Sri Lanka
Nestled in the heart of the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is a mountainous island with a tropical climate ideal for growing tea. From Kandy to Nuwara Eliya, from the foothills of Adam's Peak to the balconies of the UVA, tea bushes stretch as far as the eye can see in these verdant landscapes spread over three different altitudes, producing three different qualities of tea: "Low-Grown", "Mid-Grown" and "High-Grown".
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Highgrown SOFA FBOP1
Ceylon black tea
Ceylon black teas: qualities that vary according to altitude
The island is best known for its black teas, which can be divided into two main grades. The famous and highly sought-after Orange Pekoe (OP), made from large whole leaves containing a few buds, and the Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP), made from broken leaves that produce a supple, deep liquor with intensely fruity notes.
Another distinctive feature of the island is the distinction between low-grown teas, grown at altitudes of up to 600 meters, mid-grown teas from 600 to 1,300 meters and high-grown teas from 1,300 to 2,200 meters, considered to be the cream of the island's teas.
It's in the "High-Grown" that the best qualities are found, mainly in the mountainous regions of Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula and UVA. Each of these regions has its own climatic and geographical characteristics, which are reflected in the flavours of its teas. Teas from Nuwara Eliya are renowned for their fresh, floral character, while those from Dimbula offer a more robust, full-bodied flavor. Teas from the UVA region, with its very special climate and long season of dry winds, are known for their roundness and fruity notes.
The choice of biodynamic farming
In the heart of the island's abundant biodiversity, the producers we work with produce two types of tea.
- Excellent middle-grown green teas, particularly fresh and aromatic
- High-grown black teas, characterized by fine balance and a complex aromatic palette.
Their biodynamically farmed tea bushes grow in the midst of a richly biodiverse terroir, with a mix of fruit and spice crops such as coconut, palm, cinnamon, pepper and turmeric... The producers have chosen biodynamic farming to better preserve and nourish the life of the soil, protect their health, the health of the plants they grow and, more generally, the biodiversity that surrounds them. Close to their beliefs and their cultural approach to nature, these farming practices, which respect the lunar and planetary calendars in particular, have been enthusiastically adopted.
History and origins of Sri Lankan teas
The history of tea in Sri Lanka dates back to the 19th century, when British colonists introduced its cultivation to the island in 1860 to replace coffee, which had been devastated by a parasitic fungus, Hemileia vastatrix. In a country also known for the production of spices such as cinnamon, pepper and turmeric, Camellia sinensis has become wonderfully well established.
Today, annual tea production exceeds 300,000 tonnes, and Sri Lanka ranks third in the world after China and India. Tea is vital to the island, accounting for 90% of the country's exports.