Uva District                                   
4,000 ft

This estate and Uva Highlands have both become internationally known and prices have rocketed in this very small select season for the area. Changes in management can occur in as little as two years whereas before management were in place for 8 to 20 years. This constant change has led to some instances where quality has been changeable. Starting in 2004 we will be selecting the best estate that we can find which is close to the St.James dark liquoring character and it will be named on the pack as above 'Uva Seasonal Dark'. At times this may indeed be St. James but with the new print run we have decided that we must have this flexibility to maintain the quality reputation that we have created in this 'Brand'.

SILVER AWARD winner at the Great Taste Awards 2001

In the season this district produces heavy flavoury volatile oils and this tea is produced during the night in cooler conditions.

Situated in the famous Malwatta valley. In the sub district of Badulla. It was from this area out towards the coast that Major Rogers is recorded as having shot many hundreds of elephants in the very early days of the British occupation. He was the first planter in this area on Rindipane estate. Hoffmeister in an early reference states that after thirteen hundred he stopped counting. His home had ivory everywhere. To-day this is frowned upon and it was excessive then. However one has to say that there were thousands of elephants then and villagers were constantly calling on him to shoot the animals that were ravaging their lands and homes. He died struck by lightening at the age of 41 and it is said that his tombstone still in Nuwara Eliya  was also struck and split by lightening. Naturally the two matters have been linked as inter related in local folklore and the suggestion is that the elephants had their revenge.