Oh my God, it’s my pleasure to see,
Those dark & light colors, in my cup of tea.
That aroma so strong, bringing life to me,
That flavor so intense, creating memories for me.

Well, only a true tea lover can understand the feelings behind these lines. For them, sipping the tea is not just having a beverage, it’s an experience, a feeling, sheer happiness which probably that tea lover can only feel. Have you ever wondered what makes a good cup of tea good enough to bring that rich experience?

An overview of characteristics used to describe tea

Here are the primary characteristics that tea sommeliers use to describe your cup of tea:

• The colour of the tea liquor
• The aroma or smell
• The taste (which is the most important)

You can see that a good cup of tea satisfies your three senses through seeing, smelling, and tasting. Altogether, they define how awesome tea can be. Now you know these factors but you must be thinking that how teas from the different parts of the world provide us with a different experience. Well, the answer lies in the fact that all these factors are dependent on the geographical or environmental aspects, cultivation practices, and the processing of the tea leaves. All these aspects decide what is the colour, aroma, and taste of your tea.

Let’s understand little more about these factors. After all, you must understand what makes your tea so special that you cannot think about your life without it. The factors which are responsible for the distinct characteristics of any tea are:

• Environmental factors:
  • Temperature and sunlight
  • Moisture in the air and humidity
  • Rainfall
  • Groundwater
  • Soil
• Cultivation factors:
  • Pesticide used
  • Time of harvesting or plucking
  • Method of harvesting
• Processing factors

What makes Ceylon tea different from the rest?

Now, you must be wondering why we call Sri Lankan tea as Ceylon tea, isn’t it? Well, in simple words, Sri Lanka was formerly known as Ceylon and hence Sri Lankan tea is called Ceylon tea. Let’s peek into the history of Ceylon tea to understand it in a better way.

The name Ceylon was given by the British during their colonial rule. Even after getting independence, Sri Lanka preferred to keep the name Ceylon for about a quarter. It was during the British era when tea cultivation and production started first time in Sri Lanka. Adhering to the quality, the Ceylon tea became quite popular for providing the finest quality of the tea in the world. Export of Ceylon tea became a significant part of the Sri Lankan economy. The moment when Ceylon tea became global was during the Chicago World Fair in 1893 when its one million packets were sold off. During the same time, the price of Ceylon tea touched the record high of £36.15 (over US$ 5000 in today's currency) per pound (lb.) at the London Tea Auctions. By the time Sri Lanka got independence, Ceylon tea was already famous across the world and it has become a trademark of the best quality and trust. The market demand and tea export continued and made Sri Lanka the largest exporter of tea in 1965.

Remarkable milestones regarding tea plantation and production in Sri Lanka include its contribution of more than 2% of Sri Lanka’s GDP. Also, the tea sector of Sri Lanka employs more than 1 million people and has brought Sri Lanka at the fourth place among the largest producers of tea in the world and second as the largest exporter of the tea in the world.

How to ensure the authenticity of Ceylon tea?

Well, it’s not that difficult as it sounds. Even before buying a packet of Ceylon tea you can check if it is pure and authentic or not. First, let’s see why such authentication is needed and then understand how to check that.

Ceylon tea got a reputation all over the world because of its quality and purity. Although Sri Lanka wanted to get rid of their colonial past and avoid using the name Ceylon completely, this name had already become a brand in itself. The name itself was enough to create trust in the mind of its customer. Hence, not using this name would have seriously affected the growth and popularity. So, this name was adopted permanently to define the guarantee of quality.

The Sri Lanka Tea Board has put a lot of efforts by investing significantly to grow this Ceylon tea brand and make it resonance the quality and ethical sourcing. They have maintained a minimum standard for wages, workplace safety, and hygiene to ensure the protection of plantation workers. To indicate that the tea is 100% purely sourced from Sri Lanka and has passed through various quality standards related to the taste and sourcing, a special Lion Logo was incorporated by the board.

Though there are many brands of Sri Lankan teas which are available in the market, they are blended with inferior quality of tea. But the Ceylon tea is the tea which is 100% grown and processed in Sri Lanka under strict rules and restrictions governed by the tea board. Only such authentic Ceylon tea can use the Lion Logo to show its authenticity. There are many rules which need to be followed.

• The tea must be compulsorily cultivated and harvested only in Sri Lanka
• Ceylon tea must be 100% unblended with any other form of tea
• Any outside manufacturer or importer of tea cannot use the Lion Logo

All these rules ensure that the name Ceylon Tea is not exploited by any tea manufacturer and customer gets the 100% pure Ceylon tea from the trusted source.

