Lumbini Tea Estate

The Lumbini Estate and factory was started by Mr. Dayapala Jayawardane in 1984. It is located in the mountainous village of Pallegama in southern Sri Lanka. The factory produces almost exclusively black tea – the exception being their Ceylon Silver Needles – approximately 600,000 kg per year. They pride themselves on their skill as both a grower and manufacturer, employing 80 machine operators and 30 tea pluckers.

Lumbini tea bushes grow bordering the Sinharaja rainforest. With its proximity to the rainforest, the ‘terroir’ heavily influences the teas produced. The air is so pure that it significantly helps the development of the tea’s taste profile during the oxidation process, and the pure air combined with the fertile soils and elevation produce some of the best teas I have tasted from the south