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Many are the attributes and illustrative phrases befitting to the tea plant, the leaf, and the beverage. No other plant has ever qualified for such an acclamation and refined phraseology. It is regarded a gift of God to humanity. This benevolent heaven-sent plant is heeded to be a divine herb, considered to be the best, safest and pleasantest of the camellias.
Tea has come a long way to be designated as the body’s best physician, and as an art of life. It is a beverage of sobriety, a drink that cheers but does not intoxicate. It is the aroma of the “Mystic East,” and booms of the Orient. It is an elegant and a popular drink, a symbol of hospitality and determined as an exotic beverage of the intellectuals.
Consuming tea is one of the undeniable pleasures of life and considered the most socially correct beverage for all occasions. It is a sober and wholesome beverage and a refined stimulant, a sovereign drink of pleasure and health. It is a tongue-running, smile-smoothing, heart opening, wink-tipping drink.
The most remarkable thing about the history of tea, its origin, and its ultimate success, has been ascribed to an improbable strike of good fortune. There is no doubt that a certain amount of luck was required before the happy results were achieved, to mix dry leaves with water and drink the resulting liquid.
The story of this beverage began in 2737 BC, during the reign of Emperor Chen Nung, referred to as the divine healer. The discoveries of the medical properties of many herbs are ascribed to him. One day as the Emperor was boiling some water in order to purify it, a few leaves from a near by tea plant dropped into the imperial saucepan, giving it a delightful scent and flavour. On tasting it, he found it to be delicious, clean and refreshing. A new beverage was discovered.
Tea enjoys the singular distinction of been discovered by a saintly person, and to the Chinese it was a special gift from heaven, Shen Nung is reported to have said that “tea is better than wine, for it leaded not to intoxication, neither does it cause a man to say foolish things and repent thereafter in his sober moments. It is better than water, for it does not carry disease; neither does it act as poison, as water does when wells contain foul and rotten matter."
It was after this event and in the fifth century that the poet Lu Yo wrote the tea classic, the “Cha Ching, which unfolded the mysteries of tea. This publication, part poetry, part etiquette, and part text book, had a considerable effect at the time and many centuries later. According to Lu Yo, tea was perfectly suited to the Confucian way of life: temperance, moderation, and calm.
With the unification of China in 221 BC, cultivation of tea spread from the “Mother Nature’s Tea Gardens” in the monsoon district of South Eastern Asia towards the South. The political boundaries of the various countries where wild tea has been found were purely imaginary lines that the public had traced to mark the states of India, Burma, Siam, Yunnan, and Indo-China. Before any thought was given to dividing this land into separate states, it consisted of one original tea garden where the conditions of soil, climate, and rainfall were ideal for the propagation of tea. According to old chronicles, tea cultivation began in the interior province of Szechwan about 350 AD, gradually extending down the Yangtze valley, and then to the seaboard provinces.
With tea production now taken care of, hand manufacture of brick tea developed. This came about during the period 206 BC and 9 AD. Tea soon became a marketable commodity, to be consumed in the main by the ruling classes. During the Tang dynasty (624 AD to 907 AD) tea became popular with the masses. Tea markets, tea peddlers, tea stalls, all made their appearance in the thriving Chinese economy.
During the early days, the use of tea was partly social and partly medicinal, intended to promote digestion and to stimulate the appetite, with the result it came to be served after every food dish. With the development of tea manufacture, the more civilised sectors in China witnessed a complete transformation in their tea drinking habits. It was always pervaded with an air of leisure, and attended with pomp and glory. It became a part of the rich pattern of life in China. It soon became a symbol of warm welcome and entertainment, whether this occurs in the house or in more ceremonial atmosphere.
Tea originated as a beverage for some, food for still others, and had its third use as money. In remote parts of China and later in Mongolia, bank notes or coins were of little use to the Nomadic tribes from the interior. Compressed tea in brick form, on the other hand was used both as an article of consumption and bartering. Brick tea unlike currency, tends to enhance its value, the further it was carried from the tea gardens of China.
Tea became such an important item of merchandise that by 641 AD Chinese federal rulers implemented a policy of controlling the borders through tea. Tea was traded for horses, and came under the control of the government. It became a state monopoly, offering the public great many varieties of tea. The government was confident that the constant use of tea afforded an effective protection against epidemics. Production of tea expanded further thereafter.
