Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Tea
Known as Ceylon until 1972, the island of Sri Lanka lies in the Indian Ocean a mere 19 miles from the southern coast of India. The warm, tropical climate is offset by mountains on the southern end of the island rising to altitudes of over 8,000 feet. Ceylon was known for its coffee until the mid 1800's when a fungus wiped out the coffee industry and the plantation owners turned to tea. Since then, some of the world's most popular Black teas have been grown there. Because of tradition, teas from Sri Lanka are still sold under the name Ceylon.
Ceylon's switch from coffee to tea set the stage for another critical development in the spread of tea culture. A gentleman by the name of Thomas Lipton made a name for himself in the late 1800's by selling teas from Ceylon at half of the market price for Black Tea. He almost single-handedly created a market for "Orange Pekoe" tea. While Orange Pekoe technically just means full leaf, Mr. Lipton's creative advertising convinced generations of tea drinkers to accept no substitute for Lipton's Orange Pekoe tea!
Sri Lanka is a unique origin for tea because the harvest continues year-round. This striking and beautiful island features amazing geographic diversity and microclimates perfect for tea production. Tea in Sri Lanka is classified by elevation: low, mid or high grown. Each is very different, creating remarkable variety for a country which produces almost only black tea.
The Kandy region - a midland area (2,000-4,000 ft) - is where tea production first began on Sri Lanka. These teas tend to be medium to full bodied, with a refreshing citrusy tang, brisk fruity notes and balanced astringency. Our Ceylon Sonata is a classic example of this well-loved tea type: Example Ceylon Sonata.
The higher altitude teas from Uva and Nuwara Eliya (over 4,000 ft) can seem almost similar to a Darjeeling, with their golden liquors and fresh, sweet aromas. Even the colorful dry leaf can appear similar to the autumn hues of Himalayan teas. Like most Ceylons, these lean more toward a citrus note than muscat grape, the signature of a Darjeeling. Pleasantly crisp, medium bodied and floral - the perfect afternoon cup of tea.
Low grown Ceylons (1,000-2,000 ft) produce full bodied, colorful and hearty cups of tea, perfect for cream and sugar. The leaves are often larger, fuller and more wiry in appearance. In recent years, a lovely silver-tipped tea from the Ratnapura region has grown in popularity here in the U.S.
Before 1971, more than 80 percent of the tea estate were owned by British companies. That year, the Sri Lankan government nationalized the majority of plantations. In 1990, a plan began to re-involve private companies in managing the state-owned plantations. This upheaval and uncertainty has taken its toll on Sri Lankan tea production. In 1993, the island fell from its status as the largest single producer of teas in the world to number eight.
After failing to compete with India and Kenya in the low-cost production of CTC (crush, tear, curl) teas, many estates are now converting back to orthodox production (only about 6% of production today is CTC, and the government is responsible for shifting the focus toward high quality orthodox production). Today, Sri Lanka has recaptured a position among the top producing countries in the world - a new production record was reached in 2008. Sri Lanka currently has a market share of roughly 20% of global demand.