Tea Guides

Last updated: August 2026

Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships have a long relationship with careful, small-scale food and drink craftsmanship. Nepal Hills Tea fits that same tradition from the other side of the world: whole-leaf, single-origin tea grown at 5,000–7,000 ft in Nepal's Ilam and Taplejung districts, shipped across Canada free on orders over $60 CAD.

Start With the Tea Sampler Kit

The Tea Sampler Kit ($30 CAD) is 10 single-origin teas — black, green, oolong, and white, 5g each — from all four family farms Nepal Hills Tea partners with: Farmers Tea Co., Sandakphu Tea Estate, Pathibhara Tea Estate, and Norling Specialty Tea. It's a full tasting flight built to help you land on a favourite before committing to a full-size bag.

Why Elevation Changes the Flavour

Tea grown above 5,000 ft develops slowly, and that slower growth lets the plant accumulate the amino acids behind sweetness and body rather than the harsh compounds that build up quickly at low elevation. A 2020 field study of tea clones grown across multiple sites in Ilam, Nepal, found measurable elevation-linked differences in leaf phytochemical composition — real evidence for why single-origin high-altitude tea tastes rounder than tea grown fast at low elevation.

Black Tea Lover Pack: Four Single-Origin Blacks

The Black Tea Lover Pack bundles Gold Black Tea (Farmers Tea Co., 5,500 ft, malt/caramel/honey), Muscatel Black Tea (Norling Specialty Tea, 5,135 ft, honey-grape muscatel), Ruby Black Tea (Sandakphu Tea Estate, 5,500–7,000 ft, dark cherry/cocoa), and Special Black Tea (Pathibhara Tea Estate, 6,000 ft, dark chocolate/dried plum).

Each of these is orthodox-processed — hand-rolled and hand-fired on the farm in small batches — rather than run through CTC (crush-tear-curl), the industrial process behind most commodity tea. A 2020 comparative study from India's Tocklai Tea Research Institute found CTC processing ruptures far more leaf cell structure than orthodox rolling, extracting a much larger share of tannin-related catechins — the compounds most responsible for bitterness — into the infusion. Orthodox rolling is slower and gentler, the same artisanal logic behind a well-made Eastern Townships cider or cheese, and it's a real part of why these teas brew smooth instead of harsh.

Light Tea Lovers Pack: For Green Tea Skeptics

The Light Tea Lovers Pack is for anyone who's decided green tea always tastes bitter or grassy, or wants a gentler evening cup. It pairs green and white teas from the same high-altitude farms, hand-processed in small batches to avoid the over-oxidation that causes astringency in most commercial green tea.

Shipping to Sherbrooke

Nepal Hills Tea ships across Canada, free on orders over $60 CAD — easy to reach with a Sampler Kit and a lover pack together. Join tea drinkers in Sherbrooke and nearby Magog and Rock Forest who are discovering single-origin loose leaf tea from the Himalayas.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Nepal Hills Tea ship to Sherbrooke?

Yes. Nepal Hills Tea ships across Canada, including Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships, with free shipping on orders over $60 CAD.

What makes this tea different from what's in a grocery store box?

It's whole-leaf, single-origin tea grown at 5,000–7,000 ft on four named family farms in Ilam and Taplejung, Nepal, hand-processed using orthodox methods instead of industrial CTC — producing a naturally smooth cup without added bitterness.

Which pack should I order first?

The Tea Sampler Kit ($30 CAD) — 10 teas across all four types and all four farms, so you can find your preference before buying a full-size pack.

Is this tea organic?

Farmers Tea Co. and Sandakphu Tea Estate are certified organic; Pathibhara Tea Estate is grown following organic practices without formal certification; Norling Specialty Tea's Muscatel and Floral Oolong lines are in the process of organic certification.

How does Nepal Hills Tea compare to Darjeeling?

Both are grown at high altitude in the same Himalayan foothill range on opposite sides of the Nepal–India border. See our full Nepal tea vs. Darjeeling comparison.

Where can I learn more about how altitude affects flavour?

Read our guide on why high-altitude tea tastes different. Background on Nepal's tea regions is available from the Nepal Tea and Coffee Development Board.

Bhaskar Dahal is the founder of Nepal Hills Tea, sourcing single-origin loose leaf tea directly from four family farms in Ilam and Taplejung, Nepal.