During the time when Scottish planter Mr. James Taylor initiated commercial tea cultivation in Sri lanka, no body would have thought teas coming from this beautiful island nation, Sri Lanka which is also know as “The Pearl of Indian Ocean, “Asia’s Sweet-Heart”, “The Wonder of Asia” would become this much popular all over the world. Eventually, it became one of the finest tasting teas in the world. All the top brands in the world like Lipton, Twinnings first started tea planting in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Tea Museum is the best place to study the history of Ceylon Tea.

The Ceylon Tea Museum at Hantane, three kilometers from the hill capital of Sri Lanka (Kandy) . This tea museum consists of four floors. The ground floor and the second floor exhibit very old items of machinery and the first floor consist of a library and an auditorium with facilities for audio visual presentations. The third floor is allocated to tea sales outlets, where a selection of Sri Lanka’s finest tea is available. The entire top floor is a tea cafe. A panoramic view of the Kandy city surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges can be viewed through a telescope mounted on the fourth floor.

The grounds surrounding the Tea Museum are landscaped with different varieties of teas. Additionally, its proximity to the Peradeniya Royal Botanical Gardens and Loolecondera estate, where tea was first grown commercially in Sri Lanka.

Opening Time

Tuesday to Saturday : 08.30am to 15.45pm
Sunday : 08.30am to 15.00pm
(Closed on Mondays & full moon days falling weekdays)

Library

The library of Ceylon Tea Museum houses a collection of books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscripts, films, maps, prints, documents, CDs, videotapes and DVDs which provide the visitor a deep insight into the History of Ceylon Tea Industry which ranges from latter part of 1800 to the modern day.

Old photographs of tea factories, plantations & planters such as James Taylor, Thomas J Lipton etc. showcase the proud heritage of the Ceylon tea industry.

Directories of planter’s information and books such as “100 years of Ceylon tea” make sense of the tea industry in Sri Lanka.

Tea Café

The entire top floor is a tea cafe. Visitors are able to enjoy the pure pleasure in a cup and feel the fine art of tea tasting at the Tea Tasting Session arranged at the tea cafe.

A documentary of the Ceylon tea industry (history, working factory, & health benefits of tea) runs in a LED panel mounted on the tea cafe area.

My dear tea lovers, this is one of the places your must visit during your life time. So just keep Ceylon Tea Museum under your radar.

Reference

Ceylon Tea Museum Official Website: http://www.ceylonteamuseum.com/index.html

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