Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Besides the various forms of ubiquitous black tea, in 2013 Sri Lanka produced 3.69 mil-
lion kilos of green tea, which is known for its more pungent flavour, and white tea, which
is among the most premium of teas and is often called 'silver tips'.
Quality
The many varieties of tea are graded by size (from cheap 'dust' through fannings and
broken grades to 'leaf' tea) and by quality (with names such as flowery, pekoe or
souchong). Obviously, tea sized as dust is rather inferior. Anything graded in the leaf cat-
egory is considered the minimum designation for respectable tea. In terms of quality desig-
nations, whole leaves are best and the tips (the youngest and most delicate tea leaves) are
the very top tier.
The familiar name pekoe is a superior grade of black tea. Interestingly, there is no defin-
itive record of where the 'orange' in the popular orange pekoe moniker comes from. It def-
initely has nothing to do with flavour but rather is either an artefact of a designation used
by early Dutch tea traders or a reference to the colour of the leaves when dried. Either way,
orange pekoe is a very superior grade of Ceylon black tea.
All the island's teas are branded with a 'Lion Logo', which denotes that the tea was pro-
duced in Sri Lanka.
Altitude
Altitude is another vital indication of tea quality. Udawatte (high-grown tea) is considered
the finest; it grows slowly but has a delicate, subtle flavour that makes it greatly sought
after - Dimbula, Nuwara Eliya and Uva are three prime growing districts. Udawatte is
grown above 1200m.
Medawatte (mid-grown tea) has floral and malty notes and a fullness of body but is less
refined; Kandy is the main centre of production. It's picked at altitudes of 600m to 1200m,
and occupies the middle ground in price and quality.
Yatawatte (low-grown tea) is stronger, higher in caffeine and more robust, but it's not
considered as complex; it's found below 600m. The foothills inland of the coast are
centres of low-grown production: Ratnapura and Galle are two important districts.