One of the most important factors which make Ceylon tea even more special in terms of health is that it is the cleanest tea in the world in terms of pesticide residue. As verified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Sri Lankan tea has been proven to contain the least amount of pesticide residue in comparison to the tea from other countries.  Not only this, Sri Lanka was the first to achieve the Ozone Friendly Tea label recognized under the Montreal Protocol Treaty. Sri Lanka has also recognized as the first Ethical Tea Brand of the World by the United Nations Global Compact.

Factors contributing to Ceylon tea being recognized "best in the world"

Sri Lanka is like the place chosen by God itself for the cultivation of tea. It has got all the favourable conditions which are critical for producing the best tea in all terms like taste, colour, and aroma.

The conditions responsible for the healthiest tea crop which are present in Sri Lanka are:

• Humid atmosphere
• Favourable temperature
• Optimum rainfall
• Fertile soil with minerals
• Mineral-rich groundwater
• Best cultivation practices – growing, harvesting, processing

Because of the geographical factors like varying altitudes, being surrounded by the ocean, rainfall due to the monsoon, etc., Sri Lanka is blessed to have such optimum condition for the healthy growth of this magical tea known as Ceylon tea.

Types of Ceylon teas

The most famous types of Ceylon tea are black, white, green, and oolong, all of which surprisingly comes from the same plant — Camellia Sinensis — but are different because of the way they are processed differently.

• Ceylon black tea: One of the most popular types of Sri Lankan tea. The reason for its popularity is its strong citrus aroma. Different estates in Sri Lanka located at different altitudes bring that distinct taste and aroma to this black tea.
• Ceylon green tea: Grown mainly in Idalgashinnain Uva Province is pungent, malty, and nutty in flavour. It is very rich in flavour and has a dark
• Ceylon white tea: Also known as ‘Silver Tips’ is a premium tea in its category. It’s quite costly in comparison to the other verities of teas. The reason behind it is that it is grown, harvested, and rolled by hand. For white tea, only the buds are plucked, that too very delicately at dawn. These tea buds are not fermented and are exclusively hand-rolled. It is different in taste as it is very delicate and light with a touch of pine and honey and has a golden coppery infusion. It’s mostly grown in Nuwara Eliya near Adam’s Peak and at the Handunugoda Tea Estate near Galle in the south of Sri Lanka.

Ceylon tea can also be classified based on the geographical location of its estate, viz. low-grown, medium-grown, and high-grown based on the altitudes of the plantation. The different location gives a unique flavour to the tea which belongs to it.

Which is the best place to buy Ceylon tea?

In most of the countries all over the world, you can easily get the normal tea brands which sell tea in the form of either loose tea or tea bags. There are brands which sell teas of various types and qualities. They are available in the shops as well as you can buy them online.

But when it comes to Ceylon tea and that also the genuine one, you will have to be very careful as many brands sell blended teas under the name of Ceylon tea. If the box doesn't hold the Lion Logo, they are not 100% Pure Ceylon tea and are of poorer quality tea.

To make sure that you are getting the best Ceylon tea which is not only genuine but of excellent quality, you should get it from a trustworthy brand like teakruthi. teakruthi is a brand which brings you a diverse range of 100% Pure Ceylon tea.

teakruthi provides you with a choice from a variety of tea like black, white, green, oolong, etc. which are sourced from popular tea districts of Sri Lanka.

At teakruthi, our in-house tea experts make sure that the tea which is reaching you is pure, authentic, and completely 100% Pure Ceylon tea. We ensure that the freshness of the tea remains intact from its source until the time it reaches your hands.

teakruthi is directly associated with speciality plantations that comply with the ethical practices of sourcing and producing tea. Most of our teas come from the plantations certified by the Rainforest Alliance, UTZ or the Ethical Tea Partnership to make sure that the tea we bring you comes exploitation-free and from the authentic source.

All these factors make teakruthi the best place to buy Ceylon tea. You will be assured of all dimensions such as purity, genuineness, quality, ethical sourcing, etc. As tea lovers, we know nothing comes above those factors which ultimately defines the brand you trust. So, when you enjoy your favourite cup of teakruthi tea, you can be assured that you are having the best Ceylon tea with the assurance of trust and quality.

Cheers for your cup of Ceylon tea!

About the author

Gaurav Saraswat

Contributing author

Gaurav loves to weave some magical stories around anything and everything. Passionate about photography and traveling, his day starts with a hot cup of refreshing green tea that keeps him good to go for the entire day. The Mythical Green tea from teakruthi is his all-time favourite for rejuvenating his mind, body, and soul.

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