Sri Lanka Tea

Rolling hills in Sri Lanka are carpeted with some of the best tea plantations in the world. Very popular all over the world, the Celon tea or the Black tea was brought to the Srilankan hills by the British, who found the hilly region tailor-made for the plantation of tea.


Tea-Growing Areas
There are six main tea-producing areas in Sri Lanka:

» Galle, located in southern island
» Ratnapura, approximate 55 miles from capital Colombo
» Kandy, near the ancient royal capital
» Nuwara Eliya, the highest area producing the finest teas
» Dimbulla, western part of the central mountains
» Uva, situated east of Dimbulla

Altitude of Tea Gardens

How Tea Is Manufactured
Approximate 300,000 workers are associated with the tea estates. These workers pluck tea leaves by hand. They are careful only to pluck the bud and the two youngest leaves. Next step is the quality inspection of the leaves. The leaf is taken to the factory where it is withered employing the blowers.

Juice is then taken out of the leaves and fermentation process is begun. The manufacturers are careful regarding the fermentation time, temperature and humidity. After one is through the fermentation process, the leaf is dried and fired. In pure Ceylon tea, no preservative or artificial flavouring is added.

Final product is segregated in accordance with the particle size and the color. It is exported to places like Europe, Australia, North America and the Middle East.

History
The British found the hilly areas of Srilanka suitable for the plantation of coffee and rubber. By the middle of the 19th century, Ceylon tea or Black tea had become very popular all over the world. Most of the tea companies in Sri Lanka were owned by the foreigners till 1971. Land Reform Act was brought was reclaim the land in foreign hands. Now, both the state-owned and private companies are in the fray.