Nepal Hills Organic Light Green Tea: A Smooth High-Altitude Green Tea from Nepal
Most people who say they don't like green tea have only had bad green tea: brewed too hot, steeped too long, or grown at low altitude for yield instead of flavour. Our Organic Light Green Tea tends to change their minds. It's grown at high altitude in Nepal's Ilam district by Farmers Tea Co, a certified organic grower we partner with, and it's naturally sweet, clean, and smooth, without the grassiness or bitterness of poorer green teas.
What Is Organic Light Green Tea?
Organic Light Green Tea is a lightly processed, barely oxidized green tea grown at high altitude in Nepal's Ilam district. "Light" describes both how it's processed and how it tastes. It's a delicate, clean green tea that leans on natural sweetness and freshness, where some Japanese and Chinese greens are stronger and more vegetal.
The organic certification covers how the tea is farmed at the source: no synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, grown to organic standards. Two of our four partner farms are certified organic, and Farmers Tea Co is one of them.
Flavour Profile
Light, clean, and naturally sweet. The vegetal notes are there but gentle, more fresh grass and green leaves than the strong seaweed or spinach character of Japanese sencha or gyokuro. There's a light floral note on the finish, and a natural sweetness that comes from slow growth at altitude. Brewed correctly, it has no bitterness and no astringency.
It's the green tea that wins over people who thought they didn't like green tea, because what they disliked was low-quality green tea brewed the wrong way.
Who Is Organic Light Green Tea For?
- Green tea beginners. Its gentle character and lack of bitterness make it the most approachable green tea we sell.
- Health-conscious tea drinkers. Green tea's EGCG and L-theanine are well studied, and organic sourcing adds extra confidence.
- Afternoon tea drinkers. Low caffeine (20 to 40mg per cup) and calming L-theanine make it ideal during the day.
- Anyone put off by bad green tea. Organic green tea grown at altitude is nothing like supermarket green tea bags.
How to Brew Organic Light Green Tea
Water temperature: 80 to 85°C. Temperature matters more than anything else with green tea. Boiling water (100°C) destroys the delicate flavours and makes the tea bitter. Use a thermometer, or let boiled water cool for 3 to 5 minutes first.
How much leaf: 1 teaspoon (1.5 to 2g) per 250ml. Green tea is lighter than black, so you need less leaf for a balanced cup.
Steeping time: 2 minutes. Taste and adjust: add 30 seconds for a slightly fuller flavour, but taste before you go past 3 minutes.
No milk or sugar: Green tea grown at altitude is naturally sweet and doesn't need anything added. Milk masks the delicate flavour and adds nothing.
Re-steeping: Organic Light Green Tea re-steeps well for 2 to 3 infusions, and the second is often sweeter than the first.
Green Tea and Health: What the Evidence Says
Green tea is one of the most studied foods in nutrition research. The key compounds are EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), a strong antioxidant; L-theanine, an amino acid that promotes calm focus; and caffeine, in smaller amounts than black tea or coffee. L-theanine and caffeine together give green tea its typical effect: alert without jitters, focused without anxiety.
Tea grown at high altitude, like ours in Ilam, has higher concentrations of these compounds in a smaller leaf, so you get more of them per gram than in commodity green tea grown lower down.
Organic Light Green Tea vs. Floral Green Tea
We carry two green teas:
- Organic Light Green Tea is clean, lightly vegetal, and certified organic, an everyday green tea with health credentials.
- Floral Green Tea is more aromatic and naturally floral, with jasmine-like notes up front. Choose it if you like your green tea more fragrant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this green tea taste different from grocery store green tea?
Altitude, careful processing, and leaf quality. Supermarket green tea is usually grown at low elevation for yield, blended from several sources, and packed in bags as dust and fannings. Our Organic Light Green Tea is whole-leaf and single-origin, grown at altitude where slower growth concentrates the flavour.
Is it certified organic?
Yes. Organic Light Green Tea is grown by Farmers Tea Co, a certified organic grower we partner with in Ilam, Nepal. The farm holds grower-level organic certification.
How much caffeine does green tea have?
About 20 to 40mg per cup, less than black tea (40 to 70mg) and much less than coffee (95 to 200mg). With L-theanine alongside it, you feel calmly alert more than stimulated.
Can I drink green tea on an empty stomach?
Some people find any tea on an empty stomach makes them a little nauseous. If that's you, drink it with or after a light meal. Organic Light Green Tea is lighter than black tea, so it's gentler in this respect.
Does Nepal Hills Tea ship to all Canadian provinces?
Yes, Canada-wide from Peterborough, Ontario. Shipping is free on orders over $60 CAD, and most provinces get their orders within 3 to 7 business days.
The Bottom Line
Organic Light Green Tea is green tea done well: grown at altitude by a certified organic grower (Farmers Tea Co), naturally sweet and smooth, and free of the bitterness that puts people off green tea. Whether you already drink green tea and want a better source, or you're giving it a proper try for the first time, it's a good cup to start with.
Buy Organic Light Green Tea or discover the full Nepal Hills range with the Tea Sampler Kit.
