Nepali Coffee: Where It Grows and Why It's Worth Trying

Nepal is famous for tea, but it also grows coffee: in small quantities, on small farms, in the country's mid-hills.

Where coffee grows in Nepal

Coffee in Nepal is grown mainly in the mid-hill districts, at moderate altitudes where the climate is mild. Districts such as Gulmi, Palpa, Syangja, Kaski, Lalitpur and Sindhupalchok are commonly mentioned as coffee areas. Most farms are small, family-run plots rather than large plantations.

Small but growing

Nepal's coffee output is tiny compared with its tea output. Official figures have put annual coffee production in the hundreds of tonnes, while tea runs into the tens of thousands. But interest is rising, and Nepali coffee is increasingly exported as a specialty product.

What does Nepali coffee taste like?

Nepal mainly grows Arabica coffee. Many people describe it as:

• Mild and smooth, rather than very bitter
• Light to medium bodied
• With gentle notes that change from farm to farm

Because production is small, flavours vary a lot. That's part of the fun.

Why it's worth trying

• It supports smallholder farmers in the hills.
• It's a chance to taste a local product in a country where most coffee culture is still new.
• It connects Nepal's coffee boom to Nepal's own land.

Coffee at Chiya Table

We keep coffee simple and affordable: Milk Coffee Rs. 50, Black Coffee Rs. 40, Cold Coffee Rs. 70 and Cold Black Coffee Rs. 50. Ask our team about what we're brewing when you visit. See the menu and read about Nepal's coffee boom.