The serendipitous story of tea and its journey across continents begins in ancient China where legend has it that Emperor Shen Nung, who had earlier decreed that water had to be boiled before drinking, was seated under a shady tree in Manchuria waiting for his water to be heated. As he waited, a light breeze wafted through the tree causing some of its leaves to fall into the pot of boiling water. When Shen Nung drank the resultant brew, he was said to have exclaimed:

“This drink gives me an ease of body and mind!” and so the history of this wonderful beverage began as it was the Tea Leaves that fell into the emperor’s pot: Considered a medicinal drink, Chinese tea became popular in Europe and the United Kingdom during the 16th and 17th Century during which time the British took tea plants out of China and began testing its commercial potential in regions of India, including the Assam province. With the success of plantations in India, the British decided to experiment with tea plantations in Ceylon, bringing down the country’s first tea plant from China in 1824 where it was planted in the Botanical Gardens of Peradeniya for non-commercial purposes. Subsequently, in 1867, James Taylor established the islands first tea plantation in Loolcondera estate in Kandy on just 19 acres of land.

The first shipment of 10kg of Ceylon Tea arrived in London in shortly thereafter, and almost instantly received acclaim for its superior quality. Soon enough plantations surrounding Loolecondera such as Hope, Rookwood and Mooloya situated to the east and Le Vallon and Stellenberg to the south began transforming into tea plantations and were amongst the first tea estates to be established on the island.

The Esufally family’s connection to Ceylon Tea also begins around this time when their forefathers, who were traders and entrepreneurs in Gujarat, began to navigate the shipping route from The Gulf of Kuch To the Maldives and then stopping over on the shores of Ceylon.

Gradually, the Esufally family began to purchase land in Sri Lanka through the proceeds of trade and subsequently began planting tea and rubber, eventually expanding these holdings into fully fledged commercial-scale estates.

The tea industry in Sri Lanka has since undergone numerous changes. However the unique image and flavor of Ceylon Tea has withstood the test of time and remains synonymous with only the highest quality tea.