Returning to China- the concept of tea grew beyond the act of tea making. It embraces all the skills associated with the growing and processing of tea leaves. It had to be performed so as to extract the maximum flavour and aroma and in doing so, cultivating the taste for delightful ceramics and other accessories to make and serve the brew. Poems, songs, and stories were written on tea in ancient times.
Most of all, in the days of yore and even today, the finest association to tea is the art of relaxing and savouring the brew, in pleasant surroundings to shed the stresses and strains of everyday life. It in fact became a holy thing. Of all tea’s attributes, the element of sociability is probably the strongest among the tea drinking nations in the world. The beverage symbolises communication, shared moments, sympathy, harmony and friendship.
The Chinese perfected the art of tea drinking and placed it beyond the realm of its inborn natural character. They have raised it to a higher plane and have made it a ritualistic function. When partaking in the consumption of this beverage, the participant should be in a position to identify and enjoy the hiss and bubble of the kettle, the spring-time fragrance in the steam rising from the tea cups and the gentle stimulation too indistinct to appeal to a disturbed mind.
Outside China and Japan, it was in the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam about 1840 that tea was planted on a commercial scale. Its progress changed the entire frontier area of India into a highly developed and prosperous region. The early history of tea in India is bound up with the history of British association of Assam.
The progress of tea cultivation in India is indeed a romantic story. It reversed the drinking habits of North America. It penetrated the Latin American countries and converted them to tea. Then they moved on to capture the markets of Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.
With the success achieved in India, tea became the main topic of conversation among the colonists during the period. It was however the opening of the first coffee plantation in 1835 in Gampola in the mid country, that initiated a series of changes that transformed the country’s ancient culture based on a subsistence economy to an outward looking capitalist economy.
The British government provided all the facilities for their own inverters to undertake the cultivation of coffee initially, and with its demise in the 1870’s tea was introduced as a substitute, which proved a great success.
There were many inconsistencies regarding the growth of the tea plant in Ceylon. It has been established that the tea plant was not introduced into the country as a replacement for coffee that held sway as the island’s primary product. Whilst coffee dominated the plantations for over four decades, two other crops, tea and cinchona had been tried out as subsidiary crops. Tea did not occur among Ceylon’s indigenous vegetation, but was introduced from India in 1839
The Worm Brothers were regarded the “coffee kings” in Pussellawa. They were also the pioneers in the cultivation of tea in the island, all started with a few cuttings from China. They no doubt set the stage for the propagation of tea in the island, but it was James Taylor who proved that tea could be grown on a commercial scale to replace coffee that was on its way out.
The start made by Taylor at Loolecondera paved the way for the establishment of this great industry that has remained the bed-rock of the country’s economy for the past hundred and thirty years.
Many are the salutations and descriptive phrases applicable to this beverage. Above all it is referred to as the aroma of the mystic East, liquid jade of China, a beverage of sobriety that cheers but does not inebriate. It is regarded as the most popular and elegant drink in the world, and the greatest corroborator of human strength. A fountain that can cure the ills of passion, a fragrant gift that does not intoxicate, and above all a symbol of hospitality. It is no doubt the latest product of resplendent Lanka. This long cherished treasure of mother earth it is hoped, will continue to stimulate the world and remain the cup of no regrets.
The Greeks called it Taprobane. Arab travellers named it Serendib. Portuguese who arrived in the island in 1505 A. D. called it Ceilao. The Dutch christened it as Ceylan, and the British finally titled it Ceylon
“There is no part of this earth’s surface, perhaps, about which more has been written than about the Island of Ceylon." These were the introductory words used by Mr. J. A Ferguson, at a meeting held at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole on March 8th 1892 to introduce Ceylon to a distinguished gathering of prospective investors. Sir Emerson Tennent, the great historian, opens the first volume of his fascinating work “Ceylon." He says most truly, “from whatever direction it is approached, unfolds a scene of loveliness and grandeur unsurpassed, if it be rivalled by any land in the universe,”
Ancient Ceylon, without any reservations, has enjoyed a very high distinction that only a few countries can match. From the various narrations of the many writers, both ancient and modern, embodying the nature’s conception of its past history, many spectacular stories have been moved around. Its beauty, its gems, and its spices had been well known to the Greeks and Romans, and so they named it “Taprobane.” Persian writers have electrified the reader's fantasy with accounts of its creation, and have talked wildly of the delights of the country, where Adam and Eve consoled themselves on the loss of Paradise.
