WITHORING

IMMEDIATELY THE LOAD OF PLUCKED SHOOTS REACHES THE FACTORY THEY ARE EMPTIED OUT ON TO SPECIAL RACKED IN THE UPPER STOREYS OF THE BUNDLING WHERE CURRENTS OF AIR FLOW THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOWS AND CIRCULATE THROUGH AND AROUND THE LEAF. EVAPORATING SOME OF THE MOISTURE THEY CONTAIN. LEAVING THEM SOFT AND LIMP. THIS  OLD METHOD TOOK UP TO TWENTY FORE HOURS NEW METHOD BEING ADOPTED CUT THIS TIME BY UP TO A QUARTER. ONE NEW METHOD IS THE WITHERING TROUGH, IN WHICH LARGE QUANTITIES  OF LEAF CAN BE SPREAD WHILE CONTROLLED AIR CURRENTS CIRCULATION THROUGH AND AROUND.

STARTING BLACK TEA MANUFACTURE

THE BEST KNOWN AND USED TEA FROM SRI LANKS IS THE FAMILIAR BLACK TEA TO USE ITS TECHNICAL TERM- WHICH COME IN PACKING AND BOXES OF TEA BAGS WE SEE ON THE SHEAVES OF STORES AND SHOPS. THERE  ARE A NUMBER OF STAGES THE SHOOTS GO THROUGH IN THE PROCESSING TO BLACK TEA.

    WITHERING           

    FERMENTING (AERATION)   

    SORTING  (GRADING)  

    ROLLING               

    DRYING            

    PACKING

TEA PLUCKING

THE PROCEDURE OF HARVESTING THE FRESH YOUNG SHOOTS FROM THE MATURE TEA BUSHES IS KNOW AS PLUCKING. EACH PLUCK TAKES ONLY THE FLUSH THE 'TWO LEAVES AND BUT'  OF TENDER AND SUCCULENT FRESH GROWTH. WITHIN ONE OR TWO WEEK, THE BUSHES GROW  NEW SHOOTS, AND IN THE TROPICAL  CLIMATE OF SRI LANKA  TEA PLUCKING GOES ON ALL YEAR ROUND. THIS FASCINATING AND SKILLED JOB IS TRADITIONALLY CARRIED OUT WOMEN, WHO ARE EXPERT AT PICKING THE SHOOTS, BREAKING THEM OFF BY TWISTING THEM OFF BY TWISTING THE LEAVES  AND BUT IN THEIR FINGERS, AND DEFTLY THROWING HANDFULS OF SHOOTS IN TO THE CARRIER BASKETS ON THEIR BACKS. TODAY, THE MEN AND BOYS ON THE ESTATES ARE OFTEN INVOLVED IN TEA HARVESTING. ALTHOUGH IN RECENT YEARS MECHANICAL PLUCKING USING SPECIALLY DESIGNED MACHINES HAS BEEN TRIED. THERE IS NO SIGN OF IT REPLACING THE SKILL AND EXPERIENCE OF THE HUMAN LABOUR  FORCE. DURING THE DAY,THE BASKETS ARE SET BY THE ROAD SIDE AND THERE  CONTENTS SORTED THROUGH TO SIFT OUT ANY STALKS OR GROWTH OTHER THAN THE FLUSH USED BE WEIGHED AND IMMEDIATELY. TRANSPORTED TO THE FACTORY BUILDING.  

TEA PRUNING

ONCE GROWING SUCCESSFULLY, THE YOUNG PLANT IS CUT BACK A  FEW  INCHES OF THE GROUND, TO SET IT ON SOURS TO DEVELOP INTO THE PLAT - TOPPED TEA  BUSH, OF FROM ONE TO AND A HELP METERS IN HEIGHT. LATER ON IT WILL BE REGULARLY LIGHTLY PRUNED TO ENCOURAGE  IT TO 

TEA CULTIVATION

THE BUSHES ARE PLANTED - FROM 1 METER TO 1.5 METERS APART TO FOLLOW THE NATURAL CONTOURS OF THE LANDSCAPE, SOMETIMES GROWING ON  SPECIALLY PREPARED TERRACE TO HELP IRRIGATION AND PREVENT SOIL EROSION. SOIL FERTILIZATION TAKES  THE  FORM OF REGULAR APPLICATIONS OF FERTILIZER, ORGANIC  MANURE AND THE MULCHING OF THE ROOT AREA. 

           THE YOUNG  PLANTS GROW FROM THE CUTTING TAKEN FROM A MOTHER BUSH ARE CAREFULLY TENDED IN SPECIAL NURSERY BEDS UNTIL 12 -15 MONTH OLD WHEN THEY ARE PLANTED OUT ON THE ESTATE

TEA TYPES

ALL  CEYLON TEA IS DIVIDED INTO THREE CLASSES, ACCORDING  TO THE ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL OF THE ESTATE WHERE IT WAS GROWN.

LOW GROWN   ( ABOVE 60% OF TOTAL PRODUCTION )

MID- COUNTRY ( ABOVE 16% TOTAL PRODUCTION )

HIGH GROWN   ( ABOVE 24% OF TOTAL PRODUCTION)

SRI LANKA ALSO PRODUCES CTC TEA.

