Author: Julia Kopylova , tea expert.
Ceylon tea & ndash; this is the most famous and popular variety in Russia, the taste of which is known to more than one generation of Russian black tea lovers from Ceylon. Ceylon tea has a rich, strong, slightly tart flavor, which is the & laquo; calling card & raquo; quality and differentiation compared to others.
Sri Lanka is on a par with well-known producing countries such as China, Kenya, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan and India.
History
It is generally accepted that tea began to be grown on the island of Sri Lanka since 1824. The first seedlings were brought here from China and planted in the Botanical Garden in Paradenia.
And only 15 years later, in 1839, from the Indian province of Assam, the Scottish planter James Taylor brought the next batch of tea trees and planted them on a new, just cleared from the forest plantation of 8 hectares in the Nuwar Eliya area and at home conducted experiments on the production of the first batches of tea.
He designed a small tea leaf twisting machine and caught the attention of London tycoons.
The bushes of the Camelia Sinensis variety introduced to the island were of two species. It turned out that the Chinese Camelia Sinensis var. sinensis has better adapted to highland areas, and Indian Camelia sinensis var. assamica has adapted well in the plains.
By 1875, plantations amounted to more than 400 hectares. It was here in Sri Lanka that the slogan & laquo; Direct from tea garden to teapot & raquo; was coined.
And it is not surprising that by 1965 the island came out on top in exports, exporting mainly a variety of black (so-called & laquo; orthodox & raquo;) teas.
After that, in 1972, all plantations were nationalized, and no more than 20 hectares of area remained in private ownership, and the entire business turnover was in the hands of the state and production became industrial.
Closer to 2000, they again began to surrender to private companies and were allowed to sell the drink on their own. Today, Colombo hosts a weekly auction for the sale of varieties grown in Sri Lanka, which concludes multimillion-dollar contracts for the supply of the drink to different countries, including Russia.
Where Ceylon tea is grown and how it grows
Tea grown and produced on the island of Sri Lanka has the same climatic and optimally suitable features as in India: humidity and heat.
The climate on the island is tropical and humid, the temperature is constant, practically does not change: on the coast & ndash; up to 32 & deg;, in the mountains up to 26 & deg; C. The weather is determined by two monsoon winds: the northeast monsoon lasts from October to March, the southwest & mdash; June through October.
The Indian Ocean washing the island indulges in its warm waters (27-29 & deg; C), but is rarely calm.
The territory is occupied by coastal lowlands and plains on which low-mountain plantations grow. But the entire center of the island is covered with hills and mountains, on which the most famous alpine plantations are spread: Nuwara Eliya and Kandy, as well as the highest peaks of the island & ndash; Mount Pidurutalagala (2524 meters) and Adamov Peak (2243 m).
Ceylon teas: what Ceylon drinks are available
So, the tea bushes brought to the island took root perfectly and yielded a good harvest.
In Sri Lanka, tea production was limited only to black varieties, as they were the most popular on the market.
The production technology is still unchanged and includes the following stages: tea leaf collection, withering, twisting, fermentation, drying.
Up to 1 kg of harvested tea is used per 4 kg of dry tea.
However, Ceylon has a classification that Europeans have introduced & ndash; the standard sheet (or grade) depends on the quality and shape of the finished dry.
According to the size of the teas, black teas are divided into:
- sheet (large);
- broken or broken (medium);
- fine (seeding or crumb).
In addition, the first two are divided into several categories according to the quality characteristics of the sheet.
Sheeting is divided into:
1. Large leaf.
This label means that tea is whole leaf. It can be either leaf not large, that is, up to 1 centimeter, or large leaf, larger than 1 cm. Its leaves are well twisted along the core.
2. FFEXSPL и FFSPL – tea of special quality (& laquo; Extra & raquo;).
- OPA & ndash; the largest sheet size (more than 1 centimeter), is plate-twisted (flat twisting).
- OP & ndash; tea in the form of long thin twisted leaves (mainly second). Large-sized sheet from one cm. Braid sheet twisting.
- OP1 & ndash; large sheet, but its size can be no more than 1 centimeter. Twist is hot.
The size of the Ceylon tea leaf depends on which leaf was plucked and twisted (1-2 & ndash; these are very tender and soft, 3-4 & ndash; coarser and larger).
Broken data is divided into:
- FP – small leaves, strong twisting with types.
- Pekoe – leaf tea containing large twisted leaves (third or fourth on a branch).
- FBOP – leaf broken or cut black tea containing not too twisted leaves with a significant admixture of types (buds).
- BOP, BOP1 – leaf, broken or cut tea from second leaves on a branch. Differ in size (BOP1 & ndash; smaller).
- CTC & ndash; granulated in the form of a smooth, twisted granule of different sizes.
Small (usually for tea bags) are divided by appearance:
- Fanning – can be in the form of CTC granule or BOP (small flat sheet).
- Dust – smallest category (crumb).
Be sure to include this information on the tea bag label to let customers know what they are buying.
This information gives an idea of the factory varieties and is a generally accepted international classification, which developed gradually during the 19th century and was formed completely by the beginning of the 20th centuries.
Its terminology (degree names and genus descriptions of Ceylon tea) is based on English terms and some Anglicized Chinese.
Geography
Many connoisseurs know the highland teas of Sri Lanka. Most plantations are located in the mountainous regions of the south of the country at altitudes from 600 to 2700 meters above sea level. The quality directly depends on the height of the tea leaf.
The best quality drink is obtained from the highest located plantations, while the harvest time is very important & ndash; tea should be harvested from late June to late August.
In the eastern areas where the plantations are located, they are harvested in February, and in the western & ndash; in early March. For collection, an shoot consisting of no more than three leaves and buds is used.