The past history of the country is well documented, not merely in song and legend, but in records that have been verified by monuments, inscriptions, and coins, some of the columns found in the ancient cities are only second to the pyramids of Egypt in vastness and architectural interest. To the traveller and the visitor, Ceylon offered alternatives even more than to the capitalist looking for investment opportunities. It has been said that the stranger can see on the hills of Ceylon, the graves of more Britishers than of Kandyan Kings. No dependency of the British could have presented more alternatives than Ceylon, to the intelligent traveller, to the botanist, to persons of science, or even to the politician and the sociologist.
The place of Ceylon on the map is unrivalled. To the traveller, there are abounding attractions in this beautiful Island, be he an artist, sportsman, naturalist, or scribe. The low, palm-fringed shores sink beneath the horizon, and the peak of Adam cloaks itself afar in a mantle of majestic mystery.
Ceylon could be regarded a huge tropical garden and from whatever direction it is approached it unfolds a scene of loveliness and grandeur unsurpassed. Ceylon has been pronounced for its natural beauty, historic and social interest, to be the showpiece of the universe. During the monsoon the Island is protected with a coral reef. The palm trees and other forms of vegetation, with their spreading leaf, extend from the coastline to the highest mountain at 8,296 feet above sea level. On the way to the mountains there is no spot of ground without its vegetation, always attractive, interesting, or curious.
Sri Lanka, like all developing countries has matured well and has faced its own measures of social, political and economic upheavals. Despite all these eruptions, this country has maintained an unbroken record of democracy since independence in 1945. Governments have changes on popular vote, but they have always taken place in a very peaceful manner.
Initially, when the country was referred to as Ceylon, it was a West-Minister form of government that prevailed, with a British Monarch as the head of the state, Executive Powers vested with the Prime Minister heading a Cabinet and a bicameral Legislature.
In 1972, the country became a Republic but decided to remain within the Common-wealth. The country’s name was then changed from Ceylon to Sri Lanka and the bicameral legislature became unicameral. The President remained as the Head of State, but the executive powers remained with the Prime Minister.
When these constitutional changes were taking place, “Ceylon Teas” were making a breakthrough in world markets under the character of its original reputation. It was then decided to retain its original name when promoting the sale of teas abroad. Ceylon Teas are synonymies with Sri Lanka Teas
The plantation sector with tea leading the way, is the cornerstone of Sri Lanka’s economy. The British initiated this project in the country and left it to a few Agency houses to manage and control it. In 1972 the government felt that national assets should be state owned and nationalised them bringing them under state control. The size and bureaucratic nature of the organisations created to manage the plantations as well as a heavy tax burden placed on the sector led to an average monthly loss of Rs. 400 million.
In 1992, 450 estates belonging to the state organisations were given over to the private sector for management. Since then, the private sector management has turned the plantations around, and has proved beyond any reasonable doubt that with good management the plantations could be made profitable. Plantations today are completely privatised.
From the golden days of plantation industry, the growth in the agricultural sector has been closely related to the country’s real GDP. Events in recent times have had a positive effort on the country’s economy. Among agricultural exports, tea continues to be the major export crop accounting for about 60 % of total agricultural exports and 13 % of total exports.
Sri Lanka is the largest exporter of tea in the world and our sales have increased by 30% over the past decade. Indications are that it will continue to rise, with the future holding out great promise. Today, the tea world has acquired a special liking to the inherent qualities found in the teas at different locations which nature has bestowed. Over the years each variety of tea has found a special home, and their qualities are constantly upgraded.
Colombo is the largest auction centre in the world handling about five million kilos weekly. It obtains the patronage of over eighty to ninety buyers each week. It is by virtue of the fact that Sri Lanka can supply a vast diversity of teas to satisfy the exact requirements of the many millions spread over the entire world. This is our strength that none other can boast of. The heterogeneity of our teas is protected and Sri Lanka is well geared to maintaining her position in this world of vigorous competition.
