Brunswick  Estate

Maskeliya District. (Edge of the famous Dimbula District)

I.S.O. 9000 Certified in the year 2000

4,200 - 4,500 ft

Exceptionally well made tea, a slightly pungent (astringent) character in season.

BOP loose leaf in a pot    -    When brewed, lift the lid of the tea pot and inhale the aroma. This aroma is the classic smell of a factory rolling room, which permeates the factory and can even be smelt as one approaches a factory. It has become a firm favourite in the U.K. and is used as a House Tea in discerning tea shops.

Situated in the Maskeliya valley with views across to the famous Adams Peak Venerated by Bhuddists, Hindus and Muslims. Pilgrims climb during the night and watch the dawn coming up, from the top of the mountain. The mountain is close by and provides a spectacular backdrop to the factory. In about April every year there is an amazing butterfly migration. I have often stood in a tea field, or the bungalow garden and these clouds of butterflies pass by all day. It is believed that they fly to Adam's Peak and die there. They do indeed seem to travel that way. The estate borders the Mousakelle Hydro dam. It is one of the largest estates in this area. The tea-maker is the third generation of his family to hold this post. The estate has been re-renewing it's old bushes from the 1870's and is about 46 % new planting. This will include new clonal tea. The estate was opened by A.E. Wright who came from New Brunswick in Canada, probably about 1850 or 1860. It was first planted in coffee, and then converted to tea. In 1925 it is recorded as being 467 Acres in extent but as with many estates at the time of or after the coffee crash, it has swallowed other lands and to-day is much larger. The family owned the estate up to the Nationalization of estates in the 1970's. Passing through a Lewis Wright and P. Wright. The present tea factory was built in 1922 by the Wright family. It has been considerably renovated to meet I.S.O. standards and it has been awarded 9002 certification since 1994.

TEA CADDY PACKS:

These are the seasonal tea caddies with the estate colours shown on the labels, Brunswick is in green at bottom right. Within this selection we have Silver Tips or White tea as it is called which is a very specialist manufacture. This type of White tea equates to the Chinese tea called 'Yin Zhen' which is the most prized of the white tea types being just selected fat buds with no other leaf involved. Our Silver Tips tea is a single estate tea and it has become extremely popular because of the extremely low caffeine level within the bud. Also in this selection of caddies we have presented two Tisanes. loose Chamomile flower and loose Peppermint.

Brunswick Maternity Ward

ETHICAL POLICY:

The estate management are very supportive of their workforce and have a very highly developed programme in place which is designed to attract and hold a well motivated resident workforce:
Free health camps, Annual dental camp for children, various competitions run for the children in art and drama, annual outing arranged, sports meets and tournaments, a Cyber cafe and E learning centre with free Internet access, Plucker and children savings scheme which provides some stability for the family in cases where husbands may leave the family, TQP (Total Quality People) management program, loans for cookers and electrification, tree planting programme, waterproof jerkins for pluckers, uniform provided for factory workers with overnight dormitory, television, wash rooms and clothes locker room, introduction of 5S for schools and homes, practicing of safe work place concept. The estate maintains the usual facilities of schools, divisional creches, hospital and maternity ward with a doctor examination unit and dispensary. Free housing, clean water and sewerage treatment come under the Government/European Plantation Housing & Social Welfare Trust (PHSWT). All estates are governed by the annual wages review between estates & the Unions called the 'Collective Agreement Rates' which become a Government wages Ordinance. This covers a range of benefits from a basic wage structure, bonuses, maternity benefit, holiday pay, pensions etc. Full details of all theses aspects are to be found in the 'STATISTICS' section of this website. In publishing this sort of information we hope that this provides an interesting source of information and a correct picture of the work that continually has developed on these estates from the earliest times.

Estate:   1,670 Acres (676 Hect) - Supports 1,650* Resident workers **, 70 Staff and 4 Executives (Managers in my day. This would include the senior Manager or P.D. plus three junior managers or S.D's - P.D is Peria Dore in Tamil ).
The estate consists of 6 divisions - Brunswick, Queensland, Bloomfield, Dunnotar, Emalina, Caskieban and Mottingham.

Tea-Maker (Factory Officer):  Mr. C.A. Swamimuthu

Superintendent. (Manager): Mr. Manoj Patiraja

Liquor:     A coloury tea with some body for this elevation, with a rosy red colour (coppery red), a clear bright liquor with maybe a slight oaky flavour, with some pungency. Pungency = Astringency without bitterness.*** An all day quaffable tea. Superb balanced colour & vitality to awaken you in the morning. Takes milk well if required.

Brewing:
Tea bags:        Mild brew 1.5-2 Minutes, Moderate 2-3 Mins, Strong 3-4 Mins

Loose BOP     3 - 5 Minutes. Cut amount of leaf and reduce the brewing time when wishing to drink without milk.

Packs Available:       
Identification Colour:             GREEN

Tea Bags:  50 bag 125 g Carton. - 100 bag 250 g Carton - 400 bag 1 kilo Foil - 50 bag 125 g Quality Wooden boxes.

Loose BOP:  100 g foil. - 125 g Carton. - 125 g Tin caddy - 125 g Wooden box - 250 g Foil. - 1 Kilo Foil.

©Robert Wilson Ceylon Teas 2002