A Short History of Tea in Nepal: From Ilam's Hills to Your Cup

Today it's hard to imagine Nepal without chiya. Yet tea as a crop and a daily habit is younger than many people think. Here's the short version of how it happened.

The first tea gardens

Tea cultivation in Nepal is usually traced back to the 1860s in Ilam, in the country's far east, close to Darjeeling. Historical accounts differ on the exact year and on who deserves the credit. Most stories connect the first estates to the Rana era, with seeds or know-how arriving from China and from nearby Darjeeling, which was already famous for tea.

Ilam's hills had everything tea needs: altitude, mist, rainfall and well-drained slopes. Over the following decades, tea gardens spread across the eastern hills.

Orthodox and CTC

Two styles of tea production shaped Nepal's tea story:

• Orthodox tea: whole or broken leaves, processed carefully for aroma. This is the kind exported as "Nepal tea" and compared with Darjeeling.
• CTC tea (crush-tear-curl): small, round granules that brew strong and dark. This is what most households use for everyday milk chiya.

Ilam remains closely associated with orthodox tea, while CTC is the backbone of the everyday cup.

From crop to culture

As tea became cheaper and easier to find, it moved from estates into everyday life. Roadside chiya pasal (tea shops) appeared in towns and along highways. Offering chiya to a guest became a basic courtesy. A cup of tea turned into the natural setting for news, gossip, politics and friendship.

Tea and the new cafe culture

In recent years Kathmandu has seen a boom in cafes and coffee shops. Instead of replacing tea, this boom has renewed interest in it: matka chiya, tandoori tea and specialty blends now sit on menus next to cappuccinos.

Continuing the story

At Chiya Table we celebrate that long history with simple, honest tea: cutting chiya, masala tea, matka and tandoori tea. Explore our menu, or read what is chiya if you're new to Nepali tea.