Tea has remained the life-blood of the country, from the time “Ceylon Tea” made an impression in world markets. Sri Lanka today has gained a niche in every tea consuming country in the world. Sri Lanka’s position in the world tea trade is strong. By reason of its distinctive flavour and quality, “Ceylon Teas” have succeeded in retaining a supreme position among connoisseur tea drinkers, and has enjoyed a reputation synonymous with quality and purity. Tea is the most important single industry in the country by almost every single economic measure, and remains a major foreign exchange earner, directly contributing an appreciable percentage to the gross national product. “Ceylon Tea” however is not a single product, but a range of them of great diversity.
Two leaves and the bud, has remained a symbol of mystery, scientific challenge and good taste for the local tea industry. Sri Lanka treasures its long history and tradition and tea is considered a life giving plant gifted by God to humanity. This benevolent heaven-sent plant is heeded to be a divine herb considered to be the best, safest, and pleasantest of the Camellias. Tea is designated as the body’s best physician and a drink of sobriety as it only cheers and does not intoxicate. It is a symbol of hospitality and determined as an exotic beverage of the intellectuals. It is regarded the nectar of the Gods, a healthy drink, and an infallible means to longevity.
The rich soil, cool climate, pure water and above all the terrain of the land provides the ideal conditions for growing tea. On a regular basis the country enjoys the benefits of two monsoons that blow seasonally each year. The influence of these climatic conditions imparts to the product a variety of flavours and aromas that are synonymous with quality. Ceylon unlike any other countries can produce a range of delicate teas wanted by the connoisseurs the world over.
Ceylon teas are a product of infinite variety. Diversity of mother plant, soil, altitude, climatic changes, wind velocity and seasons all play their part in infusing the various degrees of quality to tea. These are considered gifts of nature, and the industry over the years has developed their own skills and technical processes to produce some of the most sought after teas in the world. Ceylon tea is like a wine, “A living commodity.”
The climatic differences caused by elevation are no less influential. The classification of Low, Medium and High also creates a marked difference to the quality of the teas. In addition, there are “gaps” and passes." They act as wedges or clefts in the mountains permitting passages of air from one side of the range to the other, thus creating special characteristics to tea.
Tea has a wide variety of hidden substances that are brought forth through the skilful handling of the leaves both in field and factory. Sri Lanka, in a way has been fortunate to grow tea on sprawling and undulating lands stretching from sea level to over 6500 feet. The terrain is such that the scope available for manoeuvres are numerous, with the result the tea industry can satisfy the needs of every consumer in any corner of the world. Ceylon Teas have taken the world by storm today, and is the undisputed leader in the quality segment of the international tea market. The industry has taken a great deal of pain to explore the concealed secrets in the vast variety of tea the country can produce and they are now in a position to offer the choicest of tea to the more sophisticated tea drinkers in the world. Sri Lanka teas are held utmost not just in the volumes handled, but in the different characteristics of those exported.
These teas are produced in the Southern part of the country. This area enjoys unique conditions in the soil that give blackness to the leaves, and produce liquor that is strong and crisp. Teas that are produced at these low elevations are known for their appearance. They offer a wide range of stylish whole leaf teas that are improved by the introduction of gold and silver tips. This tea is ideal for those who prefer a thick sweet brew with or without milk.
As we travel further up, through Deniyaya to Ratnapura, the land of gems, the classification still remains low grown, but the character of the teas' changes. The liquor gets much lighter to most conventional low grown teas but they come out much brighter. These teas have found a niche in most European countries.
It was in these areas that tea for the first time took root, which ultimately turned out to be the most conceivable commercial crop. Today, “Sri Lanka” teas have penetrated all corners of the world and remain a boon to the connoisseur.
