Until the 1860’s THE MAIN CROP PRODUCED on the island of Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, was coffee. But in 1869, the coffee-rust fungus, Hemileia vastatrix, killed the majority of of the coffee plants and estate owners had to diversify into other crops in order to avoid total ruin. The owners of Loolecondera Estate had been interested in tea since the late 1850’s and in 1866, James Taylor, a recently arrived Scot, was selected to be in charge of the first sowing of tea seeds in 1867, on 19 acres of land.
Taylor had acquired some basic knowledge of tea cultivation in North India and made some initial experiments in manufacture, using his bungalow verandah as the factory and rolling the leaf by hand on tables. Firing of the oxidized leaf was carried out on clay stoves over charcoal fires with the leaf on wire trays. His first teas were sold locally and were declared delicious. By 1872, Taylor had a fully equipped factory, and, in 1873, his first quality teas were sold for a very good price at the London auction. Through his dedication and determination, Taylor was largely responsible for the early success of the tea crop in Ceylon. Between 1873 and 1880, production rose from just 23 pounds to 81.3 tons, and by 1890, to 22,899.8 tons.
Most of the Ceylon tea gardens are situated at elevations between 3,000 and 8,000 feet in two areas of the southwestern part of the island, to the east of Colombo and in the Galle district on the southern point. In the hot, steamy plains and foothills, the tea bushes flush every seven or eight days and are picked all year round. The finest teas are gathered from late June to the end of August in eastern districts and from the beginning of February to mid-March in the western parts.
Until 1971, more than 80 percent of the island’s tea estates were owned and managed by British companies. In 1971, the Sri Lankan government introduced a Land Reform Act which gave the state control of the majority of the plantations (which also grow rubber and coconuts for export) leaving about one-third in private hands. Since 1990, a restructuring program has been going on to involve the private sector companies (both Sri Lankan and foreign) as Managing Agents of the state-owned plantations. The long-term aim is for the private managing companies to take on most, if not all, of the financial responsibility and control of the estates, with the government retaining ownership.
Highlights of
Ceylon Tea
» Tea pickers gathering leaves into their baskets
Tea pickers gathering leaves into their baskets
Extreme political, industrial, and economic problems over the past years have meant that Sri Lanka has fallen from the position of number one producer in the world to number eight in 1993. Producers are having to face major decisions regarding production methods, product range, and export markets. Although the U.K was once Sri Lanka’s biggest customer, almost 70 percent of production now goes to Russia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
The Arab market used to prefer orthodox teas but consumers there are steadily moving towards European tastes and are demanding more tea in tea bags. Sri Lanka’s fine orthodox teas, considered by many to be among the best teas in the world, are not suitable for tea bags.
Only 3 percent of production in 1993 was CTC and producers are having to decide whether to convert to CTC production in order to reach a wider market. Some manufacturers think that there will always be a market for the orthodox teas; others think that CTC is the best way forward.
New customers are also being sought for the increasing range of packeted teas—in sachets, cartons, economy packs, reed ware, basket packs, soft wood boxes, tins, and canisters—that are now available. Products containing 100 percent Ceylon tea are now using the Lion logo, developed by the Ceylon Tea Board, that guarantees the country of origin and protects the image of Sri Lanka’s quality teas.
» Produced mainly from bushes that grow above 4,000 feet
Produced mainly from bushes that grow above 4,000 feet
Sri Lanka’s finest teas are produced mainly from bushes that grow above 4,000 feet. The bushes grow more slowly in the cooler, mistier climate, and are harder to harvest because of the steep angle of the slopes on which they are planted.
There are six main tea-producing areas. Galle, to the south of the island; Ratnapura, about 55 miles east of the capital Colombo; Kandy, the low region near the ancient royal capital; Nuwara Eliya, the highest area that produces the finest teas; Dimbula, west of the central mountains; and Uva, located east of Dimbula.
The teas produced in each region have their own individual characteristics of flavor, aroma, and color. Low-grown teas, produced at 1,500 to 1,800 feet, are of good quality and give good color and strength but lack the distinctive flavor and bright fresh taste of the higher-grown teas and are usually used in blending. Mid-grown teas, grown between 1,800 and 3,500 feet, are rich in flavor and give good color.
High-grown teas, from heights of between 3,500 and 7,500 feet, are the very best that Sti Lanka produces, giving a beautiful golden liquor and an intense powerful flavor As well as the wonderful black teas, some estates also produce silver tip white tea that gives a very pale straw-colored liquor and should be drunk without milk All Sri Lanka’s black teas are best drunk with a little milk.
