Sri Lanka - Tea by Origin

Country Statistics & Tea Overview

Our Sri-Lanka Origin Teas

The G.S. Haly Co. sources a variety of Sri Lankan estate teas to provide our customers with a broad selection to meet various needs.

Black Teas

Ruhuna OP - Item: 340 – Standard Min: 68Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. This is a black, orange pekoe blend that is produced in the southern growing region known as Ruhuna. Most Ceylon OP's produced today have a very large, bold leaf. The Ruhuna Blend has a smaller, tighter, twisted leaf which brews a nutty tasting cup. This leaf is better suited to the American and European markets. We select teas that grow in the 1,500 to 2,000 foot level in order to produce a self-drinking blend with good body and flavor. This tea can be sold as a Ceylon Orange Pekoe, House English Breakfast or as a blender.

Kegalle Estate Blend OP - Item: 353 – Standard Min: 75Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Kegalle, Sri Lanka. Known the world-over, this tea is a classic version of a Ceylon Orange Pekoe. This blend comes from the southwestern district of Kegalle at an elevation between 1,000 to 2,000 feet. The lower and medium growing elevations give this blend a good balance of weight and flavor. The balanced cup makes this a good English Breakfast or base for flavored hot tea.

Kandy OP - Item: 320 – Standard Min: 59Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Kandy, Sri Lanka. The Kandy District has the oldest tea bushes in Sri Lanka and give this tea a full bodied cup.

Uva OP - Item: 330 – Standard Min: 79Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Uva, Sri Lanka. The G.S. Haly Co. established this blend over sixty years ago. This black pekoe, from the Uva district, has more curl than most pekoe grades and is produced during the peak of the season in August and September. The elevation of the various gardens range from 1,900 to 2,500 feet. Supreme is a medium-grown black tea. It has an attractive curly leaf and a good balance of body and flavor, which makes it a pleasant everyday tea.

Nuwara Eliya OP - Item: 310 – Standard Min: 59Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Grown at 4,700 feet in the heart of the Nuwara Eliya district. January/February is the peak season for this unusual tea. Despite its' name, this tea has a dark green leaf with a silver bud running the length of the leaf. Most "bud" type teas are thin in cup and neutral in color. Not this tea. It has an amber liquor with a sweet medium-bodied cup.

Ratnapura BOP - Item: 356B – Standard Min: 93Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. This blend is named after the southwest Ratnapura district. The extensive mountain ranges and valleys that extend from sea level to 2,000 feet produce teas with a full spectrum of body and flavor. The drier weather from January through March produce the best teas. This blend has a special style leaf that is halfway between a BOP and Pekoe. It produces a dark red cup with a nutty and quite complex flavor. Make makes this tea unusual is that it’s liquor is truly one of the heaviest produced in the world.

Ratnapura OP - Item: 357 – Standard Min: 68Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. The Orange Pekoe leaf provides a distinctly less heavy bodied cup than the BOP.

Galle English Breakfast Pekoe - Item: 354 – Standard Min: 79Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Galle, Sri Lanka. This is a blend that the British would enjoy for breakfast, a blend of black pekoe leaf from the southern district of Galle. The peak season for this blend is January/February. Like the low grown Assams of India, this tea is grown at approximately 1,000 feet. It has a fancy rolled leaf, and a deep red cup, with a good balance of weight and flavor that holds up to milk.

Chester BOP - Item: 352 – Standard Min: 110Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Galle, Sri Lanka. This is a typical low-grown black Ceylon tea. Grown in the southwest Galle district, it can be produced almost year round. The average growing elevation for this tea is 1,000 feet and below. It is labeled a BOP but because of the larger size and slight curl to the leaf, it's technically a pekoe. Being a low grown tea, this blend has good dark liquor and a medium strength cup.

Supreme Pekoe - Item: 351 – Standard Min: 79Lbs [Kosher]
Origin: Uva, Sri Lanka. The rolled and round curly leaf provides a brew with a heavy body.

Ceylon Blend BOP, Decaff Ethyl Acetate - Item: 1419 – Standard Min: 77Lbs [Kosher, Decaffeinated]
Origin: Southern, Sri Lanka. This tea is decaffeinated with the Ethyl Acetate Process. This is a Ceylon tea with a very large black and brown leaf. The liquor is almost black in the cup. Flavor profile is fairly neutral.

Ceylon Blend OP, Decaff CO2 - Item: 3719 – Standard Min: 77Lbs [Kosher, CO2 Decaffeinated]
Origin: Southern, Sri Lanka. This tea is decaffeinated with the CO2 Process. This is a Ceylon tea with a classic black, tightly-rolled OP leaf. The liquor has dark red tones. The cup has a mild sweet taste.

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Country Statistics
Area: 24,950 sq.miles (64,630 sq.km)
Capital: Colombo
Main Cities: Jaffna, Kandy, Galle, Trincomalee
Languages: Sinhalese, Tamil, English
Religions: Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian
Map of Sri Lanka

Overview of Sri Lanka's Tea Production

Within 130 years, tea production in Sri Lanka was elevated from what was initially a replacement crop for the failed coffee harvest of 1869 to an industry that at one stage, was the second largest annual production in the world market. Like most tea producing countries, Sri Lanka has experienced many ups and downs in its annual production numbers.

In 1992, having suffered heavy losses during an experiment in nationalized management, the government decided to return its plantations to private management. The plan began in 1995 with the sale of 23 state-owned plantations. Privatization of state-owned estates is now attracting foreign investment as well as raising the level of harvest quantity and quality.

Sri Lanka resembles a pear-shaped island. Most of the tea plantations are located in the heartlands of the lower, central bulge. Tea growing takes place on three elevation levels. These include the top-quality, high-grown tea in the central hill region at 4,000 – 6,000 feet, with bright character and superior flavor due to the cooler air; medium-grown tea at 2,000 – 4,000 feet, known for being full-bodied with good color and strength; while strong and colory low-grown tea is produced below 2,000 feet. Much of the high-grown tea is cultivated on large estates whereas smaller gardens (usually under 10 acres) dominate the lower levels.
Sri Lanka's unique rainfall pattern guarantees an almost unbroken harvesting season within the country. Two separate monsoon seasons hit the island throughout the year; one from the north-east and another from the south-west. When production falls off on the teas from the western side or Dimbulla teas, there is a rise in production on the eastern side or Uva teas. The production of premium teas is aided by the presence of cool, dry winds. During the peak of the cropping season, teas can be picked at such a rate as to require a 24-hour processing cycle at the factories.

The regular Tuesday auction in Colombo, the largest in the world, sells almost 13 million pounds annually. 90% of the national output is required by law to come under gavel, although some companies get special dispensation to sell 50% of output through direct sales.