Sampling the local food and drink is a great way to explore a new culture as you travel. For several years now, wine tasting has been one of the top things I like to do when visiting a new place. Sri Lanka however is the first country I’ve visited where instead I sought out tea. There are actually a lot of similarities between tea tasting and wine tasting, so perhaps it was a natural transition?
Sri Lanka actually has a rich – if relatively recent – history of tea production, dating back to Sir Thomas Lipton. He started his own plantations there in the late 1800s, to have a direct source of tea to sell in his UK-based grocery stores. Lipton basically undercut prices this way, making tea affordable for the British masses for the first time, and cementing the widespread UK tradition of tea drinking.
While there are a lot of tea factory tours across Sri Lanka that range from mediocre to quite informative, there were only a small number of places where you could actually taste the tea or walk through the tea plantation grounds. The spot where I saw the most stunning tea landscapes and also had a great hike was around Haputale, while my favorite tea tastings were in two of the more unexpected locations: a tea shop in the center of Ella & at a tea plantation close to the coast.
If you are visiting the nearby tea meccas of Ella and Nuwara Eliya, it is an easy train ride to Haputale. The tour of the tea factory was pretty interesting even after other similar tours, although unfortunately you don’t actually get to taste any tea. The real highlight here is seeing the surrounding plantation of rolling hills with workers shifting along the rows of plants as they pick the leaves, loading up the giant sack they carry on their backs.
There is also a lovely hiking trail to the lookout point known as Lipton’s Seat. On the day I visited, there was rolling rain and fog that only lifted for a second at the top, but the trail itself was wonderful to traverse and the bad weather became an excuse to befriend fellow hikers as we huddled under an awning to avoid the rain at one point. It was obvious at the top why Sir Thomas Lipton sought out this vista when visiting his tea plantation, a spot where you can take in the entire landscape on a clear day. It’s also possible to take a tuk-tuk to the top if hiking is not your thing. There are plenty available for hire in the town center of Haputale and at the main entrance to the Tea Factory.
Tea Tasting
Ceylon Tea Center, entrance inside Ella Village Inn restaurant (Ella)
Over a several-night stay in Ella, I popped into quite a few tea shops. But the only one where I could taste a large variety of tea all at once was at the Ceylon Tea Center. It’s a good thing I did a bit of online research to find them, because otherwise the location is the least conspicuous tea store in town, with the entrance actually inside a restaurant. I popped in at the tail end of lunch inquiring about a tasting, and within 15 minutes or so, a huge line of tea cups was laid out in an enticing line. After careful brewing of each variety of tea, the tasting began in the proscribed sequence. Some sips were more traditional Ceylon teas, other were aromatic infusions of ginger and flowers, and there were also some delicate, light versions of green and black teas. I’ll admit that offering tea tastings is also a brilliant marketing strategy, as I walked out with an armful of tea purchases, most of which I would not have bought without the opportunity to taste and enjoy them first.
If you only go to one tea factory during your time in Sri Lanka, this should be it! Although it is not in the central ‘Hill Country’ where most plantations are located, it was the best overall experience and the most tea I was able to taste in conjunction with a tour. The tour at Handunugoda operates like a well-oiled machine, starting with some tea and cake, then progressing through the tea plants and factory machines for processing the tea. The guide was incredibly informative, and I was lucky that this was my first tea tour as I then had this information as a reference point for all of the subsequent tours. For example, they use parts of the same tea leaves to make both black and green tea, with the difference being in the processing method, which I didn’t even know was a possibility. This was also by far the most amount of teas I was able to taste at any tea factory, with dozens of teas available for tasting, from tea made with flowers to their signature ‘sapphire’ oolong to the renowned virgin white tea that is picked by hand by workers wearing gloves to protect the tea leaves! Just be aware that the teas are all pre-brewed, so were room temperature when I did the tasting.
Which tea experience appeals to you the most? Is there anything else you’d still like to know about tea tasting in Sri Lanka? Ask away in the Comments.
9 Reasons to Visit Sri Lanka: A Destination With It All
Every time I recommend Sri Lanka as a travel destination to someone, the first thing that comes to mind is the great variety of activities you can do on this single island. Anywhere else, you’d have to go to at least half a dozen different destinations to get comparable offerings. In Sri, Lanka, it feels like you can do it all:
Explore Ancient Temples
One of the highlights of my trip was visiting the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy on December 31st, because not only is that an auspicious day to go, but I also ended up standing two feet from the Sri Lankan President who also visited that day! I was close enough to get a great selfie with him, but it seemed rude to turn my back on him while I was so close, so I settled for a few excited pictures. And the exhilaration of the travel magic when you happen to land in the right place at the right time for an experience that no amount of planning would have created. There are of course ancient temples all across the island, worth exploring if you happen to be nearby or even planning your itinerary around.