» History of Ceylon Tea
History of Ceylon Tea
In the 1840 a Scotsman by the name of James Taylor read about the Jewel of an Island called Ceylon and the opportunities existing there for growing coffee. A few months later he moved to the Hill Country area and planted not only coffee but also some tea seeds from India.
The "ugly little shrub" was grown next to his acres of coffee and provided large yields. It wasn't till a couple of seasons later that a virulent leaf disease devastated his whole plantation but the "ugly little shrub" was immune and the Tea Industry came into being. Soon the perilously steep mountainside of the hill country were carpeted with the vibrant green of tea bushes. And Ceylon Tea became the worlds favorite beverage.
The origins of Tea was with the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung who was boiling water when the leaves from a nearby plant Camellia sinensis plant floated into the pot. The emperor drank the mixture and declared it gave one "vigor of body, contentment of mind, and determination of purpose." Perhaps as testament to the emperor's assessment, tea the potion he unwittingly brewed that day today is second only to water in worldwide consumption.
The U.S. population is drinking its fair share of the brew; in 1994, Americans drank 2.25 billion gallons of tea in one form or another hot, iced, spiced, flavored, with or without sugar, honey, milk, cream, or lemon.
» Cultivation
Cultivation
The Tea plant, Camellia Sansis, is cultivated variety of the tree originating from the region between India and China. The tea leaves are mostly hand plucked. When the plant is plucked two leaves and a bud are cut. An experienced plucker can pluck up to 30 kg tea leaves per day. To make one kg black tea, approximately 4 kg tea leaves are needed. One tea plant produces about 70 kg black tea a year.
In a warm climate the plant is plucked for the first time after 4 years and will produce tea for at least 50 years. A suitable climate for cultivation has a minimum annual rainfall of 45 to 50 inches (l, 140 to 1,270 millimeters). Tea soils must be acid; tea cannot be grown in alkaline soils. A desirable pH value is 5.8 to 5.4 or less.
Scented and spiced teas are made from black tea. "Scented teas look just like any other tea," says FDA chemist and tea expert Robert Dick, " because the scent is more or less sprayed on. They're flavored with just about anything peach, vanilla, cherry. The spiced teas, on the other hand, usually contain pieces of spices cinnamon or nutmeg or orange or lemon peel so you can see there's something in there."
» Black Tea Blends
Black Tea Blends
Like coffee plants, tea likes hot days, cool nights and plenty of rain, and also like coffee, most high quality tea is grown in mountainous regions. During the growing season, tea is harvested every seven days. Only the two tender uppermost leaves and terminal buds are plucked by hand. After this gentle beginning, the leaves are left in a hot room to wither, then put into a machine that rolls the leaves and releases their juices.
These juices react with the air (oxidation) giving black teas the color and flavor we love. The tea is then dried in ovens (fired) and graded according to size. (this grading process is what is responsible for all of those confusing letters: OP (Orange Pekoe), BP (Broken Pekoe), and even FTGFOP (Fancy Tippy Golden Flowery Pekoe). Generally the more initials the better the Tea.
» Herbal Teas
Herbal Teas
Not tea at all. Dried flowers, roots and bark have been brewed into a consumable hot liquid for many centuries as folk medicines throughout the Orient and Europe.
The European tradition is to use only one main herb, such as Chamomile. Americans, on the other hand, traditionally concoct potions containing many different herbs and flowers such as Rosehips and Hibiscus.
» How Tea is manufactured
How Tea is manufactured
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 youngest leaves are plucked, for it is only these leaves that have the flavour and aroma. In other parts of the world plucking is done by machines. These machines pluck the bud, the young leaf, a lot of coarse leaf and few twigs as well. Coarse leaf and and twigs just add bulk and not flavour to the tea.
The plucked tea leaf is then brought to the muster sheds where they are wheighed in, and first quality inspection is made. The leaf is 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 the critical step. The humidity, temperature and fermentation time has to be well controled or the flavour is lost.
After fermentation is completed, the leaf is fired, to lock in the flavour, to dry it and to improve the keeping qualities. Absoloutely no preservative or artificial flavouring are added in the manufacture of pure Ceylon tea.
The final step is the separation of the product according the color and the particle size. Here strignent quality control is done and anything that does not measure upto the standards is rejected.
The finished product is shipped in bulk to mainly to europe, the middle-east, Australia, and North America. Only the best tea is exported. Unfortunately once it leaves Sri Lanka it is mixed with lower quality and cheaper produce from the African countries and India.
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