You can’t go to Sri Lanka and not have a cup of Ceylon Tea (mind you while the name of the country changed in 1972, the tea is still called Ceylon).
The exquisite teas of this hilly region are renowned for their taste and aroma
You can’t go to Sri Lanka and not have a cup of Ceylon Tea (mind you while the name of the country changed in 1972, the tea is still called Ceylon).
I went to find out the place from where a good cuppa comes and educate myself on tea processing.
I learned some new words like withering, rolling, fermenting (okay, I knew fermenting before) and took a stroll in the aromatic tea factory of Dambutenne where the workers greeted me with smiles and a steaming cup of Lipton.
The tea estates look like manicured lawns here! From Lipton’s Seat one gets an amazing view of the surrounding countryside. I took some pictures of the women plucking tea alongside the road. Mr
Kandasamy - the manager, gave me his address and asked me to post some of the photos. The news, that I would send pictures travelled faster than I did on the hillside, and every woman asked me to take her picture and post it. It was a great afternoon. Probably one of the best in Sri Lanka and I made my priority to print out and send over 200 pictures from Galle to the tea estate. There are several privately-owned bungalows in these estates.
Everyday around 300,000 estate workers pluck several million tea leaves by hand. This is the first step in the manufacture of quality Ceylon tea.
Only the bud and the two most tender leaves are plucked, for it is only these that have the flavour and aroma.
The plucked tea leaf is then brought to the muster sheds where they are weighed in, and first quality inspection is made. The leaves are then moved to the factory where they are withered using large blowers.
The next step in the manufacturing process involves cutting the leaves. This brings out the juices and begins the fermentation process. Fermentation is a critical step. The humidity, temperature and fermentation time has to be well controlled or the flavour is lost.
After the fermentation is completed, the leaf is fired, to lock in the flavour, and dried to improve the keeping qualities. Absolutely no preservative or artificial flavouring is added in the manufacturing process.
The final step is the leaf separation according to colour and particle size. Here stringent quality control is carried out and anything that does not measure up to the standards is rejected.
When you’re here, do pick up packets of tea for friends and family. After all, these are the ‘champagne’ of Ceylon teas.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}