The rest of the time, the collection also gives good, high-quality products, but the lower the plantation is located, the quality becomes average. If you compare black leaf teas in Sri Lanka, they are not very different from each other. This can be explained by homogeneous soil and climatic conditions.
In terms of altitude, tea can be divided into:
- low-altitude (up to 600 meters above sea level) & ndash; regions of Ruhuna, Halle;
- medium-altitude (600-1200 m) & ndash; Dimboola, Kandy;
- high-altitude (1200 m and higher) & ndash; regions Nuwara eliya, Uva, Uda-pusselava, Sabaragamuva.
Ceylon's most famous tea regions
There are several growing areas on the island that have their own distinctive feature as raw materials produced.
Seven tea regions that are close (east and south) to the capital Colombo & ndash; Nuwara Eliya, Uva, Dimbula, Kandy, Ruhuna, Galle and Ratnapura.
They all have individual characteristics.
The most famous and best tea is considered to be produced on the plantations of the Nuwara Eliya region.
The area is located near Mount Pidurutalagala at an altitude of 1800 to 2700 meters above sea level, where tea leaf is collected all year round, but the variety collected in January-February has the best quality. This variety has the name & laquo; Champagne & raquo;.
Tea from the Nuwara Eliya area is one of the most elite varieties in the world. It is the world's highest tea growing area.
It has a golden infusion of medium saturation, soft and a little astringent to taste, with a subtle amazing aroma of spices, cypress, eucalyptus and wild herbs that grow nearby and saturate the tea leaf with their aroma.
Tea harvested from the southeastern slopes of the mountains of the Uva region is also highly valued.
Here, at an altitude of 1200-1500 meters above sea level, under protection from cold and dry winds, an Extra-class drink is grown and produced.
The highest quality tea is obtained from fees in the middle of the year when dry winds blow, namely, from the end of June to the end of September.
& laquo; Peko & raquo;, & laquo; Orange Peko & raquo; and the broken teas of this region are always great. The drink will surprise you with the taste of exotic. It is distinguished by a golden red rich infusion with excellent taste and aroma.
Tea plantations Dimbula are located at an altitude of 1250-1800 meters and are also alpine areas with high humidity due to monsoon rains.
The best teas with a high quality rating are assembled and produced between January and March, when it is dry and cold, and the tea leaf has a particularly strong aroma.
The teas of this area give a light, golden, sometimes orange-red infusion, are characterized by fullness of taste and small, moderate astringency, and the aroma has personality. In it, you can distinguish light lemon tones, and in the taste you can feel the notes of jasmine, rose and eucalyptus. The drink is refreshing, while it tastes soft and pleasant.
The last three of the six areas listed yield medium quality tea, which is widely used in tea blends:
- Канди – strong classic tea is collected from the plantations of this region, it shows its best qualities in combination with milk. Tea leaf collection time & ndash; February.
- Ruhuna is located in southern Sri Lanka, where the local soil has features that make Ceylon tea sheets black. Tea has a strong, rich taste with floral notes or a pleasant, light sweetness.
- Uda Pusselava & ndash; here plantations are distributed between the levels of 1600-1800 meters. Produce a product of delicate aroma and taste with moderate strength.
- The tea region of Halle is not alpine (up to 600 meters) and is located in the south of the island. Produces tea & laquo; Orange Peko & raquo; and & laquo; Flauri Orange Peko & raquo;. They give the golden color of the infusion, great in taste and aroma.
How to brew
Ceylon tea is brewed in the classic English way. Tea Party in England & ndash; it's a peculiar way of communicating. For English drinking tea & ndash; it's more than a habit. They use it up to 7 times a day.
A strict time of 17 hours gives you an opportunity to communicate with friends and relatives. A drink brewed in English is very strong: 1 grams of tea are taken for 30-35 liter of boiling water. The teapot must be dry and heated.
Brew in 2 steps for 5 minutes. At this time, the cups are heated, which are filled on & frac14; part with milk or cream and tea is added. In the English way, it is important that it is tea that is added to milk, and not vice versa.
In our country, they drink this much less often. We brew the drink to enjoy the aroma and taste of the tea leaf, so we haven't changed the way we brew.
Pour 2-3 tea leaves (7-10 grams) of dry tea leaf into a 300 ml teapot. Pour hot water (95C & deg;) and insist for 3-5 minutes. It is permissible to re-brew and even the third time (depending on the quality of the tea leaf brewed).
Interestingly, Sri Lankans themselves prefer to brew a finely chopped sheet of BOP tea, FBOP, as this allows the drink to brew quickly, giving the infusion all the brightness of taste and aroma, quickly giving tone and helping to maintain the heat exchange of the body.
Ceylon Tea Composition
Tea & ndash; it is a daily consumption drink. It is rare that a person does not drink at least one cup a day, so it is very important to know how it affects our body.
The chemical composition is quite variable and depends on the variety, growing methods, processing and storage.
Black tea contains:
- tannins, with the help of which vitamin C is absorbed and immunity is increased;
- caffeine, which is associated with tannin and has a milder invigorating effect on the body than caffeine contained in coffee;
- phenolic compounds help quench thirst;
- catechins that help strengthen vessel walls;
- vitamin C, group B, P;
- protein substances and amino acids that add flavor;
- tannins.
Black variety has L-theanine & ndash; an amino acid that stimulates brain function and improves memory.
Black tea Ceylon & ndash; this is a drink that contains antioxidants polyphenols (catechins, theaflavins). The presence of these substances allows you to prevent the development of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis with regular use. The drink normalizes metabolism, increases immunity and cleanses the body.
Enjoy noble drinks, appreciate all the richness of flavors and tastes of the Ceylon collection in the & laquo; Russian Tea Company & raquo;.
Watch our video on & nbsp; Ceylon teas .