Organic Nepali Black Tea Loose Leaf – Sagarmatha Gold, Award-Winning First Flush
Milk Chocolate · Hazelnut · Cane Sugar. Smooth, naturally sweet, golden-tipped.
Caffeine
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About This Tea
The Most Awarded Tea in Our Catalog — Spring 2026 First Flush, Hand-Rolled at 7,000 Feet
Sagarmatha Gold is our most awarded Nepal black tea, a USDA Organic first-flush harvest from 7,000 ft in Ilam, hand-rolled by master artisans over multiple days. The cup pours golden-amber and tastes of milk chocolate, hazelnut, cocoa powder, oat, and cane sugar, naturally sweet, deeply layered, low in astringency. Named after Sagarmatha (Mount Everest), it earned Highly Commended at THE LEAFIES 2024 and first place at a blind tasting at Everest Base Camp. A past lot was auctioned at €110/kg to Australia's Sharyn Johnston, creator of The Tea Wheel.
Sagarmatha Gold is picked once a year from a single small batch of first-flush spring buds. The Spring 2026 harvest arrived at our Saugus, MA warehouse in August and is what ships today, sealed straight from the lot. We list the harvest on every tea so you always know how old your leaf is.
🏆 Awards & Press
- Highly Commended — THE LEAFIES 2024 (UK Tea Academy global awards)
- First Place — blind tasting at Everest Base Camp, 3rd International Tea Event in Nepal
- Auctioned at €110/kg to Sharyn Johnston (Australia), creator of The Tea Wheel
Why You'll Love It
- First-flush only — earliest spring buds, peak aromatic complexity
- Hand-rolled by master artisans over multiple days of careful fermentation
- Naturally sweet — milk chocolate, hazelnut, cocoa, cane sugar
- Golden-tipped with a vibrant amber liquor
- Two awards and auction credibility — recognized by global tea judges
Want a daily cup with similar depth? Try Snow Leopard. Want our award-winning daily hero? See Himalayan Golden.
Quick Facts
- Origin: Ilam, Nepal · 7,000 ft
- Harvest: First flush · Spring 2026 · once-a-year
- Process: Hand-plucked buds · multi-day hand-rolling and fermentation
- Certification: USDA Organic
- Caffeine: Medium (40–60 mg / 8 oz)
- Brewing: 195–200°F · 3–4 min · 2–3 g per 8 oz
- Package: 2.4 oz resealable bag · about 27 cups
Brewing Guide
- Leaf: 1.5–2 tsp (2–3 g) per 8 oz
- Water: 195–200°F — boil, then cool ~30 seconds
- Time: 3 min for clarity · 4 min for fuller body
- Drink neat first to taste the chocolate and hazelnut layers
- Re-steep: 2–3 times, adding 30 seconds each round
More help: Steeping Tips for Black Tea · Explore the rest of our Nepal black tea collection.
What Makes "First Flush" the Most Prized Black Tea Harvest
"First flush" means the season's earliest spring harvest — the very first new buds and young leaves to emerge after winter dormancy. After months of cold, slow growth at 7,000 ft in Ilam, those first buds are packed with concentrated amino acids, aromatic oils, and natural sugars. The result: a tea that's brighter, sweeter, and more complex than any later harvest from the same garden.
Sagarmatha Gold is plucked from only the most delicate spring buds, then hand-rolled and fermented over multiple days using traditional Nepali methods. Most "premium black tea" on the U.S. market is not first flush — it's second-flush summer harvest or blended estate tea. Sagarmatha Gold is the rare exception: once-a-year, single-batch, single-origin first flush.
How Sagarmatha Gold Is Made — A Multi-Day Hand-Crafted Process
Most black tea is processed in 4–6 hours on factory machinery. Sagarmatha Gold takes 3–4 days of careful hand-craft from leaf to finished bag:
- Plucking — Prime buds with one open leaf are picked from morning through afternoon. The attached leaf is left for ~10–12 hours to give the bud "breathing time" before being detached.
- Withering — Slightly withered buds rest overnight on netted trays under cool conditions.
- Initial rolling — Flaccid buds are gently machine-rolled for 20–30 minutes without pressure.
- Hand rolling — Manually rolled and conditioned for another 15–20 minutes.
- First fermentation — Buds rest in a bamboo basket covered with cotton cloth for 3–4 hours.
- Second hand-rolling — 15–20 more minutes of careful conditioning.
- Overnight fermentation — Buds rest in the covered basket overnight for deeper flavor development.
- First firing — Oven-dried at 110–140°C for 1–1.5 hours.
- Resting — Dried buds rest for 7–10 days to settle.
- Hand sorting & second firing — Hand-sorted, then re-dried at 90–100°C for 1–1.5 hours.
- Packing — Sealed in paper boxes and air-shipped to our Saugus, MA warehouse.
This is why first-flush hand-rolled Nepal black tea sits above commodity black tea, and why one cup tastes like a different category entirely.
Taste & Pairing Notes
In the Cup
- Aroma: milk chocolate, toasted hazelnut, cocoa powder
- Body: medium-full · silky · low astringency
- Finish: long, naturally sweet (oat, cane sugar)
- Liquor color: vibrant golden amber
Food Pairings
- Dark chocolate (70%+), hazelnut praline, almond biscotti
- Buttered scones with clotted cream, shortbread
- Roasted nuts, aged Gouda, walnut bread
- Best enjoyed neat — milk masks the cocoa-hazelnut layers
Compare Our Best Nepali Black Teas
| Tea | Profile | Caffeine | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sagarmatha Gold (this) | Milk chocolate, hazelnut, cocoa, oat, cane sugar; first-flush; LEAFIES 2024 + Everest Base Camp | Medium | Connoisseur sipping; gifts; special occasions |
| Himalayan Golden | Honey-malt, dried apricot, alpine florals; plush mellow texture | Medium | Award-winning daily hero; straight sipping |
| Snow Leopard | Cocoa, caramel, muscat grape, red currant; wine-like daily cup | Medium–High | Refined daily cup; neat or with milk |
| Sherpa Breakfast | Bold malt, red grape, toasted walnut; smooth strong finish | High | English Breakfast alternative; milk/latte |
Sagarmatha Gold vs Darjeeling First Flush
Darjeeling first flush is the better-known first-flush black tea — bright, muscatel, often slightly astringent. Sagarmatha Gold is its fuller-bodied Nepali counterpart: same first-flush spring harvest, same high-altitude single-origin pedigree, but with cocoa, hazelnut, and cane sugar sweetness instead of Darjeeling's muscatel grape lift. Less astringency, more dessert-like complexity.
For tea drinkers who love Darjeeling first flush but want something smoother, sweeter, and rarer, Sagarmatha Gold is the upgrade pour.
Direct Trade. USDA Organic. Shipped from Saugus, MA.
We've worked directly with the same Nepali tea producers since 2012 — first as a Colorado-founded company, now headquartered in Saugus, MA. Sagarmatha Gold is grown to USDA Organic standards by smallholder producers in Ilam, hand-plucked in the cool spring window, and processed using the multi-day traditional method outlined above.
Every bag ships fresh from our Saugus, MA warehouse — typically the same or next business day. Learn more about our direct trade story.
Related Guides
Once-a-year spring harvest. Hand-rolled by master artisans in Nepal's Ilam region. Packed in a resealable 2.4 oz bag. Spring 2026 first flush shipping now from Saugus, MA.
Why Our Customers Love Our Teas
FAQ about Organic Nepali Black Tea Loose Leaf – Sagarmatha Gold, Award-Winning First Flush
Everything you need to know before your first cup.