         WITHING THESE BOARD CATEGORIES, TEAS FROM INDIVIDUAL DISTRICTS HAVE THEIR VERY OWN CHARACTERISTICS. THESE   CHARACTERISTICS DEPEND ON THINGS LIKE WHICH DIRECTION OF THE COMPASS THE GROWING SLOPES FACE. AND THE STATE OF THE WEATHER AT PLUCKING TIME .

THE TEA PLANT

                 THE  BUSH GROWN ON THE TEA ESTATES  OF SRI LANKA IS PLANT CALLED CAMELLIA SINENSIS,  WHICH IS IN FACT CULTIVATED IN MANY TROPICLE AND SUB-TROPICLE PARTS OF THE WORLD.

     IT'S TO ITSELF CAMMELLIA SINENSIS WOULD SHOOT UP TO A TREE OF 03 METERS OR MORE , BUT FOR COMMERCIAL TEA GROWING IT IS PRUNED RIGHT DOWN IN ITS  EARLY LIFE TO PRODUCE A BUSH FROM WHICH THE LEAVES AND BUDS - KNOWS AS THE  FLUSH - ARE PLUCKED FOR THE TEA CROP. THE BIGGEST YIELDS   COME FROM TEA BUSHES GROWN D IN THE TROPICAL  LOWLAND PLAINS, WHILE THE FINEST TYPES OF TEA COME FROM THE SLOWER GROWING BUSHES IN THE HILLS.

145 YEARS OF CEYLON TEA

THE  MAN RECOGNIZED AS THE PIONEER OF THE ISLAND'S  TEA  INDUSTRY WAS A SCOT CALLED JAMES TAYLOR.  HE WAS A SCIENTIFICALLY- MINDED PLANTER WHO EXPERIMENTED WITH MANY DIFFERENT  TYPE OF TEA PLANT TO FIND THOSE SUITABLE FOR THE ISLAND'S SOIL AND CLIMATE, AND HE GREW THE FIRST COMMERCIAL ACRES  OF TEA BUSHES. THE EARLY PLANTERS BROUGHT EVER-INCREASING AREAS OF JUNGLE UNDER CULTIVATION.
                   
                 CLEARING THE MASSIVE TREES, BURNING OFF THE UNDERGROWTH , MAKING ROADS AND  BUILDING THE FIRST FACTORIES THE PROPER NAME FOR THE PLACE WHERE THE PLUCKED TEA ''SHOOT'' ARE PROCESSED. MUCH OF THE FIRST CLEARING WORK WAS DONE WITH TRAINED ELEPHANTS. WHO WOULD USE THEIR MASSIVE STRENGTH TO DRAG DOWN TREES OR LIFT THE SAW  LOGS WITH THEIR TRUNKS. SLOWLY CHANGED THE LANDSCAPE OF MUCH OF SRI LANKA. LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR TODAY'S SUCCESS STORY.

About Ceylon Tea And Sri lanka

        THE ISLAND OF SRI LANKA LIES 35 KM OFF THE SOUTH-EASTERN TIP OF INDIA.
IT MEASURES 65610SQ KM IN AREA AND IS 447 KM FROM NORTH TO SOUTH AND 219 KM AT ITS MAXIMUM WIDTH. ITS POSITION IN THE TROPICS JUST NORTH OF THE EQUATOR LINES SRI LANKA AN AVERAGE LOWLAND TEMPERATURE OF 27 C BUT IN THE SOUTH CENTRAL ARIA MOUNTAIN RISE TO OVER 2500 METERS AND THE CLIMATE IS COOLER.

               AT DIFFERENT TIME OF THE YEAR ALMOST THE WHOLE ISLAND BENEFITS FROM THE MONSOON RAINS. WHICH MAINTAIN ITS FERTILE GREEN VEGETATION AND ABUNDANCE OF BIRD AND ANIMALS.
                                                                                                 RICE, THE STAPLE DIET OF SRI LANKA'S PEOPLE,IS GROWN IN MOST PARTS OF ISLAND. RUBBER,THE SECOND BIGGEST EXPORT CROP,IS CULTIVATED IN THE SOUTH AND WEST,AND COCONUT PALMS PRODUCING VARIETY OF USEFUL PRODUCT, ARE GROWN  AROUND THE COASTAL PLAINS.
   
             ALTHOUGH TEA IS PRODUCES IN THE SOUTHERN LOWLANDS ALSO IT IS THE CENTRAL HILL COUNTRY THAT PROVIDES THE BEST CONDITIONS FOR GROWING SRI LANKA 'S WORLD FAMOUS AND MOST IMPORTANT CROP.
             
          TEA , OTHER  AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE AND AN INCREASING VARIETY OF INDUSTRIAL GOODS ARE EXPORTED FROM THE ISLAND'S BUSTLING,MAIN CITY,COLOMBO.HOME FOR OVER 1 MILLION OF SRI LANKA 'S 18 MILLION INHABITANTS.    

                OF THE TOTAL POPULATION OVER SEVENTY PER CENT ARE SINHALESE, BUT THERE IS A SUBSTANTIAL MINORITY OF TAMILS, ORIGINALLY   FROM SOUTH INDIA, AS WELL AS SMALLER GROUPS DESCENDED FROM EARLY TRADERS AND INVADERS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND EUROPE.

                    SRI LANKA IS A REPUBLIC WITH AN ELECTED DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT  AND IS A MEMBER OF THE COMMONWEALTH.