UVA                
3.000 -  6,000 ft

OP 1 Spl    ‘ORGANIC’ BIODYNAMIC Green or Black.        

BRONZE  MEDAL  winner at the Guild of Fine Food Retailers' Great Taste Awards 2000.

The estate is situated in the South Eastern corner of the central highlands on the Southern edge of the famous Uva District. High in the Beragala range of hills. Nearby the area is covered in virgin rain forest across to the Horton Plains, which are the source of several rivers including the great Mahaweli Ganga (river) which winds down and around Kandy and then flows North East to Tricomalee, irrigating the arid Northern area of the island.

The estate has a panoramic view of the Southern lowlands leading to the sea and the Uva undulating hills to the North.

It produces a superb OP 1 Green leaf. The estate overlooks the Welimada plains that are famous for their bird life and visited by special tours of bird watchers.

The estate practices BIODYNAMIC production. This is more complex than normal 'Organic' production. It is believed to have been the system practiced in the middle ages when phases of the moon were important in carrying out various activities, such as pruning, feeding of roots and flush to activate growth and harvesting. Vermiculture e.g. worm washes are an integral part of the preparation with herbal mixes for feeding the bush. To follow this further please go to the ORGANIC section of the Website.

An Interesting change to the normal Brew:    I visited the estate in 2000  and  enjoyed some tastings with Mr. R. Gnanasekeran. An interesting brew is made by brewing the leaf in the normal way and then adding the squeezed juice of a fresh orange to a 5-6 cup pot (proportionately less for smaller quantities). This gives a very refreshing drink for some palates.

Estate:     989  Acres (400 Hectares) - Supports 1750 Resident workers and their  families, -175 Staff, - 5 Assistant Managers and the senior Manager.

 Project Manager:     R. Gnanasekeran.

Liquor:     A light apricot coloured liquor. Aromatic, light, fresh, peaty flavour. Also described as lightly spiced malty flavour.  A Chinese type. Recommended to be drunk  without milk or sugar.

Brewing:   O.P. 1  Spl 
2- 5 minutes. Longer in hard water areas. Use water at 90 - 95 ^o C (194 F). Can be brewed from very light to strong. Cutting the  amount of leaf produces a very delicate light aromatic brew. Fresh squeezed orange juice can be added.
Iced Tea:     Brew at double strength and when fully brewed pour into a glass filled with ice.

Packs Available:                 
Colour Identification:         SILVER

LOOSE  LEAF  TEAS:           125 g Carton.    250 g Foil  -  1 Kilo Foil