Here in eastern Nepal, just a stone’s throw (if the stone traveled two hours) from Darjeeling, India but a day’s journey on the road from Kathmandu, lies Ilam*. In theory, given similar mountainous conditions and latitude to the former summer retreat for the British Raj elite, it seems reasonable that Ilam should produce a tea with a similar profile. In this instance however, reality does not support the theory. 

Admittedly, it was not exactly an apple to apples comparison that I undertook, given that the only Darjeeling I happened to have on hand dates back a year, whereas the Ilam tea was this year’s flush. Being a newer, younger tea, the Ilam had implied advantages for aroma and flavor.

But youth was not enough to compensate for substance; Darjeeling got top marks on all counts—flavor, texture, after taste, aroma. There is a delicate quality to the Darjeeling that brings with it an air of refinement, encouraging one to sip slowly and to drink it neat. That is, without any milk or sugar, so as not to distract from the subtlety of the flavors. With the Ilam tea though, I would actually recommend brewing it strong and blending with spices. The creaminess of the milk and sweetness of the sugar will mask the astringency and bitterness, which would otherwise be unpalatable.

The fancy French tin can that the Darjeeling was sealed in seemed to have helped preserve its fragrance (oolong is also packaged in such a fashion for the same reason) and delicious, honeysuckle-like sweetness.

The final verdict: With improvements to processing, there’s no reason why Ilam cannot raise the bar to create a high-quality Assam tea with the marketable edge of organic certification.

* There is an Ilam in Iran as well, but given the harsh weather conditions especially during the summer, I doubt tea trees would fare well.