Nepal tea

18 Nepal teas from 6 independent UK tea merchants, from £3.25.

Nepal sits right alongside Darjeeling in the Himalayas and makes strikingly similar tea — often at friendlier prices. Grown at high altitude in districts like Ilam, its orthodox whole-leaf teas are light, floral, muscatel and complex, picked by flush like their neighbours across the border. Much of it comes from smallholder co-operatives and newer estates focused on quality rather than volume, and a good deal is organic by default. For UK buyers, Nepalese first- and second-flush teas are one of speciality tea’s best-kept secrets: the delicacy of a Darjeeling with the story of small growers building a young industry. Look for the estate or co-operative name and the flush on the packet.