Low-Grown Ceylon: Ruhuna & Sabaragamuwa

Sri Lanka's low-grown teas come from warm, wet lowland regions in the south and south-west. The Sri Lanka Tea Board describes two of its seven regions here: Ruhuna and Sabaragamuwa.

This article draws on the Tea Board's Tea Diversity page and Wikipedia's article on tea production in Sri Lanka.

The low-country climate

Wikipedia notes that tea produced in low-elevation areas such as the Matara, Galle and Ratnapura districts, with high rainfall and warm temperatures, exhibits high astringency. Tea biomass production is higher in low-elevation areas, and such tea is popular in the Middle East.

Ruhuna

The Tea Board describes Ruhuna's tea as "rained on by the southwest monsoon, warmed by the tropic sun", producing leaves "with a distinct blackness which imparts a strong and rich taste". It calls the tea full-bodied, with a flavour that is vibrant and strong.

Ruhuna takes its name from a historic principality in the south of the island (Wikipedia: Principality of Ruhuna). You may also see it spelt "Ruhunu". Today the area falls largely within the Southern Province, whose capital is Galle (Wikipedia: Southern Province).

Sabaragamuwa

The Tea Board notes that Sabaragamuwa lies at a lower elevation, with a climate that is "hot and humid in the open air and moist and cool where the surrounding foliage is dense". The result is a dry leaf of a dark reddish-black hue and "a scarlet coloured, full-bodied strong tea".

Sabaragamuwa Province has an area of about 4,968 km²; its capital is Ratnapura (Wikipedia: Sabaragamuwa Province).

At a glance

With or without milk?

Strong, full-bodied teas are a classic choice for drinking with milk — see Tea with Milk Around the World.

Sources & further reading