"Light Teas" of Sri Lanka

Despite its diminutive size Sri Lanka manages to produce an astounding variety of teas. The black-leafed, deep coloured, thick, malty low country teas that are the backbone of blends in every country from Iran to Libya are produced less than 50 miles away from the light, bright high grown teas of Nuwara Eliya much valued by the Japanese and Germans.

What the tea trade call "light-bright teas" are grown on the slopes of Mt Pidurutagala, the island’s highest mountain, these teas are given virtually no oxidation time which makes for a distinctive rawness in the finished product. The taste is incredibly fresh and brisk, a product of the slow growth associated with the altitude coupled with minimal oxidation time ensuring that the teas retain as much of the character and flavour of the original green leaf as is possible. Mango and other tropical fruit aromas are clear on the infusions, and (without milk) the tea is astonishingly refreshing.

The way to consume Ceylon tea like a local is with a chunk of jaggery. Jaggery is an intensely sweet, solid block of sugars derived from the reduction of coconut. It has the consistency of Kendal Mint Cake and a sugary-fudgey character that makes it an ideal accompaniment to the intensely thick, strong, smaller-leafed teas favoured by the local market. Without jaggery, these teas would be a real trial to drink but much like the consumption of a sweet chestnut in Japan alongside the steamed green tea, the sugars counteract the strength and bitterness of the tea and ensure an energy boost to keep the drinker going until lunchtime.