Tea is the agricultural product of the leaves, leaf buds,
and internodes of various cultivars and sub-varieties of the
Camellia sinensis plant, processed and cured using various
methods. "Tea" also refers to the aromatic beverage prepared
from the cured leaves by combination with hot or boiling
water, and is the common name for the Camellia sinensis
plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed
beverage in the world.It has a cooling, slightly bitter,
astringent flavour which many enjoy.
There are at least six varieties of tea: white, yellow,
green, oolong, black, and post-fermented teas of which the
most commonly found on the market are white, green, oolong,
and black. Some varieties, such as traditional oolong tea
and Pu-erh tea, a post-fermented tea, can be used
medicinally
SRI LANKAN TEA INDUSTRY
Tea
production in Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is of high
importance to the Sri Lankan economy and the world market.
The country is the world's fourth largest producer of tea
and the industry is one of the country's main sources of
foreign exchange and a significant source of income for
laborers, with tea accounting for 15% of the GDP, generating
roughly $700 million annually. In 1995 Sri Lanka was the
world's leading exporter of tea, (rather than producer) with
23% of the total world export, but it has since been
surpassed by Kenya. The tea sector employs, directly or
indirectly over 1 million people in Sri Lanka, and in 1995
directly employed 215,338 on tea plantations and estates.
The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the
country's central highlands provide a climate that favors
the production of high quality tea. The industry was
introduced to the country in 1867 by James Taylor, the
British planter who arrived in 1852.
