Nuwara Eliya BOP is from the tea gardens in the Western Hills. It is, not unsurprisingly, in the Nuwara Eliya (pronounced Noo-Ray-Leeah) district. This fine & bright tea is grown in the highest region on the island. It is best appreciated with a slice of lemon or orange instead of milk. Once the world’s largest producer of tea, the island of Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) is renowned for the superior quality of its tea. The majority of Sri Lanka’s tea gardens are situated in the south-west of the island at a height of between 1,000 & 2,500 metres, which is where this Nuwara Eliya Broken Orange Pekoe (BOP) tea originates, with the finest teas grown at the highest altitudes where the cool & slightly misty climate results in a slow growth of the tea bushes, giving these teas their uniquely colourful liquor & intense flavouring. Tea production is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka & its major export . It accounts for 2% of its Gross Domestic Product or GDP. That accounted for nearly US $1.5 billion in 2013. The Sri Lankan Tea industry employs directly or indirectly, over 1 million people, & in 1995 (last recorded data) directly employed nearly a quarter of a million people on tea plantations & estates alone. Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth-largest producer of tea. Tea is cultivated in Sri Lanka using the ‘contour planting’ method, where all the tea bushes are planted in serried rank following the contours of the land surface, usually on slopes given that most tea grown there is in the South West hilly regions. For commercial manufacture the ‘flush’ or leaf growth on the side branches & stems of the bush are employed. Generally two leaves & a bud, which have the flavour & aroma, are carefully plucked, usually at some considerable speed by women. Sri Lanka is one of the few countries where each tea leaf is picked by hand rather than through mechanised means. Nuwara Eliya Bop Black Tea From Sri Lanka - 100 Grams
