Organic Nepali White Tea Loose Leaf – Spring White Buds, NYT-Featured
Wildflower · muscat grape · stone fruit · sweet grass · silky butter finish. NYT-Featured. Re-steeps 3×.
Caffeine
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About This Tea
"The most delicate, expressive white tea I've ever brewed. The muscat-grape lift is unforgettable."
Quick Facts
- Origin: Sandakphu foothill, Ilam, Nepal · 6,000 ft elevation
- Cultivar: T1 (locally Musa Kane or Goomti) — silvery pubescent buds, unique to Nepal
- Type: White tea · Bud + first leaf · Hard-withered 16+ hours, gently rolled
- Caffeine: Low (~15–25 mg per 8 oz cup — about a third of coffee)
- Brew: 185°F · 3 to 4 minutes · 2 tsp per 8 oz · re-steeps 3 times
- Certifications: USDA Organic · single-origin · direct-trade
- Press: Featured in The New York Times' 2019 profile of Nepal as the next great tea origin
- Taste: Wildflower, muscat grape, stone fruit, sweet grass, silky butter finish
Hand-plucked in early spring from the Sandakphu foothill plantation in Ilam, Nepal, Spring White Buds is made from the T1 cultivar — a Nepali tea plant locally called Musa Kane or Goomti, prized for its silvery pubescent buds. Bud-plus-first-leaf is hard-withered for over 16 hours with alternating cold and hot air, then gently rolled — no separate oxidation step, just careful Nepal-specific craft.
Featured in The New York Times' 2019 profile of Nepal as the next great tea origin. The pale gold liquor brings vivid wildflower aromatics, muscat grape lift, stone-fruit sweetness, and a silky butter finish. A natural fit for white-tea drinkers seeking a vivid, expressive cup that doesn't fit neatly into Chinese white-tea categories.
Spring-Harvest Himalayan White Tea with Muscat, Stone Fruit & Sweet Grass
Spring White Buds Organic White Tea is a vibrant organic Nepal white tea made from the T1 cultivar (locally called Musa Kane or Goomti) — a Nepali tea plant whose buds and first leaf carry distinctive silvery pubescence. Hand-plucked at peak spring from the Sandakphu foothill plantation in Ilam, the leaves are hard-withered for over 16 hours and gently rolled — a process unique to Nepal, not a copy of any Chinese tradition. The result: smooth yet expressive, with wildflower aromatics, muscat grape lift, stone-fruit sweetness, and a silky buttery finish.
Awards & Press
The New York Times' 2019 profile of Nepal as the next great tea origin.
Single-origin Ilam, Nepal. Hand-picked from small co-ops at 6,000 ft and air-freighted to our Saugus, MA warehouse for peak freshness.
Why You'll Love It
- NYT-featured craft: recognized as a flagship of Nepal's emerging tea origin.
- Unique cultivar: T1 (Musa Kane / Goomti) plants with silvery pubescent buds — found nowhere outside Nepal.
- Seasonal spring pluck: bright, fresh, and layered with vivid clarity.
- Distinctive profile: muscat, stone fruit, sweet grass, and soft florals with a silky butter finish.
- Single-origin organic tea: hand-picked from high-elevation Ilam gardens, USDA Certified Organic.
Perfect for white-tea drinkers seeking a vivid, expressive cup with seasonal depth — and for shoppers who want a Nepal-specific alternative to Chinese commodity white teas.
How to Brew Spring White Buds
- Heat the water: Heat fresh, filtered water to 185°F (boil, then rest 2 minutes before pouring).
- Measure the leaf: Place 2 teaspoons of Spring White Buds into your infuser or teapot per 8 oz cup.
- Steep: Pour the hot water over the leaves and steep for 3 to 4 minutes — cooler water highlights floral lift, slightly hotter water creates more body.
- Re-steep: Re-steep the same leaves 3 times, adding 60 seconds to each successive infusion. White tea is the most re-steepable of all true teas — every gram goes far.
Boiling water scorches the delicate buds, so always wait before pouring.
Compare Our Nepal White Teas
Muscat grape, wildflower, stone fruit, silky butter. NYT-featured 2019.
Apricot, citrus peel, clover honey — brighter and more aromatic.
Floral, mellow, autumnal harvest — softer than spring.
Browse all our Nepal white teas →
Nepal White Tea vs Chinese Silver Needle
Tea drinkers familiar with Chinese white-tea categories often ask how Spring White Buds compares to Silver Needle (Bai Hao Yin Zhen) or White Peony (Bai Mu Dan). The honest answer: this isn't a Chinese style. Where Silver Needle uses pure buds and air-drying, Spring White Buds takes a third path — the T1 cultivar (Musa Kane / Goomti) hand-plucked as bud-plus-first-leaf, hard-withered for 16+ hours, and gently rolled. The result is a Nepal-specific white tea with brighter mineral character and more layered fruit complexity than its Chinese counterparts. Read more about the comparison in our silver tea guide.
White Tea Benefits
Spring White Buds is the most delicate and least-processed of all true teas. The minimal processing preserves more catechins (including EGCG) and polyphenols than green, oolong, or black tea — making white tea the most antioxidant-dense of the four true tea categories. Each cup brings:
- Lowest caffeine of true teas: ~15–25 mg per 8 oz, ideal for afternoon and evening sipping.
- High antioxidant retention: minimal processing keeps polyphenols at their peak.
- Hydration & gentle on the stomach: the lowest astringency of any true tea, easy to drink throughout the day.
For the full caffeine breakdown, read our guide on white tea caffeine.
Why Our Customers Love Our Teas
FAQ about Organic Nepali White Tea Loose Leaf – Spring White Buds, NYT-Featured
Everything you need to know before your first cup.
