District of Kandy: a fragrant and full-bodied tea
First stop: Kandy, cultural capital of Sri Lanka. The city nestles on a plateau surrounded by captivating mountains. The landscape is covered with tropical forest and tea plantations. Ceylon teas produced there are generally full-bodied and very fragrant. As if in slow motion, at 20 or 25 km/h maximum, the train takes you through a moment out of time... At your side: tourists, of course, but also local families going to work on the plantations. Also on board: merchants who cross the wagons with large colorful baskets. And through the open windows and doors, exceptional landscapes!
Nuawara Eliya: a flowery tea and an amber liqueur
Old country stations with old-fashioned charm, forests, a little fog, tea, sun, rice fields, lakes, more tea... And in the middle of the plantations, the pickers who wave at you. 3h30 of magic later, you reach Nuwara Eliya… This city perched at an altitude of 1900 meters really seems to belong to another continent. Nicknamed “Little England”, it is full of colonial-style buildings. It is the ideal place to stop and visit one of the many Ceylon tea plantations. Little affected by the monsoon, the best tea harvest takes place from February to April. When infused, Nuwara Eliya teas reveal a clear, amber liquor. When tasting, these Sri Lankan teas reveal a flowery taste reminiscent of jasmine.
Uva: a coppery and round black tea
The Podi Menike takes you to Ella, located at an altitude of more than 1000m in the Uva district. In these places, the tea plantations are subject to dry wind from June to September. Climatic conditions at the origin of their aromatic specificities. Ceylon teas from Uva are recognizable by the copper color they release when infused. On the palate, they appear soft and round. Uva teas are among the least strong of Sri Lankan teas.
Learn more about Sri Lankan tea
Your trip aboard the Podi Menike allowed you to meet local pickers and learn a little more about Ceylon tea ! You now know more about…
…the origin of Ceylon tea
Tea was introduced to the island of Ceylon by the English, around 1860. James Taylor then planted tea plants imported from China and Assam. Shortly after, a parasite decimated the coffee plantations also present on the Emerald Island. In addition, world prices undermine the profitability of coffee. The situation gives pride of place to the tea plant which then replaces coffee.
…the grades of Ceylon tea
Just like the others black teas from India, Sri Lankan teas have different quality grades.
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Flowery Orange Pekoe : The FOP is a mixture of the terminal bud and the two uppermost leaves of each stem. We then speak of “imperial” picking. And if we grind the ingredients of this harvest, we obtain a Broken Orange Pekoe tea (BOP), a Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings (BOPF) or even a Dust tea.
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Orange Pekoe : OP tea comes from young thin leaves, located practically at the top of the plant.
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Pekoe : Its leaves are a little less fine than the Orange Pekoe. They are quite coarse and make it possible to obtain a light tea.
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Souchong : The picked leaves are low on the tea plant. They are large, old and low in theine.
Your trip to the land of teas Did you like it? To take a souvenir with you, or to taste the delights of Sri Lankan tea again, discover our Ceylon OP tea.