KATHMANDU, May 1: Tea produced in Nepal has won the title of the ‘World’s Best Tea’ in the World Tea Expo 2024 organized in Las Vegas, USA.
Siddha Devi Tea Estate, based in Ilam of eastern Nepal, bagged the honor for its product showcased in the trade expo organized last month. The company won the titles in four categories, which included ‘Grand Champion’, ‘Best Liquor’ and ‘Best White Tea.’ The company also received the title of ‘Origin Winner’ out of the beverages from 13 countries in the lists.
The World Tea Expo is one of the largest platforms that allow brands to highlight their finest teas on a global scale and gain recognition from industry experts. These winners represent the best teas and producers in the international tea market.
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Producers from all over the world submitted their products in the fair, which were evaluated by a panel of expert judges. Teas were sampled and scored live on the World Tea Expo Stage on merits of leaf style, make, cup character, liquor, appearance and overall finish.
Siddha Devi Tea Estate produces and sells green tea, black tea and white tea. The company was awarded the titles for its white tea product.
Deepak Khanal, acting executive director of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB), said tea produced in Nepal has been winning world-class awards time and again due to its high quality. “Nepali tea has received good recognition among the products produced in the South Asian region,” he added.
The records with the NTCDB show that the country produced 26,400 tons of tea in the fiscal year 2022/23. The cash crop is planted on 20,230 hectares of land area.
In the review year, Nepal exported 16,500 tons of tea and earned foreign currency worth Rs 3.94 billion.
India is the largest market for tea produced in Nepal. The landlocked country sells around 97.80 percent of its exported tea in the Indian market. However, Nepali tea producers have been facing a number of non-tariff barriers when it comes to exporting their products to the markets of the southern neighbor.
Just a week ago, 16 trucks of tea produced in Nepal were halted in the eastern Nepal-India border for five days. The Indian authorities, showing the issue of lab tests, obstructed the Nepali product from entering India.
