Dhankuta
An eastern Nepali district whose gardens sit at Darjeeling-like elevations and grow largely Darjeeling-derived cultivars. Its orthodox teas are among the closest in character to Darjeeling produced outside India.
Elevation
Recorded at 1200–2200 metres.
How firm this is: Inferred from general knowledge of the district rather than measured or taken from a source that states it.
When it is picked
The eastern-hill four-flush pattern at high altitude, with a short season and low yields. The district's better-known gardens are among the few in Nepal organised tightly enough to sell a named single-garden flush.
How firm this is: Inferred from general knowledge of the district rather than measured or taken from a source that states it.
How the name is written
Also transliterated as dhankuta. Romanisations of a district name vary by system and by vendor, and a packet spelling one way is not describing a different place.
Teas this region is known for
- Nepal black tea — Aromatic and brisk, frequently carrying a muscatel note close to a Darjeeling second flush. Quality varies more between producers here than it does across the border, because the sector is younger and more fragmented.
Other teas recorded from here
Other growing regions in Nepal
The neighbouring districts are the useful comparison: they share a country, a grading convention and often a cultivar, so what differs between them is closer to terroir than anything a cross-border comparison can isolate.
Sources
- TeaHQ editorial synthesis — TeaHQ
This page is TeaHQ’s own synthesis throughout. No external document stands behind the elevation band, the climate note or the character described above, which is why each carries its confidence in the open.
Written comparisons
Where TeaHQ has set this region against something it is routinely confused with, and argued the differences out in full.
- Dhankuta vs Ilam — Nepal’s two principal eastern tea districts, both sitting on the same Himalayan ridge system as Darjeeling. Dhankuta sits higher and grows largely Darjeeling-derived cultivars; Ilam is the older and better-known name.