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Ceylon Tea

It’s not an empty boast when people from Sri Lanka claim that their tea is the best in the world and most experts agree with them. But if that’s all you know about the acclaimed Ceylon Tea then here are just a few more facts to help you get better acquainted with the world’s best-tasting tea.

Coffee, and not tea, was originally the primary crop produced and exported by Sri Lanka. A deadly virus, however, had devastated most coffee plants in the country during the 1860’s, forcing plantation owners to look for other crops to produce and prevent financial ruin.

It was in these critical times that James Taylor of Scotland entered the picture and introduced tea planting to Sri Lankans. Using the knowledge he had acquired from India, Taylor began the first experiments of tea planting in Sri Lanka. They produced successful results, and there was no looking back for Taylor or Sri Lanka since then. By 1890, tea production in Sri Lanka had been estimated to be at almost 23,000 tons.

The taste and aroma of Ceylon tea varies depending on the region where the plant sources were grown.

There are six important regions in Sri Lanka where tea is cultivated. Each one produces tea leaves with a distinct flavor and aroma. Tea from the Dimbula region, for example, will be strong and slightly bitter, with lemon undertones. Tea from Nuwara Eliya, on the other hand, will taste fresh, reminding one of eucalyptus and cypress.

Ceylon tea is named for the country Sri Lanka.

Ceylon tea comes from Sri Lanka. Its old name is actually Ceylon, something you can probably corroborate if you look at old maps and history books. Although the country where it came from was renamed Sri Lanka in 1972, Ceylon tea kept its name. Why? It had been cultivated and produced in that area for 200 years and had grown famous by then. There truly was no need to rename a tea that has become distinctive on its own.

Today, Sri Lanka is the third largest source of tea in the world, using nearly 188,000 hectares of land to grow tea. Well sounds like there are plenty of ceylon tea sources so hopefully there will be plenty to go around.