Relax on the Beach
Sri Lanka is an island, so there is plenty of coastline to choose from. Along the western coast south of Colombo and continuing along the southern side of the island are a wide variety of hotels and resorts, including several all-inclusive and luxury options. The beaches on the eastern coast are more isolated, and possibly even more visually stunning. I stayed in a resort on the coast south of Colombo for a few nights, doing not much and decompressing before the more active itinerary for the 1.5 weeks after. Beaches are also accessible from many of the proper towns along the coast that have famous beaches nearby that you can check out with an inexpensive tuk-tuk ride during your stay.
Go Whale (and Dolphin) Watching
This is one of many items on this list that I consider a “bucket list” item, and it’s so incredible to me that this is one of several once-in-a-lifetime options you have to see wildlife while in Sri Lanka. However, this is one of those activities that require advance planning and due diligence to have a good experience – you’re not likely to accidentally have a great boat trip. I visited in December, when it is peak season for whale watching off Mirissa in the south, and saw many dolphins and several whales the morning I went.
The down side? Due to the size of the boat (too big with too many passengers) as well as the poor organization and communication from the crew, I spent the most visually spectacular moments of the trip doubled over seasick, and barely got any pictures of the morning at all. Be sure if you go to: take a pill to combat seasickness (even if you don’t normally have trouble) and ensure that you will share the boat with as few others as possible. And if they put you on a boat bigger than what was guaranteed during your booking, demand something smaller as promised.
Discover the Capital City of Colombo
Colombo is a bustling capital city, with a lot of different cultures and traditions represented, and not unlike other capital cities I’ve visited across Asia. It is a former colonial outpost, reflecting the Portuguese, Dutch, and British influences over the years. Colombo also boasts modern skyscrapers and an abundance of fancy rooftop bars with a cosmopolitan atmosphere for watching the sun set. And there are a ton of places where you feel the presence of locals, with street food stands and markets. Although I am not always a huge fan of organized tours or guides, it is worth taking in a few hours of knowledge from a local and getting a verbal history of the many nuances of Colombo that are not immediately visible.
Surf
Surfing is hugely popular on the beaches of Sri Lanka, and many visitors come just for that. You’ll see a mix of backpackers staying put for a while to do some surfing every day for weeks, tourists trying the sport for the first time, and locals taking advantage of the proximity of the waves. While unfortunately I did not get the chance to do any surfing in Sri Lanka myself, I saw plenty of beaches with surfers, with some catering nearly exclusively to the surfing community. Whatever your level of expertise – or even if you’re a complete beginner – there will definitely be an option close to you with the right difficulty of waves.
Explore Colonial Forts
The coastline of Sri Lanka is dotted with forts that in most cases passed through the control of the three colonial powers: the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the British. I visited the Galle Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the southwest that is probably the most popular Sri Lankan fort to visit. It’s actually more like a mini city, with all of the specialized buildings needed to be a self-sufficient community. As most of the fortifications are along the coast, they are also great spots for scenic views of the ocean.
Visit Tea Plantations (& Do Tea Tastings)
I’m a bit of an accidental tea lover, after getting into tea tastings after moving to Milan, and realizing how similar they were to the wine tastings I already appreciated. By the time I visited Sri Lanka in late 2015, tasting tea was an activity I was actively incorporating into my itinerary, and that was one of the many reasons I was excited for the trip. The good news about tea and Sri Lanka is that there are many spots across the country where you can do tea tastings and buy local tea and – especially in the central ‘Hill Country’ – lots of large tea plantations to tour and hike. Even if tea is not your thing, you’ll definitely be served plenty during your visit, so why not embrace it? You’ll learn a bit about tea, and get a better understanding of which types you most enjoy.
Go on Safari
When I think of going on safari, I envision Africa, so I was quite surprised in my trip research that this is a popular activity in Sri Lanka as well due to the incredible wild animal populations. There are national parks all over the island where you can experience safari, with your choice depending on the time of year of your visit and which animals you’d like to see most. I did a safari in Yala National Park on the southern coast, and saw many impressive creatures, including many of the large game animals: elephants and leopards. There are plenty of options and countless tour providers, or you can plan for accommodations nearby and arrange a day (or several) of safari through your hotel.
Eat Incredibly Well
From bowl-shaped crepes called hoppers for breakfast to “rice and curry” that comes with half a dozen side dishes, Sri Lankan cuisine was a delightful surprise. Due to its proximity to southern India, Sri Lanka has a lot of Indian influence on its food, both in the predominance of curries and also the roti bread that comes in many forms. You can have it served in what I consider a more Indian style with the roti stuffed like a burrito, or the more street food style kottu roti with the bread chopped up and stir fried on a griddle with eggs, vegetables, and your choice of meat. And if you’re feeling particularly adventurous, eat with your hands like the locals – they think that the metal of silverware alters the taste of the food, and you get the best taste by not using any.