Teas produced in and around Kandy, Hewaheta, Pussellawa and Matale, situated within the elevational limits of 2000 feet and 4000 feet, have remained a British favourite. These plantations are safeguarded from strong monsoon winds. This protection offers them the scope to produce a tea with a good black appearance and is known to possess strong coloury liquors. In addition, it has the potential to acquire some degree of quality during the Eastern quality season. These teas are notable for their full bodied character, ideally suited to wash down a good English breakfast
Dimbulla District
As you travel up to higher elevations to the Dimbulla District through the Queensbury Gap, we verge upon some of the most famous planting districts in Sri Lanka covered in an unbroken mantle of green. All situated at an elevation of around 3,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level. They feel the mild effects of the South West monsoon that lasts from March to May. During this period they produce a tea that is light in cup, but bright with a crisp strong flavour that leaves the mouth feeling fresh and clean.
Dickoya District.
Dickoya holds a cluster of world famous plantations, all situated at well above 5,500 feet. The enchantment of the view is in the setting of the water falls, with its rugged background of rock with the tea gardens at various elevations towering above them. During the season, the atmosphere becomes crisp and refreshing and tea produced during this time produces a bright flavoury cup, best taken with milk at breakfast time.
Maskeliya District
Most of the plantations are situated at the foot of Adam’s Peak, a famous religious landmark in the island. A moderately heavy tea, but possess a special character that is unique. It can offer a tea of a rosy character through better part of the year.
Bogawantalawa District
Known as the golden valley for its lush vigorous growth that produces flavoury teas throughout the year. They are wanted by the more refined markets in the world. These tea plantations are guarded from the harsh applications of the monsoons by the “Horton Planes plateau.” It helps to maintain uniform environmental factors throughout the year. It imparts to the tea leaf, favourable ambient factors and help in the production of high quality teas,
Agrapatana Valley
It is known to enjoy a perfect combination of all the characteristics of climate and soil that has been found suitable for the production of the highest class of tea. Extreme temperatures help to impart a unique quality to the tender leaf, which is sought after by a separate segment of tea consumers.
Nuwara Eliya
When Nuwara Eliya is reached, it offers, in addition to champagne tea, a combination of other attractions such as a healing climate, lovely scenery, wooded wilderness and flowering meadows. Though there is no winter in Sri Lanka, a visitor is bound to desire a fire in his hearth and a blanket on his bed.
There are four gaps that determine quality levels in Nuwara Eliya. The air is cool and intoxicatingly fresh, blowing clean and cold from the high cloud-crowned Pidurutalagalla range. The air is always scented with the fragrance of the cypress that grow in abundance, and mentholated with the wild mint and eucalyptus. It is the combination of all these factors that has given Nuwara Eliya teas that unique character, which is recognised by all the connoisseurs of tea in the world.
When brewed, these teas come out light, but possess a unique flavour and aroma. It is truly been said that Nuwara Eliya is to Sri Lanka tea, what champagne is to France.
Malwatte Valley
Plantations situated in this valley come alive during June to September when the North East monsoon blows. They are cuddled together on a wild and wind swept location sheltered by the Uva range of mountains. The dehydrating winds bring about a strange chemical character in the tender leaves of the tea bush, to produce an extraordinary flavour that no other tea producer can ever hope to yield.
The highest burst of flavour is obtained during August when the monsoon is activated. They produce a strong pungent tea widely used to improve quality in many blended teas. It is a connoisseur’s drink. It satisfies all the requirements of the selective tea drinker who looks for strength, character, flavour, and colour in his favourite cuppa.
Haputale
Tea plantations in and round Haputale enjoys strange weather conditions. It experiences long periods of incessant rain and mist during the monsoon, but a few days of dry windy weather can change completely the character of the crop harvested. The arid winds tend to cause on the delicate leaves of the tea bush a marvel that produces an unusual quality that is strange to this area and uncommon in other parts.
Badulla, Hali-Ella, Demodara, Passara
All these plantations surround the noble mountain of Namunukula that towers to over 6,000 feet, and this popular land mark determines the quality levels of the neighbouring estates. They generally produce light and mild teas during the off-season. When the dry winds blow at the time of the monsoon, a chemical change to the tea leaves take place that gives more colour and strength into their liquors. It will offer the drinker a full-bodied cup of tea.
Madulsima
It stands out as a dogs paw extending to about twenty-five miles to the North with Roeberry situated at the furthest point. When the strong winds originating from the South West arrive at this point, they are a spent force, but still capable of transmitting a certain degree of flavour to the tea. They acquire brightness, and with sufficient flavour to compensate, it turns out to be a pleasing drink.
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