Description
History of Ceylon Tea
In 1824 a tea plant was brought to Ceylon by the British from China and was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya for non-commercial purposes. Further experimental tea plants were brought from Assam and Calcutta in India to Peradeniya in 1839 through the East India Company and over the years that followed. In 1839 the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was also established followed by the Planters’ Association of Ceylon in 1854. In 1867, James Taylor marked the birth of the tea industry in Ceylon by starting a tea plantation in Loolecondera estate in Kandy in 1867. He began the tea plantation on an estate of just 19 acres (76,890 m2). In 1872 he started a fully equipped tea factory in the same Loolecondera estate and that year the first sale of Loolecondra tea was made in Kandy. In 1873, the first shipment of Ceylon tea, a consignment of some 23 lb (10 kg), arrived in London.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle remarked on the establishment of the tea plantations, “…the tea fields of Ceylon are as true a monument to courage as is the lion at Waterloo”.
Soon enough plantations surrounding Loolecondera such as Hope, Rookwood and Mooloya situated to the east and Le Vallon and Stellenberg to the south began transforming into tea plantations and were amongst the first tea estates to be established on the island.
Tea production in Ceylon increased dramatically in the 1880s and by 1888 the area under cultivation exceeded that of coffee, growing to nearly 400,000 acres (1,619 km2) in 1899. By the 1960s the total tea production and exports exceeded 200,000 metric tons (220,462 short tons) and 200,000 hectares (772 sq mi), and by 1965 Sri Lanka became the world’s largest tea exporter for the first time.
By 1996, Sri Lanka’s tea production had exceeded 250,000 metric tons (275,578 short tons), growing to over 300,000 metric tons (330,693 short tons) by the year 2000.
Green Tea and Your Health
Learn about all the health benefits of green tea, from cancer prevention, cardiovascular health, weight loss, diabetes prevention, Alzheimer’s treatment, and more! Find out how green tea can improve your health here!
Jen –
I just steeped my first cup of the Organic Ceylon Green Tea that I ordered. It tastes divine! I have been wanting to get a truly authentic green tea for quite some time. I am arthritic ,and I am hoping that the anti- inflammatory properties it has will help me. 🙂 Thanks!
Brandon Boucher –
Shipping was insanely quick! Ordered this Thursday evening and I am not enjoying a cup of this right now! The flavor is very light and fresh tasting (I used only a half teaspoon of leaves for my first cup.) The leaves even have a nice clean taste on their own before brewing!
Very happy with my purchase and will be using my coupon code to order a pound when this is finished! It will go quick as I share with everyone!
Thanks again, DiviniTea! New customer for life!
Brandon Boucher –
Shipping was insanely quick! I ordered this Thursday evening and am now enjoying my first cup as I type this. The taste is very light and clean (I only used half a teaspoon for my first cup.) Even the un-brewed leaves have a super-clean taste! I am very happy with my purchase.
heather (verified owner) –
I read an article about heavy metals and chemicals that are in the soils where tea is grown and when you steep the tea it leaches out. Most teas are grown in areas with no environmental regulation. I drink lots of tea and did a lot of research, this piece was sourced from the journal of toxicology . Then proceeded to do lots of research into what teas ( from a company) are grown where, which is extremely difficult. I was thrilled that Divinitea makes it easier, this green tea was grown in sri lanka which per the research is the best place to buy green tea from. I only drink this green tea now, its not only a tasty tea but I don’t have worry that it’s not as good for me as I perceive it to be! yaay!
Bill (verified owner) –
As per Heather, I always seek Sri Lankan green tea, to avoid pesticides, heavy metals, and other pollutants … and Divinitea is among the few places to stock organic organic Ceylon green tea … a staple in my household, where tea leaves aren’t just for reading … also for the eating!