Organic Kumaon "Golden Himalayan" Black Tea

$2.00 USD

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Tasting notes

About these tasting notes

These are the tasting notes we and others pick up most often. Palates vary, so you may catch some, all, or different ones — flavor is personal and subjective. Nothing is added: there are no added flavorings in this tea. Any notes you find developed naturally in the tea plant through rediscovered artisanal processing techniques.

Candied sweet potato Fresh berries Hot cocoa

Effects

About these effects

These are the effects people most often report from this tea. Bodies differ, so treat them as a common guide rather than a promise — most people notice at least one, but what you feel is personal.

High energy Focus Mental clarity

Kumaon - a lost chapter of tea history

From the Kumaon region near the Nepal–India border comes a fascinating piece of tea history. British tea cultivation began here in the 1830s, using Chinese tea plants brought to India during the British effort to break China’s control of the tea trade. In one of the most famous episodes of that history, Robert Fortune secretly acquired tea plants and knowledge from China, helping transfer the tea industry to India.

Many of Kumaon’s original British tea gardens were later abandoned, but a handful have since been revitalized, bringing these old “China seed” tea plants back into production. Their exact cultivar genetics are largely unknown, but they are thought to represent older large-leaf Camellia sinensis types, giving this tea a fascinating link to some of India’s earliest experiments with Chinese tea.

This is a CTC black tea with a rich, smooth body and notes of cocoa, caramel, and cream, combining the strength of an Assam-style black tea with the clean, distinctive character of its mountain terroir.

Notes from Staff: This is a strong, energetic cup of tea! Drink it when you need to wake up. It’s especially good with cream and sugar, making a fantastic hot or iced milk tea.

Old Mountain Tea Guarantee

Our teas are guaranteed free from harmful chemicals. We source directly from small, clean family farms that take real pride in their work — no middlemen, no anonymous blends. Many of these teas are bug-bitten, and leafhoppers only feed on gardens grown without pesticides, so the leaf itself is living proof the garden is clean. Every tea is grown to organic standards and traceable to the farm that made it.

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Rare TeaOrganic FarmsSmall Batch ProductionHand-harvested & ProcessedNo Added Flavors or Preservatives — Ever!Secure Checkout30-day Returns

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Origin & Terroir

Cultivar About this cultivar While the term "China seeds" from 19th Century British records is quite vague, these were likely a type of wild tea (possibly camellia sinensis var. assamica) or another native tea plant from the region that is now southern China, Northern Vietnam, and Northern Lao. These tea bushes are sometimes up to 170 years old, and still producing tea of good quality.: Assamica(Camellia sinensis var. assamica)
Status: Rare
Processing method: Black Tea(Hong Cha) (紅茶) CTC Method (Crush, Tear, Curl)
Charcoal roast level: 0%

Region: Uttarakhand, India
Harvest: Summer 2026(Organic)
Elevation: 1940 meters
Oxidation level What oxidation level means Oxidation is what turns green tea into oolong or black tea — as leaves are bruised and rested, enzymes react with oxygen and deepen their color and flavor. Green tea sees almost none; oolong ranges widely; black tea is oxidized fully.: (95% · High)
Picking style Why picking style matters Hand-plucking means workers select each bud and leaf by touch, one at a time — far slower and more expensive than machine harvesting, but gentler on the leaf. As labor costs rise, fewer gardens still pick this way, making hand-plucked tea increasingly rare.: Machine Harvested
Bug-bitten level: 0%