About Ceylon Tea

Ceylon black tea is black tea that is grown in Sri Lanka (which was known as Ceylon before 1972). It has a crisp aroma reminiscent of citrus, and is used both unmixed and in blends. It is grown on numerous estates which vary in altitude and taste.

History of Ceylon Tea

The production of black tea in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) began after a deadly fungus called Hemileia vastatrix destroyed most of the coffee crop on the island. The coffee plantation owners realized that they needed to diversify. The Loolecondera Estate had long been interested in producing tea in Sri Lanka. James Taylor, one of the fathers of Ceylon Tea, had recently arrived on the Estate and wanted to be there for the sowing of the first tea crops in 1867. It was done on 19 acres (77,000 m2) of land. James Taylor was already experienced in tea cultivation. He had acquired his knowledge in North India. He carried out different experiements on cultivating tea on the verandah of his estate. He rolled the leaves by hand and fired the oxidized leaves on clay stoves over a charcoal fire.

The tea that James Taylor made was delicious and sold for a very good price in the London Auction. The tea craze hit Ceylon. By 1890 tea production was at 22,900 tons, up from just a mere 23 pounds between 1873 and 1880.

Until 1971, most of the tea companies in Sri Lanka were British-owned, but 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 share the industry between state-owned companies and privately-owned companies. Today Lipton, Sir Winston and Ahlan Tea are the most widely-known Ceylon tea brands around the world.

[Wikipedia]

Ceylon Tea News

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