Differences in the characteristics of black tea from highland, middle and lowland in Sri Lanka

Climbing the mountain road with nine curves and eighteen bends by bus, the side of the road is densely planted with black tea trees as high as car windows, so close that you can almost pick fresh tea with your hand out. On the other side, it is a chilling deep valley. Falling down a steep hillside will definitely cause a big deal, but it is also covered with tea trees. The soil is red, and the soil washed out when it rains dyes the road beautifully red, and the red lines in the green look like blood vessels.

The island of Sri Lanka is shaped like papaya and rugby. The island is divided horizontally into four parts, the lowest of which is the area where black tea is grown. The remaining three-quarters of the country is basically tropical rain forests and savanna areas, there are no high mountains or mountains, it is not suitable to grow tea trees that prefer mountain areas.

In the center of the southwest of the island, there are mountains up to 2000 meters above sea level, and the area facing the Indian Ocean and the mountains facing the Bay of Bengal are dotted with black tea plantations. Black tea plantations are divided into broad areas known as six black tea producing areas, each with its own altitude to form its own flavor, tea aroma and water color characteristics, and take this as a selling point.

For example, no matter what kind of plant is cultivated in flat land, its size and fragrance will be completely different from that in mountain areas. When tea is planted in low-altitude and high-altitude areas, its astringency, tea aroma and water color will also change. Each area is divided one by one according to the altitude of every 600 meters, publicizing the characteristics of black tea at each level.

Lowland tea

Lowland tea (Low Grown) is planted between 0,600m and 1200m, Middle Grown between 600m and 1200m, and High Grown between 1200m and 1800m.

One of the most famous lowland teas is Luhuna black tea made in the province of Sabaragamuwa. Because this is the lowland, the tea garden is also planted with papaya, bananas and coconut trees, which is reminiscent of the green tea garden of the rainforest and muggy because of the high temperature and humidity. The tea grows well, the leaf shape is large, and the leaf bud part will grow to 2cm, thick and large, while the silver tip and golden tip tea made from only the leaf bud will be sold at a high price.

The origin is slightly higher above sea level, but the same lowland tea is Kandi black tea, which comes from the central province with the ancient capital Kandi as the center. The local climate is stable, less affected by the monsoon, and the black tea produced is highly transparent, characterized by the unique taste and aroma of black tea, and is often regarded as the basis of Ceylon black tea model.

Zhongdi tea

As the representative of the Zhongdi Tea Plantation is located in the northwest Timbra region. There is a small village called Timbra, where Timbra black tea was born. This is the mountainous area facing the Indian Ocean. After the monsoon blowing from the Bay of Bengal from January to February crosses the mountains and forms a dry and cold wind, black tea with high quality and outstanding personality can be made.

Highland tea

Highland tea is written as High Grown Tea. From the word "High", it is easy to be misunderstood as high quality, high price or high quality, but here it only refers to the height of the highland, which is not directly related to quality. The drastic temperature changes in the highlands, coupled with the influence of fog, light rain, strong wind and cold wind, will produce a strong aroma and astringency of tea, resulting in the birth of black tea, which is particularly prominent in three elements.

Typical of these is Nuwara Eliya, where tea is grown as high as 1850 meters above sea level. Equivalent to this is the Uda Pussellawa area, which happens to be located on both sides of the mountain, separated by the top left and right. The two places are the first to be affected by the monsoon from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal, producing high-quality seasonal black tea.

As a highland tea-producing area, the three most famous teas in the world come from the mountains facing the Bay of Bengal, and the wind blowing from the Indian Ocean from July to August is blocked by the mountains. This cold and dry wind gives the tea a unique refreshing aroma and irritating astringency, and the high-quality seasonal Wuwo tea will be traded at a high price.

The six major black tea producing areas have more than 600 tea gardens. With the black tea factory as the center, people who work in the tea garden live here, forming a village organization in which the workshop head serves as the village head. The tea garden is also equipped with facilities such as schools, clinics, monasteries and assembly places, and sports meetings and festival ceremonies are held from time to time.