Sri Lankan Tea



History of Ceylon Tea

Sri Lankan tea (known for generations as Ceylon Tea) carries behind it a heritage and success story like no other. The story of Ceylon tea begins over two hundred years ago, when the country was still a British colony. In 1824 a tea plant was brought to Ceylon by the British from China and was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya for non-commercial purposes. Further experimental planting of tea had begun in 1839 with tea plants brought from Assam and Calcutta through the East India Company.

By 1965 Sri Lanka became the world's largest tea exporter for the first time. In 1963 the production and exports of Instant Teas was introduced and in 1966 the first International Tea Convention was held to commemorate 100 years of the tea industry in Sri Lanka. In the early 1970s, the government of Sri Lanka nationalized the tea estates owned by the British companies. In 1976 the Sri Lanka Tea Board was founded as was other bodies such as the Janatha Estate Development Board (JEDB), Sri Lanka State Plantation Corporation (SLSPC) and the Tea Small Holding Development Authority (TSHDA) to overlook the government acquired estates. It was in 1976 that the exports of tea bags also commenced.


Some of the different types of tea found in Sri Lanka are,

  1. Silver Tips
  2. Orange Pekoe
  3. Goldent Tips
  4. Gunpowder

Why Ceylon Tea is Different?

The size of tea particles (known as the grade of tea) has no bearing on quality, and only influences strength. When we harvest tea leaves and make them into tea, we use the traditional, artisanal method – withering, rolling, and in the case of black tea fermenting and baking the leaf. While rolling, the leaf can become elongated and wiry, tightly curled or smaller particles which come out as OPA, Pekoe, BOP or finer Dust or Fannings grades.

A single batch of good leaf can yield several of these grades and whilst they would all be good, the only difference in the size of particles would be the strength. That is related to the surface area of the leaf when brewed with hot water. A teaspoonful of Dust tea can have four times or larger surface area than the equivalent quantity of OPA, and hence offer better extraction, and thicker, stronger brew.

Tea plantations of Sri Lanka are found in,

Different Types of Tea

Silver Tips

Silver Tips Tea is the highly sought after exotic grade of Ceylon white tea. This is a fully organic tea, that has been sourced off a tea garden in the Kandy region of Sri Lanka. This tea is also known as Silver Needles tea. Grade can be prepared only in smaller quantities, as it is made of tea buds/tips off a specific tea plant variety. From one plant in average we could only harvest between 8 to 10 leaves in a month’s time period. So they are carefully harvested/plucked manually by hand and dried/withered in the direct sunlight. This tea is fully processed naturally for retaining it’s appearance with the silver color.


Orange Pekoe Tea

OP Tea, which is Orange Pekoe Tea in full, is a grade of tea that has larger leaves compared to other Ceylon black tea grades. It is made of less wiry, but well twisted larger tea leaf. OP tea has a forest-like scent. The liquor generally has a light golden reddish color with a delicate lighter taste. Mostly it is preferred by tasters who prefer a lighter liquor. This tea takes slightly longer time to brew compared to other teas due it’s leafiness. OP tea also has two other varieties named OP1 and OPA.


Golden Tips


Golden Tips Tea is a very rare exotic variety of The Ceylon white tea, that has been sourced off a tea garden in the Kandy region of Sri Lankan hill country. This could be the most expensive and exclusive Sri Lankan Tea. This is a fully organic tea, similar to Silver Tips Tea. This tea is similar to Silver Needles teas, but has a slight tint of Gold color. This grade can be prepared only in very small quantities


Gunpowder

Ceylon Gunpowder tea is a Popular Green tea variety produced in Sri Lanka. During the manufacturing process, this Ceylon green tea is steamed and rolled into tiny round pellet shapes. When brewed the leaves expand to it’s actual size, like any other large leaf tea. This tea has got it’s name Gun Powder tea, because it has leaves with the appearance of pellets used in classic shotguns. The liquor is strong and has a full-bodied cup with a slightly over fired feel.