What Is Ceylon Tea? History, Regions and How It Tastes
Teatentional
Ceylon tea is simply tea from Sri Lanka, the island off the southern tip of India that was called Ceylon under British rule. The country changed its name in 1972, but the tea kept the old one, and it is still one of the most famous names in the tea world. Bright, brisk and clean, Ceylon tea is in countless breakfast blends and iced teas, often without anyone noticing.
This article is part of our series on the history of tea.
Before Tea, There Was Coffee
Sri Lanka's first tea plant arrived from China in 1824 and was planted at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, near Kandy. But for most of the 1800s, the island's hills were covered in coffee. British planters cleared huge areas of forest for coffee estates, and coffee made Ceylon rich.
Then disaster struck. In 1869, a fungus called coffee leaf rust appeared on the island. Over the next two decades it killed coffee plantation after coffee plantation, and the colony's economy collapsed with them.
James Taylor and the First Tea Field
A few planters had already been experimenting with tea. The most important was James Taylor, a Scot who had come to Ceylon in 1852 at the age of 17 to work on a coffee estate called Loolecondera, near Kandy. In 1867 he cleared about 19 acres and planted the island's first commercial tea field, using seeds of the Assam type.
Taylor taught himself to make tea, rolling the leaves by hand on his veranda and drying them over a clay stove. He built a small factory, sold his first tea in Kandy in 1872, and in 1873 a small shipment reached London. As the coffee died, planters came from across the hills to learn from him. By 1888, more land in Ceylon was planted with tea than with coffee, and by the end of the century tea covered the hill country.
The Seven Tea Regions of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is small, but its mountains create very different climates over short distances. The Sri Lanka Tea Board recognizes seven tea regions, usually grouped by altitude:
- Nuwara Eliya (high grown): the highest and coolest region. Light, golden and delicately fragrant.
- Uda Pussellawa (high grown): just east of Nuwara Eliya. Medium bodied, with a slightly tangy flavor.
- Dimbula (high grown): on the western slopes. Bright, mellow and refreshing, often with a floral note.
- Uva (high grown): on the eastern slopes, where dry seasonal winds give its teas a distinctive aroma.
- Kandy (mid grown): where it all began. Full bodied and coppery, good with milk.
- Sabaragamuwa (low grown): smooth, with a slightly sweet aroma.
- Ruhuna (low grown): in the warm south. Dark, bold and strong.
What Does Ceylon Tea Taste Like?
Most Ceylon tea is black tea, and its signature is brightness: a brisk, lively, almost citrusy quality and a clear, reddish-gold color in the cup. High-grown teas are lighter and more aromatic. Low-grown teas are darker and stronger. Sri Lanka also makes some green and white teas, but black tea is what it is known for.
That clean, bright flavor is why Ceylon tea is so often used for iced tea. It stays refreshing when chilled instead of turning heavy.
The Lion Logo
If you see a small lion holding a sword on a box of tea, that is the Sri Lanka Tea Board's quality mark. It can only appear on tea that is 100 percent grown in Sri Lanka and packed there. Today Ceylon tea is exported to more than 140 countries, and Sri Lanka is one of the world's top tea exporters despite its size.
How to Brew Ceylon-Style Black Tea
- Use 1 teaspoon of loose leaf black tea per 8 oz of water.
- Heat the water to a boil, or just below for lighter high-grown teas.
- Steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Drink it plain, with lemon, or with a splash of milk for the stronger teas.
For iced tea, brew double strength and pour it over a full glass of ice. Portland's dry summers are the perfect time for it. The rest of the year, a hot cup is the answer to the drizzle.
Our Teas for Bright, Brisk Black Tea
Organic English Breakfast Tea
A bold organic black tea for a classic morning cup, plain or with milk.
Citrus Blend Tea
Black tea with bergamot, tangerine, orange, lemongrass and hibiscus. If you like Ceylon tea with lemon, this one is for you, and it is excellent iced.
Lux Lady Grey
Black tea and jasmine green tea with orange, rose petals and bergamot, for a lighter, fragrant cup.
Steep intentionally. Sip with intention.
Related Reading
Go back to the full History of Tea, or keep exploring with Darjeeling Tea, British Tea Culture and Who Invented Iced Tea?
