Ceylon Tea

Ceylon Tea - the Beginning....


Tea came to be a principal crop in Sri Lanka in the early 1870s. Prior to 1860s Sri Lanka’s main crop was coffee and no planter showed much interest in tea. A young Scottish man by the name of James Taylor who arrived in Ceylon in 1852 to work for one of the large coffee growers was mainly responsible for transformation of Ceylon’s plantation map from coffee to tea.

Taylor was a scientific planter who was entirely devoted to his work .He was involved with Royal Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya of Sri Lanka and it was there that he got his first tea seeds for experimental planting.

The 19-acre Loolecondera Estate where Taylor did the first commercial planting of tea became the model for future development of the tea industry in Sri Lanka. Taylor began to experiment with different methods of processing tealeaves. His bungalow became the factory.

Leaf was rolled on tables and firing was done in clay stoves over charcoal fires.

In 1869 a leaf disease destroyed the island’s coffee plantation and Estate owners looked for alternative crops. Following Taylor’s lead they opted for tea. The transformation from coffee to tea was fairly easy since island had experienced planters and well working agricultural system. Ceylon’s tea industry witnessed a rapid expansion in 1870s and 1880s, which brought a good deal of interest from large British companies, which took over many estates. From 400 hectares in 1875, the island’s tea area grew to 120,000 hectares by 1900.Today it covers about 220,000 hectares in the highland and southern low land areas of the country.
Taylor made his home in Loolekondera and died 40 years later. James Taylor’s legacy is best summed up in the words of John Field, a former High Commissioner of Great Britain in Sri Lanka. He wrote: “It can be said of very few individuals that their labour have helped to shape the landscape of a country. The beauty of the hill country as it now appears owes much to inspiration of James Taylor, the man who introduced tea cultivation to Sri Lanka



Ceylon Tea - the taste you can trust

Sri Lanka, though relatively small in size, is the world` s third largest tea producer in the world. Its` annual tea production is approx. 320 million kgs, which accounts for 11% of the world tea production. Sri Lanka exports most of its tea, making it the world’s largest exporter of tea. The annual tea export volume of Sri Lanka is over 315 million kgs. It has a share of 21% in the global tea exports market. In other words, Sri Lanka teas have been developed to cater to the tastes of tea drinkers all around the globe.

The strength of Sri Lanka’s tea lies however not merely in the volume of production, but also in its` superior quality and taste. Tea thrives on sloping terrain, and is grown in Sri Lanka in the central highlands and southern inland foothills, at various elevations. Based on the height at which it is grown, Ceylon Tea is categorized in to three main varieties – Low Grown (sea level to 600meters), Mid Grown (600meters to 1200 meters) and High Grown (1200 meters upward).

The teas produced in Sri Lanka vary from small leaf to long leaf teas and from light fragrant cup character to strong, bright coloury cup character. Most of the tea brands and blends in the world market have been enhanced by a percentage of Ceylon Tea. The main characteristics of Ceylon Tea are – rich, mellow flavour, golden color and pleasant natural aroma, which ensure its popularity whenever tea is drunk.

Much of the black tea produced in Sri Lanka is by orthodox process. The plucking of tea leaves is done only manually, to make certain that only the unopened leaf bud and two leaves are plucked to guarantee the quality and taste of tea. Sri Lanka also produces a small quantity of CTC (cut, tear and curl) teas and Green tea, instant tea and organic teas.


The process - Leaf to cup








Tea as we drink, is an infusion, made by brewing the dried leaves of a plant called “Camellia sinensis”. The procedure of harvesting green tea leaves is called plucking. This fascinating and highly skilled job has been traditionally done by female workers. As they pass between the rows of tea bushes, only the two leaves and one unopened leaf bud are selected, to ensure the final product is of the required quality. The plucking is normally done every seven to ten days.



The plucked green leaf should begin the manufacturing process in freshest possible condition, so they are taken by truck to the estate factory. On arrival at the factory the leaf is taken to the upper floors where they are spread on “withering” racks which allow a free current of air to circulate through them until they lose some moisture. In rainy season, controlled withering is some time necessary, where powerful electric fans provide warm air



The “withering” process takes about 8 – 10 hours and then leaf is fed in to the rolling machines on the ground floor, which breaks up the cell structure of the leaves and releases the natural juices and enzymes, that gives the tea its characteristic flavour. Another result of the rolling stage is that leaves get twisted.
The next stage is known as “fermentation” which is also called “oxidization”. The rolled and twisted tea leaves are again spread out, on tables in a cool and humid atmosphere, which in up to three hours turns them a coppery brown color through the absorption of oxygen.
Fermentation is stopped at a precise stage by passing the tea slowly through a hot air chamber. This stage is called “firing”. Now the green leaves have been reduced to about a quarter of their original volume and have turned a familiar black colour.
In the production of green tea, no oxidization takes place. Here the freshly harvested leaves are subject to heat, either with steam or by heating the pan in to which leaves are placed.
The final stage of manufacturing is “sifting’ or “sorting” which separates tea in to various grades according to sizes of leaf particles. This is done by sending the dried leaves through a vibrating mesh. These grades have little to do with the quality of tea but they are important when it comes to blending a consistent product for sale to the eventual customer. After sifting, each grade is weighed and packed separately for dispatch to Tea Auction. The main commercial grades produced in Sri Lanka are BOP, FBOP, OP, BOPF, PEKOE, BOP1 etc. Sri Lanka also produces Silver Tips and Golden Tips and other special grades of tea.

