Buying Guide

Last updated: June 2026

Nepal green tea is single-origin loose-leaf green tea grown above 5,000 ft in the Himalayan foothills of Ilam, and it's naturally free of bitterness. Altitude slows the leaf's growth, so it builds up theanine, which brings sweetness and calm, instead of the catechins that make lower-grown green teas harsh. Our green teas come from Farmers Tea Co. in Ilam at 5,500 ft, one of the few USDA certified organic green tea farms in Nepal.

I'm Bhaskar Dahal, founder of Nepal Hills Tea. My father Dev has farmed tea in Ilam since I was a teenager, and his gardens sit at 5,100 ft in the same valley as the farms we buy from today. When I started Nepal Hills Tea in Canada, I went back to those hills and built direct relationships with farmers I'd known growing up. Every bag of Nepal green tea we sell in Canada comes straight from those farms.

To taste what altitude does, start with our Nepal Hills Tea Sampler Kit ($30). It includes both of our Himalayan green teas and eight other single-origin teas from Ilam and Taplejung.

Why does altitude make better green tea?

Most green teas people call bitter were grown below 3,000 ft, where it's warm and plants grow fast. At that height, tea plants build up high levels of catechins, the polyphenols behind astringency and bitterness. These green tea catechins have been studied in clinical trials for their antioxidant activity, but in the cup, how much of them there is decides whether a green tea tastes smooth or harsh.

Nepal's Ilam district sits at 5,000 to 7,000 ft, where cool temperatures slow the tea plant's growth. That gives the plant more time to make L-theanine, an amino acid that brings sweetness, umami, and the gentle calm people associate with green tea. The balance shifts strongly from catechins toward theanine, and the tea comes out naturally sweet, floral, and smooth from the first sip.

Processing has nothing to do with it. It's chemistry shaped by geography, and it's why Himalayan green teas don't turn bitter even when brewed a bit hotter or left a little longer than lower-grown teas.

Which farm grows our Nepal green teas?

All our green teas come from one farm: Farmers Tea Co. in Malate, Ilam, at 5,500 ft.

The farm is run by Dil Kumar Rai and holds USDA Organic certification (CE-207237), which is rare among Nepali green tea farms. Grown on a certified organic farm, the tea gets no synthetic pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, and no shortcuts. The terroir does the work.

The Ilam valley gets monsoon moisture from the Bay of Bengal but stays cool enough at altitude to grow slow, theanine-rich leaves. Altitude, river humidity, and old tea bushes together give Ilam green teas a floral quality you won't find in Chinese or Japanese greens, with jasmine and orchid notes that develop naturally without any scenting.

What are our two Nepal green teas?

Floral Green Tea: sweet, like jasmine, never bitter

Floral Green Tea is the more expressive of our two Ilam greens. The dry leaf has a clean floral smell, somewhere between jasmine and fresh grass. It brews a pale gold cup that's naturally sweet on the first sip and has no bitterness on the finish, even at 90°C.

Its flavour sits in an unusual middle ground, more floral than Chinese longjing and lighter than a high-grown Darjeeling green. It's grown on a certified organic farm at 5,500 ft in Ilam.

Organic Light Green Tea: delicate, low in caffeine, subtle

Organic Light Green Tea is the quieter of the two. It's lighter in body, lower in caffeine, and subtler in aroma, and it brews a very pale, almost clear green-gold cup. The flavour is clean and mineral, with the faintest sweetness at the finish.

This is the one for people who find most green teas too strong or too caffeinated. It's grown on the same certified organic farm at the same 5,500 ft, so it shares the Floral Green Tea's lack of bitterness, just with a lighter profile.

Where should you start with Nepal green tea in Canada?

If you're new to Himalayan green tea, start with the Tea Sampler Kit ($30). It includes both the Floral Green Tea and the Organic Light Green Tea along with eight other single-origin Nepal teas, so you can taste what 5,000 to 7,000 ft does to green, black, oolong, and white tea.

