Kanchanjangha Tea Estate and Research Center Pvt. Ltd. (KTERC). KTERC is the first certified organic tea garden in Nepal that was established in 1984 by Mr. Deepak Prakash Baskota to rid his community of poverty. It remains a model social enterprise still today, that runs on cooperative infrastructure and is truly focused on the people and planet before profit.
 
Our tea garden is nestled in the foothills of Mt. Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, in the eastern part of Nepal. Located precisely near the western borders of Darjeeling, India and north of the Illam, the most famous tea growing region in Nepal, our small village enjoys the best of both worlds. Situated at an altitude of 1300-1800 meters (4,200 - 6000 feet), the area enjoys a pristine himalayan climatic conditions to produce highly unique and aromatic teas.
 
The production process of our Ganesha Green Tea is quite simple yet a work of art. The process begins by carefully plucking only the finer 2 leaves and a bud from each tea bush. The fresh harvest of green leaves is then brought to the processing factory as soon as possible to reduce the time the tea leaves can react with oxygen. The leaves are placed in withering troughs for a short time to prepare it for enzymer machine. The dry heat from enzymer sucks out moisture from the tea leaves and helps in reducing the oxidation process which would otherwise turn the green leaves to become brown and turning them into black teas. This process also helps in bringing out the smokey and nutty flavors in the organic loose leaf green tea while softening it in appearance.
 
The soft withered leaves then go through a short rolling process which really helps in shaping the tea while bringing out all the essential oils. While in general, green teas do not go through any oxidation process, we let the rolled teas sit and cool down for about 15-20 mins before sending it to the final drying process. Allowing it to sit for a short time really makes a difference to making those buttery and toasty flavors that define this organic green tea. The decades of experience the tea maker needs to figure out the peaks in the flavor and drying time is an art form.