Tea, being an agricultural product is greatly influenced by the climatic factors – soil type, temperature, rain, wind conditions etc. Most of these parameters are variable, so quality of tea manufactured from the same garden can differ from day to day. Tea blending is done to cover these seasonal variations of tea manufacturing in a particular estate or origin.

In tea blending process, all characteristics should be matched and the dry leaf particle size has to be compatible. Two teas with very different densities will not blend. The tea blending requires great skill and experience to switch in and out of different origins and keep the finished product appearance and taste the same.
Apart from flavour, colour, strength and other desirable qualities, the final mix in blends must also be of the correct volume for packets and tea bags. Final selections for blends are mixed in the correct proportions in large revolving drums and immediately packed by high-speed automatic machines, in flavour-sealed packages.
Speciality Tea from Sri Lanka

For many people all over the world, Sri Lanka has an instant association with tea. For the world’s countless tea drinkers, this goes deeper and becomes a special bond. The flavour and quality of tea, like wine, depend on agro climatic conditions, and reputed varieties carry the names of prime growing regions. Sri Lanka’s tea plantations are mainly located in the higher elevations, which have a cool and pleasant subtropical climate.

he effect of the diverse climates of Sri Lanka on tea production was a major discovery by the pioneer tea planters in the later part of the 19th century. This discovery has resulted in an array of fine teas, which are unique to each agro climatic zone and are not found anywhere else in the world. These distinct climatic zones produces teas known by romantic names such as Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Uva, Uda Pussellawa, Kandy and Ruhuna.

Sri Lanka produces tea to suit every pallet and this has remained the hallmark of the country’s tea industry. It is the topography of the hill country, with undulating grounds, that brings about diversity to tea. Tea is a product of infinite variety. The jat of the tea bush, soil, altitude, climatic changes, wind velocity and seasons all play their part in infusing the varying degrees of quality in to tea. It is so sensitive to atmospheric changes that day-to-day weather changes leave their impression on the quality of the tea.

The climatic differences caused by elevation are significant. The classification of low grown (sea level to 600 meters) medium grown (600- 1200 meters) and high grown

(1200meters and above) areas also create a marked difference in the quality of teas. The contrast is mostly between low and high grown varieties.


Nuwara Eliya

Nuwara Eliya is an oval shaped mountain valley, the plateau being 2000 meters above sea level, which produces tea with a unique flavour. The air is always scented with the fragrance of the cypress trees that grow in abundance and mentholated with the wild mint and eucalyptus. It is a combination of all these factors that produces a tea that is recognized by connoisseurs of tea in the world. The tea when brewed is light but has an exquisite flavour and aroma. It has truly been said that Nuwara Eliya is to Ceylon Tea what Champagne is to French wine.

Dimbula

This is perhaps the most famous name in Ceylon Tea, as it was one of the first areas to be planted after tea took over from coffee in Ceylon in the 1870’s. The area covers the extensive western slopes of the tea planting districts. The standard definition of this district embraces plantations from around 1200 to 1700 meters above sea level.

The South-West Monsoon rains have a significant impact on the quality of Dimbula teas. Cold dry weather from January to March brings about changes that vary in the different valleys. This western quality season throws out a range of teas from full bodied flavour to light, delicate and fragrant.


Uva
Grown 1000 to 1700 meters up on the eastern slopes of Sri Lanka’s central mountains, teas from the Uva districts have quite a distinctive flavour and pungency, and are widely used in many blends. It deserves also to be enjoyed as a self drinking tea, especially during the Uva quality season from July to September each year.

Uda Pussellawa

On the fringe of Uva and leading on to Nuwara Eliya is the Uda Pussellawa mountain range. It experiences the same North –East Monsoon as Uva. Unlike Uva, Uda Pussellawa enjoys two periods of superior quality. The traditional eastern quality season from July to September will be its peak period. But the conditions will brighten up during the western quality season in the first quarter of the year. Plantations in upper Uda Pusselllawa closer to Nuwara Eliya gain the benefit of dry cold conditions that bring about a range of rosy teas.

Kandy

The plantations around Kandy, the ancient capital of Ceylon, supply what are known as mid country teas. These are notable for full bodied strong tea, which appeal to everyone who likes a good thick coloury brew.

The tea plantations are located from 650 to 1300 meters and Kandy is the region where tea was first grown in Sri Lanka.
Ruhuna