Sri Lanka (Ceylon): The Island That Became a Tea Nation

Until the late 1860s, the British colony of Ceylon — modern Sri Lanka — was a coffee island. Vast highland plantations were producing some of the empire's finest beans. Then, in 1869, a microscopic fungus called *Hemileia vastatrix* arrived and within a decade had killed virtually every coffee plant on the island.

**The reinvention.** A young Scottish planter named James Taylor, who had been experimenting with tea on a 19-acre plot at Loolecondera Estate, became the model the colony rebuilt around. By 1900, Ceylon had over 200,000 acres under tea cultivation. By 1972, when the country renamed itself Sri Lanka, it was the world's third-largest tea producer.

**Six regions, six characters.** Ceylon tea is unusually diverse for a single small island. The six recognised growing regions, each with its own climate and elevation, produce noticeably different cups.

• **Uva** (1,200–1,800m, eastern highlands) — bright, citric, with the famous 'wintergreen' note that appears in the dry July-September harvest.

• **Dimbula** (1,200–1,500m, central) — clean, brisk, the 'classic' Ceylon flavour you'd find in a typical English breakfast blend.

• **Nuwara Eliya** (over 1,800m, central highlands) — the lightest, most delicate Ceylon. Pale liquor, almost like a Darjeeling.

• **Kandy** (600–1,200m, mid-elevation) — fuller-bodied, malty, slightly fruity.

• **Ruhuna** (sea level – 600m, southern lowlands) — strong, dark, full-bodied. The base of most CTC blends.

• **Sabaragamuwa** (sea level – 800m) — similar to Ruhuna but slightly more aromatic.

**How to brew.** Ceylon black tea is the most forgiving of all the major black-tea families. Boiling water, three to four minutes, optional milk and sugar — and you have a clean, bright cup. It's why so many household-brand 'breakfast' teas are blended on a Ceylon base.

**A note on certification.** The Ceylon Tea logo — a lion holding a sword — is owned by the Sri Lankan government and used only on tea grown, processed, packed, and labelled within Sri Lanka. If your packet has the lion, the contents are 100% genuine.