We have been sitting on this one for a little while now, and keeping it to ourselves has not been easy. Kumari Gold is the newest addition to our Origin Reserve Collection, and we are so excited to finally get it into your hands.
This is one of the most remarkable black teas we have ever carried. Our team has been sampling it for weeks, and we already have employees who have claimed it as their tea of the month.
Here's everything you need to know about this special new tea:
The Estate
Kumari Gold comes from Kanchanjangha Tea Estate and Research Centre in the eastern foothills of Nepal, tucked into the slopes of Mt. Kanchanjangha, the third highest mountain in the world. The estate sits between 1,300 and 1,800 meters, where cool mountain air, misty mornings, and pristine Himalayan conditions create the kind of growing environment that produces truly exceptional tea.
It's also Nepal's first certified organic tea garden, which tells you a lot about the people behind it. Founder Deepak Prakash Baskota established the estate in 1984 with a mission to alleviate poverty in the local community. Four decades later it still operates as a model social enterprise, running on cooperative infrastructure and putting people and the environment first. That matters to us, and we think it will matter to you too.
The estate sits between the famous Illam tea growing region to the north and the western borders of Darjeeling, India, to the south. The terroir here pulls from both worlds, and you can taste it.
The Story Behind the Name
This one gets us every time.
In 1984, a woman planted the first tea bush on a small plot of land in the Himalayan foothills. That land became Kanchanjangha Tea Estate. Her son Deepak built the rest, and he named his finest tea in her honor. Kumari is her middle name, and in Nepali culture, the Kumari is a revered living goddess, the only manifestation of the Goddess still present in Nepal. This tea carries that name with intention.
It's a beautiful story, and it makes every cup feel a little more meaningful.
Why Organic Matters
Kanchanjangha has been certified organic since the very beginning, and not as a trend or a talking point. It was simply how the estate was built. No synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, just healthy soil, clean mountain water, and farming practices refined over forty years.
What that means for you is a tea that is as clean as it is complex. The flavor you taste in your cup is the flavor of the land, nothing added and nothing taken away.
How It's Made
Kumari Gold is a golden tips black tea, made from the youngest, most tender part of the plant. During the summer second flush harvest, pickers select only the terminal bud and one or two young leaves by hand, choosing each one at peak ripeness. It is slow, careful work.
From there, the leaves are withered to remove moisture, then rolled in multiple stages to draw out their essential oils without breaking the leaf. They oxidize for 8 to 10 hours, rotated regularly to develop the deep warmth and golden color that gives this tea its name. The leaves go to drying at exactly the right moment, when their fragrance is at its peak. That precision is what locks in the flavors that make Kumari Gold so special.
What It Tastes Like
Okay, this is the part we really wanted to get to.
The dry leaf smells like caramel and brown sugar before you've even brewed it. In the cup you get a full bodied, naturally sweet black tea with pronounced notes of baked fruit and honey and a long, warm, earthy finish. What you don't get is bitterness. Kumari Gold has minimal astringency, which means you don't need milk, you don't need sugar, and you don't need to do anything except enjoy it.
If you love Golden Monkey or Yunnan Gold, you are going to feel right at home. And if you've always found black tea a little too harsh or bitter, Kumari Gold is the tea that might just change your mind. We've watched it happen already.
The Awards
We're confident in this tea, and so is the international judging community.
It has won: 1st Place, Toronto Tea Festival 2020; 3rd Prize, Paris Tea Competition AVPA 2020; and AVPA Silver, Diploma Gourmet 2022.
Three competitions, three prizes. Not bad for a small estate in the Himalayan foothills.
How to Brew It
Use 2 grams of loose leaf per 8 oz of water at 212°F and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. The one thing to keep in mind is that Kumari Gold has a high proportion of golden tips, which can get a little astringent if you push the steep time too long. Stick to the lower end of that range and you'll get everything this tea has to offer.
Come Try It
Kumari Gold is available now in a loose leaf sample, 40g, and a 1/2 lb sizes. The sample is a great place to start, and we have a feeling it won't be your last order.
We are genuinely so proud to bring a tea of this caliber to Tea Spot. It's the kind of tea that earns a permanent spot in your rotation, and we can't wait to hear what you think.