Which fair trade coffee facts and figures matter most?
Fair trade coffee facts and figures centre on price floors, premiums and long supply chains, and the Ceylon tea story shows how such systems take shape. Ceylon tea began with a Chinese tea plant brought to Peradeniya in 1824; James Taylor planted 19 acres at Kandy in 1867, Loolecondra Estate sold tea locally in 1872, and the first shipment reached London in 1873.
Institutions followed: John Brothers & co in 1876, a public Colombo auction in 1883, the Colombo Tea Traders' Association in 1894 and the Tea Research Institute in 1925. Ceylon became the largest tea exporter in 1965, the Sri Lanka Tea Board formed in 1976, export duties were abolished in 1992, and output passed 300,000 tons in 2000.
Since Ceylon black tea was introduced from China in the 19th century, it has gradually developed into a major force in the world of tea, with its seven major producing regions each possessing distinctive terroir characteristics. This article systematically reviews the development trajectory and key milestones of Sri Lankan black tea, and divides it into three major categories by altitude—high-grown, mid-grown, and low-grown—introducing one by one the distribution and characteristics of core producing regions such as Nuwara Eliya, Uva, Dimbula, Kandy, and Ruhuna, with a focus on interpreting the unique flavor and estate stories of Uva high-grown black tea. It also includes purchasing recommendations for Ceylon black tea from the Front Street brand, for the reference of coffee and tea enthusiasts.
In 1824, the British brought a Chinese tea plant to Ceylon, which is present-day Sri Lanka. This tree was planted in the Royal Botanical Gardens at Peradeniya and was later regarded as the country's first non-commercial tea tree.
In 1867, James Taylor, of Scottish descent, planted 19 acres of tea fields in the Kandy region, and Loolecondra Estate thus became the first commercial tea garden. In 1872, the estate's tea began to be sold locally in Kandy, and in 1873 the first batch of tea arrived in London. These early explorations went through repeated trial and error, as different individuals and companies continuously introduced and improved tea-making equipment and techniques, driving the industry's continued progress.
In 1876, the first brokerage firm, John Brothers & co, was established. Under the guidance of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (founded in 1839), tea was first publicly auctioned in Colombo in 1883. In 1894, the Colombo Tea Traders' Association was born, and in 1925 the Tea Research Institute was established. These institutions played an important role in promoting the production and export of early Ceylon tea.
Milestones
1893: One million tea packets sold at the Chicago World's Fair
1932: Export of inferior tea prohibited
1965: Ceylon became the world's largest tea exporter for the first time
1976: Sri Lanka Tea Board established
1976: Tea bag exports
1982: Green tea exports
1992: Export duties and ad valorem taxes on tea abolished
1992: Tea Research Board established
2000: Ceylon tea production exceeded 300,000 tons
Facts
· In 2737 BC, the Chinese Emperor Shennong accidentally discovered tea
· Tea is the world's most popular beverage after water
· In the United States, about 1.42 million pounds of tea are consumed daily
· About 3 billion cups of tea are consumed worldwide every day
4 pounds of fresh tea leaves produce 1 pound of dried tea.
1) High-grown (x > 1200m)
l Nuwara Eliya (1500-2000)
l Udapussellawa (above 1200)
² Maturata
² Ragala-Halgranoya
² Udapussellawa
l Dimbula (1100-1600)
² Patana-Kotagala (above 1500)
² Bogawantalawa
² Hatton-Dickoya (1271)
² Upcot-Maskelliya
² Nanuoya-Lindula-Talawakele (1200)
² Agarapatana
² Pundaluoya
² Ramboda
l Uva (900-1600)
² Malwatte-Welimada
² Demodara-Hali Ela-Badulla
² Passara-Lunugala
² Ella-Namunukula
² Bandarawela-Poonagala
² Haputale
² Koslanda-Haldummulla
² Madulsima
2) Mid-grown (1200m > x > 600m)
l Kandy (6500-1300)
² Kandy-Matale-Kurunegala
² Pussellawa-Hewaheta
² Kotmale
² Gampola-Nawalapitiya-Dolosbage
² Nilambe-Hantane-Galaha
² Kadugannawa
² Madulkelle-Nuckels-Rangala
² Hannasgiriya-Matale-Yakdessawa
3) Low-grown (600m > x)
l Ruhuna
² Deniyaya
² Matara
² Galle
² Kalutara
² Morawaka
l Sabaragamuwa
² Ratnapura
² Balangoda
² Kegalle
² Kelani Valley
² Balangoda-Rakwana
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
