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Day 22- Anyone for a cuppa?

Anyone who knows me knows I love animals so when the option came up to wake up at a stupid time in the morning to wash some cows I obviously jumped at the chance. So that was decided and I was up at 5am to go out onto the farm and literally wash cows. To washed the cows we used a bucket to douse them with water and a brush to untangle their tail hair and smooth their backs. The cows didn’t seem overly impressed and didn’t think that just because they were being washed meant they couldn’t go to the toilet. I loved helping out even though I think I was probably more of a hindrance but the hosts seemed happy enough to have us.


After leaving the quiet of the village we headed up into the mountains to visit Nuwara Eliya. This area is known for its tea plantations. Tea was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1867 by the British. Originally the British had tried to grow coffee however a fungus killed all the coffee plants. The most popular areas for growing tea in Sri Lanka is in the central and southern province. Sri Lanka is now facing huge competition in the exportation of tea, 5 years ago Sri Lanka was the number one exporter of tea however recently has dropped down to number 4 after increased competition and a lack of labour availability.





The tea plantation spanned over a large area with thousands of tea plants. The views were stunning. They are the type of views I want to see everyday... getting back on the bus was tough. 



Another thing those who know me well know is my love (verging on obsession) for tea. Let’s be honest, a cuppa fixes most issues. So obviously I was so excited to go to a tea factory! 

We were told about the three types of tea manufactured by the company, these are White tea, green and black. To make white tea they use the small bud from the tea plants and for the green and black they use the whole leaf. To make the black tea the leaves are spread out on long trays with warm air passing through them to remove the moisture. The leaves are then rolled breaking the leaves into pieces. Next the leaves are spread out on open trays in cool airy rooms to facilitate oxidation. Next to stop the oxidation the leaves are dried in ovens. The leaves are then shaken through sieve like machines #teashakennotstirred (hashtag credit to John @jdrasq ). The tea is then packaged and ready to go. Of course I was more than happy to try a free sample and even had a slice of tea flavoured cake which was delicious.



We headed into Nuwara Eliya city centre where I paid a visit to Victoria Park. This was so peaceful and tranquil. 






Following that we decided how better to spend a day in one of Sri Lanka’s tea provenances but to go for an afternoon tea at the Royal Grand hotel. It was not quite the traditional english afternoon tea but was just as delicious and it had a very extensive tea list! 



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