Ceylon Tea: Exploring Significance of Sri Lanka's Finest Export
Sri Lanka which is formerly known by the name ‘ceylon’ is a country which owns a fertile land back then and even today. It didn’t shine with the name, ‘Pearl of Indian Ocean’ without a reason, but because of its uniqueness and fertility. Out of all the valuable resources and commodities in Sri Lanka which caught the eyes of Western nations, Ceylon Tea is prominent. This incredible Tea gets its place out of other teas due to its location of origin, its manufacturing process, and its high quality level of antioxidants. Sri Lanka is the fourth biggest producer of tea in the world and the second prime exporter.
Golden History of Ceylon Tea
The history of Ceylon tea runs towards the beginning of 19th century. The first crop which was grown in Sri Lanka with the support of the government is Cinnamon and that was back in the Dutch period. After British Invaded Sri Lanka, they banned Cinnamon estates and all of them were under English East India Trading Company and in 1830s cinnamon cultivations was discharged due to an economic slump. Coffee plantation also raised his head in 1800s and it was destroyed due to a fungal disease.
At this point, a tea plant was introduced to Sri Lanka from China and it was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens. Many tea plants were brought to Sri Lanka from India by English East India Trading Company after this first introduction. With the establishment of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, there seemed to be a successful mark in the history of Ceylon tea. After the arrival of James Taylor in Sri Lanka, the planters association of Ceylon was established. And the tea plantation confirmed its name for a successful journey after the first tea plantation which was begun in the Loolecondera estate in Kandy by James Taylor. It was well equipped tea factory and the first tea sale was made in the year 1872. Rapidly tea cultivations got developed and at the same time lands got increased since the coffee planters also paid their attention towards the tea cultivation.
The first public Colombo Public sale was held in the grounds of Messrs Somerville and Company Limited in 1884. In 1893 one million tea packets were sold in the Chicago World’s fair. Afterwards, The Ceylon Tea Traders Association and Colombo Brokers Association were formed respectively. In 1899, this cultivation had covered an area of four hundred thousand acres of land in Sri Lanka. Thomas Amarasooriya became the first Sri Lankan to be appointed as a chairman Planter’s Association. And in order to research on maximizing yields and methods of productions, Tea Research Organization was established. With so many ups and downs, tea cultivation spread throughout the country by with a total harvest over two hundred thousand metric tons in 1900s. It was a long journey yet it was successful and something valuable and important indeed to look back and talk about.
The tea plant survived in Ceylon because of the hot and moist weather and the good earth, the cool and hilly climes along with its tropical weather in Nuwara Eliya and other parts and regions of Sri Lanka (Ceylon). It is now our main source of foreign exchange for our country and is the most popular export around the world.
Sri Lankan Tea Estates
If you want to feel the real essence of Ceylon tea, just drinking a cup of tea or buying Ceylon tea products will not be enough. The real taste of it will be understood by walking along the pathways in between those fabulous greenly tea estates.
And you are luckier if you could grab the view of tea pluckers plucking those crunchy tea leaves which has small dew drops on them in a misty weather early in the morning. Such a sight can be experienced specially in Nuwara Eliya area.
Tea estates further can be seen in Nawalapitiya Thalawakele, Lindula, Bandarawela, Kandy, Nawalapitiya, Haputale, Hatton, Ambepussa areas and other areas.
The One and only Ceylon Museum in Sri Lanka
There is a museum in Hantane which is located in Kandy. If you are fan of Ceylon tea, you should never miss this place. Lot of knowledge about Ceylon tea can be grabbed from this place including the history of Ceylon tea, its productions process, early machinery and some more exciting facts about Ceylon tea. You can have a conducted and detailed tour and explanation there. You could also take a peek through the telescope and look at the whole wide plantation. There is also a shop and cafeteria where you can buy pure Ceylon tea or sit down at the little table and sip a cup of pure Ceylon tea and go down those long forgotten days. Sri Lanka has now stood on its own two feet and come a long way since 1800s thanks to one British Planter Sir James Taylor.
Health Benefits
Ceylon comes from the geographical name of the country; hence it is named as Ceylon tea. Black tea is good to drink for many health-related reasons. It comes both in tea bag form and loose leaves. Moreover; the manufacturer has to carefully pick, handle and pack in order to ensure its good quality and taste stays. Fighting off diseases like cancer, heart-related illnesses are good at consuming black tea. Taken without any milk is better than adding milk to it. It also has the capacity to protect and strengthen our immune system.
Ceylon tea is a powerful antioxidant. It has that divine taste which can protect our heart. Consumption of black tea and green tea can lower the cholesterol levels, heart diseases and blood pressure. And also it has the ability to fight cancer. Not only that, Ceylon tea benefits brain functions as well and it was also considered as an anti-diabetic. Nevertheless, it has antibacterial and antiviral power too. Our skin is the most important organ to us which shows our personality to the outside world. So its health is superior to all. This tea which is unique to Sri Lanka protects our skin in many ways specially by protecting it from harmful UV rays and by healing wounds quickly. Furthermore, it improves bone health, help gut functions, protect our kidneys as well.
