Shawland Plantation , Sri Lanka
Inside this month’s golden Discover sachet you will find a luxury Sawlands OP from Sri Lanka. Shawlands OP is a pure ceylon tea. It is a single estate tea that comes from the Uva ‘medium’ tea growing region of Sri Lanka.
The second-largest province in Sri Lanka, Uva, is a utopia filled with oceans of hills and valleys with abundant wildlife, including elephants and leopards and many species of birds. Though dry seasons slow the growth of the tea leaves in each area, it allows for greater flavour and an extraordinary seasonal tea. Cachan winds blow in during the dry seasons, allowing for the production of the much desired exquisite Uva tea. Due to equatorial climate, the tea is skillfully made at midnight, as the temperature drops to that ideal for developing the tea oils.
Shawlands estate is found on the southern slopes of Madulsima hill range, the estate was established in 1880 and grows 262 hectares of tea, 55 hectares of rubber and has 113 hectares of forest plantations. The Shawlands Estate produces around 3 million kg of green tea leaves and 9,000 kg of rubber latex annually from the fields which are certified by Rainforest Alliance, so it has quite an eclectic product mix.
The factory also manufactures 700,000kg of orthodox black tea annually using the tea leaves picked from its own garden and sister estates in the group. The estate has established a unique identity in the Colombo tea auction by producing teas with special characters. Shawlands has won Gold in the Ceylon Specialty Tea of the Year Award for two years running, in a competition held in Japan, organized by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and Colombo Tea Traders’ Association in collaboration with the Japan Tea Association. It is like the Grammy Awards for tea!
Location: Madulsima
Country: Sri Lanka
Capital City: Colombo
Coordinates: 6°55′N 79°55′E
Elevation: 1000m elevation above sea level
Soil type: Red and brown loamy soil
Manufacture: Smallhold tea estates
Season: Late Summer
Av temp: 28 °C
Fun facts:
> The national sport is Volleyball.
> Adam’s Peak is the most sacred mountain in the country.
> The main source of power is Hydropower.
> Sri Lanka is nicknamed “The Pearl of the Indian Ocean”.