While I’ve never been to India, I came back from my Sri Lanka trip calling it “India light” because it featured incredible cuisine quite similar to Indian food, but the overall day-to-day tourist experience was quite pleasant – and lacking the harassment or negotiation needed in other parts of Asia, India or otherwise. People tended to quote reasonable prices the first time you asked. And if you were not interested and said so, they left you alone.
I had such a great time visiting Sri Lanka, and feel like there were plenty of areas I didn’t get a chance to explore over my visit, so I’d go back in a heartbeat. Plus, anywhere the food is that good is always top on my list for a return trip.
What about Sri Lanka appeals most to you? What cities or activities would you like more details about on the blog?
How this Wine Lover Got Into Tea Tasting: 11 Ways Tea is like Wine
With how much I enjoy wine, you might ask how I came to become such a tea aficionado. The surprising but true answer: it all started in Milan, Italy.
Shortly after moving to Milan, I was immersed in language classes and looking for ways to practice and speak with Italians, so joined a language exchange. And it just so happened that one of the other members I befriended is affectionately known as “The Tea Lady” and hosts tea tastings at her home.
Once I attended my first tea tasting, I was hooked:
There were so many varieties of tea!
It could taste so different depending on the brewing method!
Even within a single, small category like Japanese green teas, there was such variety!
This excitement and continuing discovery is one of the reasons I got inspired tasting different wines, and my tea journey has gone through similar phases. Along the way, I realized how similar tea tasting and wine tasting can be:
Many Varieties
Just like wine is not one thing, tea isn’t either. You may have tried a single wine and didn’t like it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll dislike all wine. The same goes for tea. Wine has red and white grapes of many varietals – like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot, and syrah to name a few (and as I know from living in Italy, so many more!). With tea there are 6 categories to acquaint yourself with: black tea, green tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong, and pu’er. I think prior to living in Milan I had only ever tried the first three types, but found out from doing lots of tastings that I quite like both oolong and pu’er as well.
Importance of Terroir
Prior to starting with tea tastings, I thought of terroir as that French word for soil that I can’t quite pronounce correctly and always gets thrown around by wine snobs. Of course, when it comes to wine-making, characteristics of the soil like minerality and salinity do impact how a grape will taste, along with things like the amount of sunshine and the altitude at which the grapes are grown. And for tea? The effect on the growing plant is so very similar, affecting the tea as it grows and also the taste of the final product. In Sri Lanka for example, the plantations and packaged tea are actually organized by the altitude of where they were grown because that will tell you so much about what taste to expect.
Processing Method is Also Key
Did you know that black tea and green tea can be produced from the same tea leaf? Apparently it’s all in the processing method. Processing tea leaves usually involves some form of heating and/or drying, to go from the leaf on a live plant to the dry version you see loose or inside a tea bag. There is also typically some type of rolling or crushing involved, depending on the shape – loose tea tends to be in larger pieces, while the tea you find inside of tea bags has usually been crushed fairly small. What exact steps are part of the processing method depend on which category of tea is being produced. Wine also undergoes a variety of processing methods, depending on the type of grape and the quality of the harvest. Grapes for wine undergo fermentation possibly in steel tanks, concrete tanks, large wooden barrels, or the smaller barriques (or a combination of the above), which in turn affects the taste and color of the wine.
It Will Taste Best Served/Brewed at the Correct Temperature
I’ve been enjoying wine for long enough that I know that not only are whites and rosés typically served chilled, while reds are not, but there is actually a lot more nuance than that depending on the grape. Some reds are really meant to be served chilled, or at least slightly chilled. Some white wines have more prominent flavors when they’re a little less cold than usual. For tea, it’s really the brewing temperature (and time) that impacts the final flavor and strength of your cuppa. Growing up, my mom would always boil water on the stove for her tea, while I typically just heated a mug of water in the microwave before immersing my tea bag. I always thought it was just laziness on my part, and that it was a sign of adulthood when I finally bought a tea kettle for my kitchen. Only recently did I discover that not all teas are meant to be steeped at boiling temperatures, and each one will have an ideal brewing temperature ranging from 80 to 100 degrees Celsius or 170 to 212° Fahrenheit. Brewing tea at the correct temperature helps to avoid that bitter taste it can sometimes take on, so perhaps my microwave strategy was wise? Fortunately for all of us, this information is often helpfully printed on the package that tea comes in, so you can brew at the temperature and for the amount of time directed and then taste the tea at its best.