If you already know you love green tea and want more, the Green Tea Everyday Pack ($70) is five 50g pouches of our Organic Light Green Tea, 250g of loose leaf at a better price per gram.

For a lighter mix of green and white teas, the Light Tea Lovers Pack is a good fit: four teas chosen for low caffeine and gentle flavour.

How do you brew Nepal green tea?

High-altitude Nepal green tea is forgiving. Because it has fewer catechins, it won't turn bitter if you brew it a little hotter or longer than you would a Chinese green. Nepal's tea sector is overseen by the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, which lists Ilam as one of the country's main high-altitude growing areas.

• Water temperature: 80 to 90°C. Without a temperature-controlled kettle, bring the water to a boil and let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Amount: 1 teaspoon (2 to 3g) per 250ml cup.
• Steep time: 2 to 3 minutes for Floral Green Tea, 1.5 to 2 minutes for Organic Light Green Tea.
• Re-steeping: both teas hold up for 2 to 3 steeps, and the second often brings out more of the floral notes.

Green tea is just one part of Nepal's tea tradition. To see how altitude shapes black, white, and oolong too, read our Nepali tea guide, or for the gentler end of the range, see our guide to loose-leaf white tea in Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions About Nepal Green Tea in Canada

What is Nepal green tea and how is it different from Chinese or Japanese green tea?

Nepal green tea grows at 5,000 to 7,000 ft in the Himalayan foothills of Ilam, much higher than most Chinese or Japanese tea gardens. The altitude slows growth and concentrates L-theanine instead of bitter catechins, so the tea is naturally sweet and floral with no bitterness. It's more delicate than Japanese greens and more floral than Chinese greens.

Why is Nepal green tea naturally free of bitterness?

Bitterness in green tea comes mainly from catechins, polyphenols that build up quickly in warm, low-altitude conditions. At 5,500 ft in Ilam, cool temperatures slow the plant's growth and give it time to make more L-theanine relative to catechins. Theanine brings sweetness and umami, so the tea stays smooth from the first sip to the last, with no bitterness even when brewed a little strong.

Where can I buy Nepal green tea in Canada?

Nepal Hills Tea ships directly across Canada from Peterborough, Ontario. Our Tea Sampler Kit ($30) is the best place to start, with both our Floral Green Tea and Organic Light Green Tea plus eight other single-origin Nepal teas. If you already love green tea, the Green Tea Everyday Pack ($70) gives you five 50g pouches of Organic Light Green Tea, 250g in total.

Is Nepal green tea organic?

Our Nepal green teas come from Farmers Tea Co. in Malate, Ilam, a farm with USDA Organic certification (CE-207237). Both the Floral Green Tea and the Organic Light Green Tea are grown on this certified organic farm at 5,500 ft, with no synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The farm's organic status is verified every year under the USDA National Organic Program.

How much caffeine is in Nepal green tea?

High-altitude Nepal green teas usually have less caffeine than lower-grown teas, roughly 20 to 35mg per cup depending on steep time and water temperature. Our Organic Light Green Tea is at the low end of that range. For comparison, black tea averages 40 to 70mg and a standard coffee 80 to 100mg. Nepal green tea gives you a gentle, clean lift without the spike or the crash.

What does Nepal green tea taste like?

Our Floral Green Tea from Ilam at 5,500 ft has a natural jasmine-and-orchid aroma, a pale gold colour, and a clean sweetness with no bitterness on the finish. The Organic Light Green Tea is quieter: delicate, mineral, and very pale in the cup, with a subtle sweetness at the end. Both are very different from the grassy, sharp taste of most commercial green teas.

Can I re-steep Nepal green tea?

Yes, both the Floral Green Tea and the Organic Light Green Tea re-steep well. The first steep opens up the floral notes, and the second often deepens them. Use slightly hotter water (85 to 90°C) for the second steep and add 30 to 60 seconds. Most batches give two to three good steeps before the flavour gets too light.

Bhaskar Dahal is the founder of Nepal Hills Tea, a Canadian direct-trade specialty tea company sourcing single-origin loose-leaf teas from Ilam and Taplejung, Nepal.