Tea tasting is literally an art form that requires years of experience, including tasting, touching, and smelling thousands of tea cups and kilograms of leaves. The experienced tea taster understands that much of what we perceive as taste is based heavily on our sense of smell, which emanates from the back of the throat to the top of the nose.
Human taste buds are usually limited to detecting five primary tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami-just a tiny fraction of the sensory experience. The balance of sensory experiences, which include floral, woody, vanilla, spicy, marine, and fruity notes, is deciphered through our olfactory senses, or sense of smell.
Tea tasting teaches one to engage a range of senses, including taste, touch, smell, and sight. They rely on sight to observe the tea’s appearance, touch to feel its texture, smell to discern its aroma, and taste to evaluate its flavour profile.
A fundamental of tea plucking is that only the tender top leaves, typically two leaves and a bud, are plucked for black tea due to their superior quality and freshness. Pluckers usually spend eight hours harvesting a mere 20kg of leaves, with an eight-day interval for the tea to regrow before returning to the same spot for the next plucking.
With approximately 1000 pluckers, most women, the plantation churns out a remarkable 2,000kg of tea daily, ensuring a steady supply year-round. The factory tour provides a comprehensive overview of the tea-making process, from plucking to withering, rolling, fermentation, firing, and sorting/grading.
Following the immersive tea factory tour and delectable tasting session, venture across the estate to explore the sprawling plantations. Get close to the tea leaves, interact with the diligent workers, and marvel at their swift and meticulous plucking techniques. It’s a captivating journey through the heart of Sri Lanka’s tea culture, offering a glimpse into centuries-old traditions and unparalleled craftsmanship.”
Location: About 16 km from Nuwara Eliya along the Peradeniya-Badulla-Chenkaladi Highway.
A visit to Pedro Tea Estate wouldn’t be complete without a factory tour. Step back in time and witness the entire tea production process, from withering and rolling to fermenting, drying, sorting, and packing, with the intoxicating aroma of fresh tea leaves from the factories and nearby plantations filling the air.
An iconic waterfall in Nuwara Eliya and one of the Honeymoon Guide’s best 23 waterfalls in Sri Lanka, Pedro Estate is also the location of Lovers Leap waterfall.
No visit to a tea estate is complete without sampling the product itself! The estate’s tea centre offers a variety of teas for you to taste. Learn to distinguish the subtle nuances in flavour that make each variety unique. Be sure to try a cup of their signature “Lover’s Leap” tea, named after the nearby waterfall, for an evocative and flavorful experience.
Stroll through the sprawling tea fields and witness the diligent pluckers fill their baskets, meticulously selecting the two leaves and a bud for your perfect cup. Feel free to chat with them; they might share stories and insights you won’t find in any guidebook. And, of course, remember to pick up a packet of tea from the estate shop to bring a piece of this rich experience home with you.
Pedro Tea Estate is an enchanting destination that blends stunning natural beauty with significant cultural heritage. Its experience will leave you with a newfound appreciation for the artistry and tradition behind every cup of Sri Lankan tea.
Location: About 3 km from the centre of Nuwara Eliya.
About 7km along the winding roads from the factory is Lipton’s Seat, a breathtaking viewpoint named after the estate’s illustrious owner. It is a well-known fact tha Sir Thomas Lipton often brought visitors here to showcase the majesty of his plantation against the backdrop of the gorgeous scenery. Avoid the mist that settles here during the afternoon and evening and prepare for a early morning trek to the viewing point. For those preferring a more leisurely journey, tuk-tuks offer a convenient ride to Lipton’s Seat, allowing for a scenic stroll back to Dambatenne.
Location: 52 km along Peradeniya – Badulla Highway and Keppetipola – Boralanda – Haputale Rd.