Color
Color can tell you a whole lot about a wine. Is your white wine pale, golden or hay-colored? Is your red a bright claret or a deep opaque purple? (Yes, readers, I’ve done a lot of wine tasting, those color descriptions took me about 15 seconds to type off the top of my head.) Color may be something pretty to take in, but can also tell you about what to expect when you take a sip of a glass of wine. And yup, tea is oh-so-similar. If you’re a tea drinker, you probably already know that the darker the color, typically the stronger the brew. And as you saw from the first section that outlines the 6 categories of tea, many of the ‘categories’ are really colors – black, green, white, and yellow. Because the tea leaves and/or processing method vary to produce those different tea types, the taste you can expect from the color also varies. Next time you have tea or wine, take the moment to savor the color as well =)
Wine tasting “with” the Queen
Importance of Smell
Usually for me I can tell whether I think I’ll like a wine or not based solely on its aroma. Is it pleasant to sniff? Or do you have a cozy moment inhaling the perfume of a piping hot cup of tea before your first sip? They say that taste can be up to 80 or 90% smell, and it turns out to be quite true. If you’re raising something to your mouth and it doesn’t smell appealing, you may not even get to your first sip. Not only does the aroma of tea and wine give you some kind of indication of whether you’ll like what you’re about to drink, but it will also set a baseline of what flavors you can expect when you do.
Tasting Notes
They give you tasting notes at tea tastings too, something I was delighted to discover. Although I can tell from a sniff if I think I’ll like something or not, I don’t have the most developed sense of smell in terms of discerning particular aromas. So it’s nice when there is some specific fruit or aroma I can hunt for as I sip based on what someone else has sensed. Tasting notes help me to appreciate the wine in a new way, and has a similar effect when I’m tasting tea. I may not always agree, but it’s good to have a starting point, and a little guidance from the experts helps me develop my own expertise over time, no matter how slowly I progress.
Taste in Order from Mild to Bold
At my first tea tasting, when it was explained that we would be tasting the teas in a particular order from mild to bold it was again something I hadn’t considered before but made complete sense. Of course for me, I also find it fun to sometimes jump back to an earlier tea or wine sip, as the taste will change a bit if you taste something milder after one of the bolder options. I’ll even do this sometimes if I have loaded up a plate of food at a buffet – start with the most delicate dish while my palate is clear so I can appreciate it properly, the move on to the more bold flavors of the other food. Speaking of which…
Used for Cooking
Wine and tea are both liquids that can be added to a meal as you cook to impart some additional flavor or note. The alcohol in wine boils off when exposed to heat, so you are just left with the flavor when adding wine to a risotto, sauce, or stew. Even boiling it off can be a sauce in itself, like a red wine reduction you might put on a steak. Of course, a liquid like tea (or the leaves themselves) can also impart flavor to food. And the same way that the grapes from wine-making can be used to infuse hard liqueur to create a grappa, tea leaves can be used to infuse liquids other than water. Many ‘cooking with tea’ recipes involve using tea to infuse the dairy used to make desserts, like ice cream or panna cotta, but tea can also be used in stocks, marinades, or poaching liquids. Since tea comes from leaves, it could also be part of a spice rub or used to infuse condiments like oils and vinegars. The nice part about cooking with wine or tea is that it gives people who wouldn’t normally consume them an alternate way to appreciate it.
Can Be Paired with Different Dishes
I doubt I had ever considered the possibility of pairing teas with different course of a meal, but when I heard the suggestion from my friend “The Tea Lady,” I was intrigued. Just as you would pair certain wines with particular dishes, either because they have similar notes that tie together, or because it poses an interesting contrast of tastes, the same principles apply to pairing tea with food. Some teas are more earthy while others are more floral or smoky, and can make your taste buds appreciate your bites of food that much more.
When it’s good, take some home with you!
When you get a chance to taste a lot of different varieties, whether of tea or wine, you’ll know which ones you’d like to purchase instead of just guessing at a tea store or wine shop. While I often like teas and wines that are considered the “best,” sometimes it is the tea or wine a tier or two down from the top of the line that I enjoy the most. Plus for me, sipping a tea or wine when I’ve seen where the plants grow and procured it at the source is just another (very sensory) way of remembering my travels and bringing a smile to my face wherever I am when I enjoy it.
I’m not sure if it’s just a quirk of my personality or a love of food and drink, but I find both tea and wine tasting incredibly interesting (and delicious). Are you a wine aficionado? Take a chance and explore some new teas that you may have never even heard of before. Are you a daily tea drinker who doesn’t usually go for wine? Take a chance and venture into new wine territory. For example, you may find that if you like floral teas, there is an aromatic wine for you.
Really, there are so many varieties of tea and wine, there’s bound to be something for everyone even if you don’t consider yourself a “tea person” or a “wine drinker.” What do you like most about tasting different types of tea? Or doing a wine tasting?
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