinct flavors of Nepali tea.
Tea Adventures in Tinjure, Siddadevi, and Jasbire
If you're a tea enthusiast and an adventure seeker, Nepal offers a transformative experience that combines rich tea history, cultural immersion, and hands-on tea-making experiences. The picturesque tea gardens of Tinjure, Siddadevi, and Jasbire provide the perfect backdrop for an unforgettable tea adventure.In and around Ilam we visited three tea farms and met several inspiring and renowed tea makers including
- Tinjure Cooperative, Organic and Fair Trade Certified Cooperative
- Siddadevi Estate, Family Owned Farm with tea Master Andrew Gardner
- High Hill (Uccha Pahadi), Cooperative
- Jasbire, a farmer collective with tea masters Sorad and Sonam (who runs his own farm called La Mandala).
We were hosted beautifully on all four farms and of course we are now in the process of tasting and getting feedback on many new teas. More to come on future collaborations with tea farms in and around Ilam. A huge thank you goes out to Alisan from the Karma Tea Company for organising this part of the trip and for Nalin, tea expert from Darjeeling for keeping us intellectually and teawise on our toes :)
Back again at Kanchajangha
Nestled in the eastern region of Nepal, Kanchanjangha Farm boasts lush tea gardens and a rich heritage in tea cultivation. Tea Rebellion decided to partner with Kanchanjangha from its inception as there is strong alignment in mission and impact through tea. Tea Rebellion's bold, authentic, and transparent approach to tea sourcing aligns with the identity of Nepal Tea Collective. This partnership empowers tea lovers to indulge in exceptional Nepali teas while supporting the livelihoods of the talented farmers and artisans behind them.
Kanchanjangha holds a special place in the Nepali tea industry, as it represents the perfect combination of the country's unique geography, climate, and tea-making traditions. The region's high altitude and fertile soil provide ideal conditions for growing tea plants that yield distinct and complex flavors.
School Update "Keep Our Kids Close & Safe"
In 2018 Tracy, Nischal and Annabel crowdfunded for "Keep Kinds close and Safe" for a school project to allow younger children to go to school locally and free up time for parents during the day. This project had a rollercoaster journey over the past six years. With some administrative delays at first in became operational as a school for young kids about 2 years after funding. It successfully operated as a school for a while and had three rooms including recreational room, teaching room etc. Then the impact of Covid accelerated the local immigration from the school district area and now young kids are down to a total of 6-7 making it no longer possible to have a teacher dedicated just for this school and all children are now attending a school a bit further away. After this the while the school building was used for teaching computing for older teenage kids. This was very popular and attractive a good turnoud even though classes were given during the week before and after normal school which required lots of travel time for those kids. At the moment the school building is not in use and the farming community is debating how best to use the school in the area. Possible ideas are recreational or educational events for children or adults on the weekends only, as commuting time during the week appears to be prohibitive for most kids.
New Tea Rebellion teas from Kanchanjangha
One of the key objective of my visits was to expand our current herbal tea sourcing form our organic tea partner Kanchanjangha. For this we visited more of the herbal tea farmers to look into ginger and turmeric production. It was great to see what organic production of these two root crops entails and what makes the quality of these distinct in this high mountain area. We are thrilled to share that we have two new herbal teas selected for our new tea launch pipeline.
New Domes at Kanchanjangha
For those of you coming onto a Tea Rebellion immersive farm trip to Kanchanjangha or booking the trip directly through Nepal Tea Collective, you should know that a big surprise awaits you. You now have the option to stay in the "Sky Domes" surround by tea fields which is at an about 15 min hike from Kanchanjangha Factory. Alison and Annabel stayed up there and enjoyed the tranquility and beautiful surroundings.
Future Immersive Tea Travel with Tea Rebellion
Are you interested in immersive tea travel to Nepal or other Tea Rebellion partner countries? Annabel has received the feedback that she needs to plan tea travel trips with more advance notice to allow people to clear their schedules so we are now putting together a list of keen travellers to help advance planning. If you are interested to potentially join an immersive tea travel trip, please drop us an email on info@tearebellion.com with the title "Immersive Tea Travel " and we will add you. This will make sure you are notified when new trips are in consideration. So long tea lovers!