Ceylon Tea

Ceylon Tea Industry Logo

Ceylon Tea Industry

$1,320 million

in export revenue in 2021

3rd

Most Valued Tea Exporter in 2020

222,000 hectares

of Tea has been Grown in Sri Lanka

285,867 MTs

of Ceylon Tea was exported in 2021


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Leaf Through the Rich History of Ceylon Tea

1860s

  • A 19 acre tea plantation was started in Kandy by James Taylor, marking the birth of the Ceylon Tea Industry.
James Taylor

1870s

  • The first fully equipped tea factory opened in 1872, operating under James Taylor
  • In 1873, the first shipment of 10kgs of Ceylon Tea arrived in London.
  • Samuel Cleveland Davidson manufactured the first 'Sirocco' tea drier, in 1877.
Samuel Davidson

1880s

  • The first tea rolling machine was developed in 1880 by John Walker and Co.
  • The first public Colombo Auction took place in July of 1883.
  • The Central Tea Factory began construction in 1884, in Nuwara Eliya.
Central Tea Factory

1890s

  • One million tea packets were sold at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.
  • The Ceylon Tea Traders Association was formed in 1894.
  • By 1899, area under tea cultivation grew to nearly 400,000 acres.
Tea Traders Association Logo

1940s

  • In 1941, the Tea Research Institute (established in 1925) developed a biological control to suppress the Tea Tortrix catepillar.
  • M/s Pieris and Abeywardena, the first Ceylonese tea broking house was established in 1941.
Tea Research Institute

1960s

  • Tea production exceeded 200,000 metric tons.
  • In 1965, Sri Lanka became the world's largest exporter of tea for the first time.
  • The first International Tea Convention was held in 1966.

1970s

  • The government nationalized around 502 estates during the years of 1971 and 1972.
  • In 1976, the Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) was formed.
SLTB Logo

1980s

  • Production and export of green tea began in 1982.
  • Sri Lanka became the official supplier of tea at:
    • 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.
    • 12th Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, 1982.
    • Expo 88 in 1987, in Australia.

2000s

  • 2001 marked the first online sale of Ceylon Tea.
  • The Ceylon Tea Museum was opened in 2002.
Ceylon Tea Museum

Health Benefits of Ceylon Tea

Ceylon Black Tea

Black Tea

  1. Protection from free radicals damage to cells
  2. Chronic diseases may be prevented
  3. Diabetes, Cholesterol and Obesity can be reduced
  4. Improving gut health
  5. Helps to maintain a good focus
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Ceylon Green Tea

Green Tea

  1. Increase the burning of excess fat
  2. Lowers the risk of breast, prostate and colorectal cancers
  3. Lower the risk of heart diseases
  4. Helps with weight loss
  5. Improve brain function
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Ceylon White Tea

White Tea

  1. Helps to reduce plaque, cavities and bad breath
  2. Reduce the risk of brittle bones and osteoporosis
  3. Prevents acne
  4. Reduces early signs of ageing
  5. Reduces the risk of neurodegenrative diseases
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Ceylon Tea Auction

The Colombo Tea Auction is the single largest tea auction in the world. Auctions are held every Tuesday and Wednesday,except during the New Year and at Christmas. Around 6.5 million kilograms are sold weekly.
The first Tea Auction in Colombo was held on 30th July 1883 in the office of Somerville & Co. The Auction itself was only modestly successful with only one lot of Kabaragala un-assorted tea being sold.
COVID-19 changed the 137 year old Colombo Tea Auction from its famous outcry system to a digital auction system. The Sale No. 12 of 2020 which was scheduled as a manual auction for 24/25 March 2020 eventually commenced on 4 April 2020 as an electronic auction. The first auction took five days as the users had to be trained so they could adopt the technology. With the users being trained on several occasions, today's e-Auction is held for two days per week.

Ceylon Tea Auction