Ceylon Tea Museum

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If you are keen to know about the tea plantations and the history of the world's finest tea, the Ceylon Tea Museum is not to be missed. The museum exhibits artifacts once belonged to pioneer planters including James Taylor and Thomas Lipton. It is an old abandoned tea factory that was transformed into a museum in 2001. The museum has old machineries, rollers, drypers, generators, a library with books, articles, and photographs and a restaurant. It is an amazing experience to have while visiting Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka is undoubtedly one of the finest tea producers in the world, with brands like Dilmah and Lipton. James Taylor started the first tea plantation of 19 acres in Sri lanka in 1867, and in 1872 he built the first fully performing tea factory in Loolkandura, Kandy. He managed to export the first shipment of Ceylon Tea in 1873.

In 1870 all the coffee planters were forced to switch to production and cultivation of tea following a fungal disease that killed coffee plantations in Sri Lanka.

In 1890 Sir Thomas Lipton visited British Ceylon and made business deals with James Taylor. Lipton built the world renowned brand Lipton’s Tea. At the age of 57.

James Tylor died of dysentery on 2nd May 1892, he was buried at “Mahaiyawa Cemetery” in Kandy where his gravestone still resides.

The tea industry has been developed for many years and still one of the main export trades in Sri Lanka. The museum is a must visit place if you are interested to learn about the world second most popular beverage, Tea.