The History of Tea Industry in Sri Lanka and the Historical Story of James Taylor, the Father of Ceylon Black Tea

Sri Lanka's history is as fascinating as the country itself. Many years ago, the country had a strong culture and heritage, and it was ruled by kings for many generations. As early as the 16th century, the country was invaded by many foreign forces who came here in search of spices, gems and other treasures.

Colonial history

Since the 16th century, the country has been invaded by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Like many other Asian countries, Sri Lanka faced the fate of becoming a British colony in 1815, when the country was named Ceylon.

The tea culture in Sri Lanka began at that time, when the country's coffee plantations began to disappear due to the pandemic of coffee leaf rust on the island. In 1839, the British introduced a tea tree from China and planted it in the Royal Botanical Garden Peradeniya, the first non-commercial tea planting experiment in Sri Lanka. Since then, few other experiments have been conducted in the "Nuwara Eliya" Nuwara Elia region to check the plant's applicability to Sri Lankan soil and climate.

The Story of James Taylor

In 1867, a Scottish planter named James Taylor (James Taylor) began to grow tea in Kandy, creating the first commercial tea cultivation in Sri Lanka, which marked a turning point in Ceylon tea history. His plantation is named "Loolecondra Manor" and is considered to be the first tea plantation in Sri Lanka. His tea garden began to flourish on the foggy hills of Kanti, proving that Sri Lanka has ideal climate and soil conditions for commercial tea cultivation.

Taylor's efforts to grow tea also brought hope to other British growers. In recognition of James Taylor's pioneering role in the Sri Lankan tea industry, he is still remembered as the "father of Ceylon tea". His tea garden is still operating in Sri Lanka and currently belongs to a state-owned tea garden company. The remains of the Taylor factory and bungalow are now preserved in the Hantana Tea Museum in Kandy, and if you go to Lule Condra Manor today, you can see some of the ruins of Taylor's bungalow.

Shortly after Taylor tried to grow tea, many tea gardens began in Sri Lanka. With the establishment of the necessary institutions and the development of infrastructure, the tea industry in Sri Lanka has been gradually established. By 1965, China became the world's largest tea exporter for the first time and continued its legend through many of the industry's ups and downs.