Sri Lanka is the world’s second largest producer of tea and its former name of Ceylon has become synonymous with the highest grade and superior quality of this popular beverage. But tea hasn’t always been associated with the country - in fact it was the coffee bean that was originally the crop of choice on estates across the island. It wasn’t until a deadly fungus destroyed most of the coffee crop in the 1870s that the plantation owners realized that they needed to diversify and chose tea bushes imported from India as a ready alternative.
The first tea crops were planted in Ceylon in 1867 at the Loolecondera Estate by a young Scotsman named James Taylor; now known as the father of Ceylon Tea. Taylor had long been interested in producing tea in Ceylon and had started to carry out different experiments with cultivations on the verandah of his estate. Rolling the leaves by hand and leaving them to oxidize, he fired the leaves on clay stoves over burning charcoal. The resulting product was delicious and sold for a very good price in the London tea auctions.
The tea craze subsequently took off in Ceylon and by 1890, production of the crop hit nearly 23,000 tons; up from a mere 23 pounds between 1873 and 1880. Up until 1971, the majority of tea companies in Sri Lanka were still owned by the British, a legacy of the colonial era. This soon changed after the Land Reform Act was introduced to reacquire land in foreign hands. Since 1990, a new plan has been devised to divide the tea industry between state-owned institutions and privately owned companies.
Sri Lanka’s tea producing region is set slightly south of its center around the island’s second largest city, Kandy. Verdant, undulating hills covered in neatly pruned bushes give the landscape an intensely green hue. Plantation owners first found that their tea bushes thrived at the moderate altitudes of these highlands, but later discovered that the bushes could be grown at up to 2,000 meters and also in lowland areas. Altitude is a significant factor in the growth of tea, as its color, aroma and flavor are all dependent on the level at which the crop is grown, as much as the quality of the soil and the processing and grading of the leaves.
Darting in and out of the bushes, the tea pickers resemble butterflies in their brightly colored saris, as they pluck the tender tips and throw them into the baskets carried on their backs. The newly picked leaves are then transported for processing, which involves leaving them for a few hours to wither, before rolling them to release their juices. After being left for a further period of time, the green leaves oxidize and turn a coppery brown color. They are then dried in a hot air chamber, emerging black and shriveled, ready for sifting into their different grades, depending on the size of the leaf particles.
Visitors to Sri Lanka keen to explore the origins of their early morning cup can now stay at as a guest at some of the islands finest tea estates. The larger estates are, in effect, self-contained villages, featuring housing, vegetable gardens, schools clinics, temples, social clubs and stores. Many of the plantations have renovated their buildings and converted them into exclusive guest houses, complete with a cook and household staff. Nostalgic colonial era bungalows, some complete with swimming pools, look out over stunning, scenic views and provide an ideal base to explore one of the islands most beautiful regions.
Away from the spectacular central highlands, there are a host of other activities to occupy you in this tropical island paradise. Colombo offers all the attractions of a busy city, with star-rated hotels, shopping malls and a vast array of restaurants that cater for all tastes.
Being an Indian Ocean island, you will also never be far from the azure waters and bronze sands of the coast and you may wish to spend a day at the resort at Unawatuna, acclaimed as being one of the world’s top 10 beaches. For the more adventurously inclined, there are the high adrenalin thrills of white water rafting, sailing, mountain biking and hot air balloon rides. You can take hiking tours or cycle through the ancient ruins of a country whose history and heritage stretches back thousands of years.
