How Do Sri Lankan Tea Grades and Processing Differ?
Sri Lanka is the world's fourth-largest tea exporter, behind China, Kenya, and India, with 2018 output of 303.8 million kilograms. About 91 percent of that was orthodox black tea, 7.8 percent CTC black tea, and 1.2 percent green tea, so the country's industry extends well beyond the Ceylon black tea it is known for.
Processing separates the categories. Orthodox production uses traditional rollers that form leaf grades of various sizes, such as OPA, OP1, OP, and BOP, similar in logic to how coffee grades sort by bean size and shape. CTC stands for Crush, Tear, Curl, an intense maceration method that yields mostly small-leaf tea.
As the world's fourth-largest tea exporter, Sri Lanka's tea industry is far more than just Ceylon black tea. This article will guide you through the production proportions and processing differences of the country's orthodox black tea, CTC black tea, and green tea, analyze how Sri Lanka's unique climate and terrain create the seasonal flavors of its tea, and outline the distribution characteristics of its three elevation categories and seven growing regions. We will also explore the Western origins of Sri Lanka's tea culture and Front Street Coffee's ongoing attention to Ceylon tea flavors.
Types of Ceylon Tea
Sri Lanka's tea industry began nearly 150 years ago, and today it is the world's fourth-largest tea exporter, after China, Kenya, and India. In 2018, the country's annual tea production reached 303.8 million kilograms, the vast majority of which was black tea.
According to 2018 data, about 91% of the products were orthodox black tea, 7.8% were CTC black tea, and the remaining 1.2% was green tea.
Among all tea-producing countries in the world, the uniqueness of Sri Lankan tea stems largely from the country's rich and diverse agro-climatic conditions. As we know, the quality of tea is closely related to its growing environment, so tea produced in Sri Lanka exhibits distinctive flavor characteristics compared with other countries.
One particularly noteworthy fact about Sri Lankan tea is that the country's tea has a distinct seasonality. Due to very special climatic conditions and terrain, Sri Lanka generally has two main tea flavor seasons, namely the "Dimbula season" and the "Uva season." During these periods, tea gardens in specific regions can produce tea of excellent flavor and outstanding quality.
Orthodox Black Tea
The production method for orthodox black tea is relatively simple, namely using traditional rollers for rolling. These rollers do not cut the tea leaves too finely, but instead form tea grades of various sizes and shapes, ranging from large leaves to small leaves. OPA, OP1, OP, BOP, and others are several typical grades of orthodox tea. The characteristic of this type of tea lies in its unique flavor and aroma.
CTC Black Tea
CTC is a special tea processing method, and the three letters stand for "Crush, Tear, Curl." With this method, the tea leaves undergo intense maceration, so most of the output consists of small-leaf tea. Sri Lanka has made little progress in CTC production because market demand for orthodox tea is already very strong.
Green Tea
Sri Lanka is not a major producer of green tea. Only a very small number of tea gardens produce green tea, and most of these products are for local consumption. Green tea varieties from China and Japan are also grown in Sri Lanka, but compared with Chinese and Japanese green tea, Sri Lankan green tea tastes slightly more bitter and astringent.
Tea Cultivation and Culture
The country's total tea cultivation area is about 222,000 hectares, and three elevation categories have been identified nationwide, namely low-elevation growing regions (0-600 meters), mid-elevation growing regions (600-1,200 meters), and high-elevation growing regions (above 1,200 meters). In addition to elevation classification, the country is also divided into seven tea-growing regions: Ruhuna, Sabaragamuwa, Kandy, Dimbula, Uva, and Udapussellawa. The teas produced in these regions each have their own characteristics.
The country's tea culture is closer to Western culture, mainly due to British influence during the colonial period. Tea culture involves the preparation and use of classic teapots and other ceramic tea utensils. On the other hand, breakfast tea and afternoon tea are indispensable parts of daily life for Sri Lankans.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
