History
Production of black tea in Sri Lanka began after the destruction of coffee plantations in the island by the deadly fungus 'Hemilia vestax'. The coffee plantation owners realized that their crops needed to be changed. Lulkadura Estate was once interested in tea production in Sri Lanka. At that time James Taylor, the father of Sri Lankan tea cultivation, came to the island and in 1867 he first wanted to stay in Sri Lanka to grow tea. It was done on an area of 19 acres.Even then, James Taylor had experience growing tea. He had acquired knowledge from North India. He did various researches on tea cultivation in the attic of his estate. He grinded the tea leaves by hand and burned the oxidized leaves on a charcoal fire in a clay oven.
The tea made by James Taylor was delicious and sold at a very good price at an auction in London. The tea craze spread throughout Sri Lanka. Tea production from 1873 to 1880 was පවු 23 and by 1890 it was 22,900 tons.
Until 1971, most of the tea establishments in Sri Lanka were owned by the British. But this changed after the introduction of the Land Reforms Act to reclaim land held by foreign hands. From 1990, the industry was divided between public and private entities under a new strategic plan. Today, Lipton, Sir Winston and Ahlan teas are world famous Sri Lankan teas.
Classification of tea
Sri Lanka is known for its high quality tea. Sri Lanka is the world's third largest tea producer, accounting for 9% of international production and is the world's leading exporter with a share of about 19% of global demand. The total area under tea cultivation is estimated to be approximately 187,309 hectares.
Sri Lankan tea is divided into three categories according to the geographical location of the area where it is grown: up country tea, middle country tea and low country tea.
The estates started by the British were primarily taken over by the government in 1960. But since then it has been privatized and is now run by plantation companies, which own several estates or tea estates.
Although tea is not the main export commodity of Sri Lanka, it is the most value added product as the origin and end of production take place in Sri Lanka itself. The packaging of tea made in Sri Lanka bears the lion sign to indicate that it is Sri Lankan tea. The Sri Lanka Tea Board, which regulates the tea industry in Sri Lanka, closely monitors this lion sign. If a tea maker wants to use the Lion logo on their packaging, they must obtain permission from the Sri Lanka Tea Board. The Tea Board will then carry out a formal research process and allow the manufacturer to use the color "Marked Pure Ceylon Tea-Sri Lanka" on the tea package. Prior to shipment, all deliveries are closely monitored by Sri Lanka Tea Board officials. Therefore, the lion sign and color are an indispensable guarantee of the origin and quality of the tea.
The majority of Sri Lankan tea exporters now focus on adding value, rather than exporting green tea. The name 'Sri Lankan Tea' (Ceylon Tea) is still accepted around the world as a symbol of high quality tea.
