"I am in no way interested in immortality, but only in the taste of tea" ~ Lu Tung
When next taking a soul enriching muscle soothing sip of tea consider the incredible efforts required to bring leaf to cup, after several hours of walking through tea plantations in Sri Lanka I will never take it for granted again.
A whimsical combination of ruggedly beautiful scenery, sheer green mountainsides and mist shrouded tea plantations
Lipton's Seat itself was named after Sir Thomas Lipton who frequently came to admire the stunning view. Lipton's Seat is perched at the edge of a cliff with magnificent panoramic views over the south of Sri Lanka sweeping all the way across the coast. Early arrival is essential as the viewpoint clouds over in the later morning.
We took an early morning tuk tuk ride for an hour through the mountains to the point where we had 1km to walk up to Lipton's seat. Walking along the edge of the escarpment through lush green tea estates. The higher the tuk tuk travelled the more expansive the views became. The 1 km ascent to Liptons seat by foot lead steeply up through a lush green landscape of immaculately manicured tea plantations.
The tea plantations are so beautifully manicured that there is barely a leaf out of place.
The tea estates along the southern edge of the hills offer stunning scenery and amazing panoramic views
The 7km descent from Lipton's Seat to the Dambatenne Tea Factory gives way to sari clad ladies plucking the tea from the bush ( up to 20kg per day).
"Two leaves and a bud" the mantra of the tea picker
The entire tea production process is labour intensive from plucking to packing.
The plucking of the leaves remains the most labour intense aspect of the process. Tea pickers select the youngest 2 leaves and bud from the tip of each branch.
An entire community resides in the mountain of the tea plantations
The rambling Dambatenne Tea Factory creates an imposing scene in the highlands. Built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, the long white factory preserves some of its original colonial era style.
The tea making process and some of the machinery has remained unchanged for more than a century.
Tea remains fundamental to the economy of Sri Lanka
When next taking a soul enriching muscle soothing sip of tea consider the incredible efforts required to bring leaf to cup, after several hours of walking through tea plantations in Sri Lanka I will never take it for granted again.
A whimsical combination of ruggedly beautiful scenery, sheer green mountainsides and mist shrouded tea plantations
Lipton's Seat itself was named after Sir Thomas Lipton who frequently came to admire the stunning view. Lipton's Seat is perched at the edge of a cliff with magnificent panoramic views over the south of Sri Lanka sweeping all the way across the coast. Early arrival is essential as the viewpoint clouds over in the later morning.
We took an early morning tuk tuk ride for an hour through the mountains to the point where we had 1km to walk up to Lipton's seat. Walking along the edge of the escarpment through lush green tea estates. The higher the tuk tuk travelled the more expansive the views became. The 1 km ascent to Liptons seat by foot lead steeply up through a lush green landscape of immaculately manicured tea plantations.
The tea estates along the southern edge of the hills offer stunning scenery and amazing panoramic views
The 7km descent from Lipton's Seat to the Dambatenne Tea Factory gives way to sari clad ladies plucking the tea from the bush ( up to 20kg per day).
"Two leaves and a bud" the mantra of the tea picker
The plucking of the leaves remains the most labour intense aspect of the process. Tea pickers select the youngest 2 leaves and bud from the tip of each branch.
The bushes (camellia sinensis) are plucked every seven days during the dry season
Twice as often during the wet season.
An entire community resides in the mountain of the tea plantations
The rambling Dambatenne Tea Factory creates an imposing scene in the highlands. Built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, the long white factory preserves some of its original colonial era style.
The tea making process and some of the machinery has remained unchanged for more than a century.
Tea remains fundamental to the economy of Sri Lanka
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