James Taylor and the 19 Acres That Started Ceylon Tea
In 1867, a young Scottish planter cleared 19 acres on a hillside near Kandy and planted tea where coffee had grown before.…
Journal category
History
Udarata: A Short History of the Kandyan Hill Country
Before it was tea country, the Udarata was a kingdom, the last independent one on the island, and its capital still beats…
When Coffee Failed: How Ceylon Became Tea Country
In the mid-1800s, Ceylon was one of the world's great coffee producers. A tiny fungus changed that within a generation, and in…
1873: The First Ceylon Tea Shipment to London
A small parcel of tea left the island — and the world began to ask for Ceylon.
Thomas Lipton and the Tea Gardens of Ceylon
A Glasgow grocer bought estates in the hills and sold Ceylon tea to the world.
A Short History of the Colombo Tea Auction
Since 1883, much of Sri Lanka’s tea has been bought and sold at the Colombo auction.
Ceylon Became Sri Lanka — Why the Tea Kept Its Name
In 1972 the island took a new name. Its most famous export did not.