(45) Tour of Tea Plantations and Factories near Kandy, Sri Lanka - Visit the Home of Ceylon Tea

Travels to Buddhist sites in India and Sri Lanka (45)
Visiting Tea Plantations and Factories near Kandy, Sri Lanka - The Home of Ceylon Tea

Many people may have an image of Sri Lanka as a country of black tea. I was one of them.

But to be honest, I am more of a coffee drinker than a tea drinker. And I am a hardcore coffee drinker.

In August in India, I happened to drink a cup of Darjeeling tea. It was right after I recovered from diarrhea. I was so excited that I decided to try the tea! It was shockingly delicious. Thanks to this one cup of tea, I became completely interested in black tea.

Two months later, I was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka, the home of black tea. It was only natural that I would want to know the history of Sri Lankan tea. I immediately searched for a book about Sri Lankan tea and came acrossSri Lanka, the Home of Tea: People Starting to Take Steps Toward Hope" (Japanese only)The book was called

This book is a recommended introduction to the history of tea in Sri Lanka and the current plantation situation. And after reading this book, I next picked up a copy of Sakae Kakuyama'sThe World History of Tea.The book was also very interesting. This book was also very interesting.

In this book, we do not just look at the history of tea in England, but we can see the flow of tea from the perspective of its connection with the world, including Japan, China, India, and Sri Lanka. It was a thrilling read to see tea not as a mere beverage, but from a larger perspective as an entity that has moved the world.

So, through Sri Lankan tea, I have also come to think about world trade. This is my habit of wanting to learn about everything in relation to history and religion. I can't help it.

So, I am now going to visit a tea farm that has become more than just a beverage, but a place of interest to me.

I visited a tea plantation not far from Kandy. The factory is located right in front of the plantation, and the tea is sold directly to the public. Therefore, it is a spot where many tourist buses come to visit.

I immediately went on a tour of the tea plantation.

The slope that starts right next to the road is already a tea plantation, with tea trees planted along the slope.

It also resembles the Japanese tea fields seen on TV. That is true, because it is the same tea.

I was also able to see tea flowers. I had never even thought about the existence of tea flowers, so this was a fresh surprise.

Hmmm...this is how tea leaves are plucked...

Seeing these tea plantations made me want to see a Japanese tea plantation. In fact, I have never seen a tea plantation in person.

And this is the factory and direct sales office. It is quite large. As you can see, it is a popular spot where tourist buses from Candy come here constantly.

The factory tour began immediately.

The harvested tea leaves are laid out. I remember the muffled smell that was typical of green leaves.

I also got to see the process of tea production in a large machine.

But why are factory tours so exciting? I am sure that everyone can relate to this.

In Hakodate, there is a company called Donan Foods, which produces Hokkaido's famous dice caramels and other products. Fans of "Wednesday Night Live" will be drooling over these products.

Donan Foods also offers factory tours, which are very interesting. The giant machines that move with regularity, and the staff who operate them and make the products, all move very quickly and efficiently! Even as an adult, I find these factory tours very exciting.

For more information about this factory tour, please click here delicious Hakodate'sReport on the nostalgic "Dice Caramel" factory tour.I hope you will take a peek at this page.

After the factory tour, of course, there was a tea tasting. The usual pattern is to taste the freshly made teas and buy the ones you like as souvenirs.

If you visit Kandy, I highly recommend you to visit this tea plantation. If you know what the tea you drink every day looks like, you will be able to enjoy the taste of tea more every day. Since returning to Japan, I have had many more opportunities to drink black tea. Even though I am a hard-core coffee drinker, I have come to love black tea.

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