Our Tea Story

Sri Lanka has a unique tropical climate that allows for continual, year-round harvesting of tea. The island features striking microclimates ideal for tea production at every altitude. Tea in Sri Lanka is classified by elevation: low, medium or high grown. Each is distinct, creating remarkable variety for a country which produces almost exclusively black tea. Rosyth Tea is low grown. Pahata Rata “Low Country” are low grown (Sea Level-2,000 ft). Teas grown in the plains and foothills of Sri Lanka produce full bodied, colorful and hearty cups of tea. The leaves are often larger, fuller and more wiry in appearance. The stronger flavour is particularly popular in the Middle Eastern and Russian markets and is sold at some of the highest prices at auction in Colombo.

For decades our Rosyth Estate Single Origin Tea had been processed at our local factory at the top our hill, which had been in operation from 1930 until earlier this year when it forced to close down. At 1,000 feet above sea level, our handpicked tea was used to produce orange pekoe in different grades and fannings, with the highest grade referred to as OP. Top quality pekoe grades consist mainly of buds and traditional grading is based on the size of the individual leaves which is separated by special meshes. The size and the wholeness of the leaves has the greatest influence on the taste, clarity and brewing time of the tea.

The Rosyth Tea Factory was not owned by the Rosyth Estate House and had been independently operated for generations. Unfortunately, during a tragic fire that took place at the Rosyth Tea Factory in April 2022, the majority of the factory was destroyed leaving it unable to function. It was extremely damaging, not only to the owners but also the local community due to the dozens of people who relied on Rosyth Tea Factory for employment.

We are currently sending our picked tea to the Rosyth Tea Factory on a new site locally. However, this is all in the process of changing as we move to a model of producing our own high quality, artisanal hand processed tea.

Rosyth Artisanal Tea – Our vision

We are determined to move away from the traditional methods of producing tea that have remained the same since the colonial era.

At the Rosyth Estate House we have begun our journey to become an organic, artisanal producer of Sri Lankan tea. Removing mechanisation from our processes we have started to produce hand rolled tea which is carefully crafted on the estate by our local artisans.

We are close to completing the construction of our own micro tea factory where our artisans will be based. The building is located on site right next to our organic garden and we hope it will be finished by the end of March 2023 for guests to be able to explore.

This project is wholeheartedly community focused as we look to improve the economic sustainability of our valley. Each and every person connected to production of our tea will become a partner of ours with a stake in our future success. Our vision is for our partners to receive a  proportion of our estate revenues as a dividend payment on top of their wages.

We hope our initiative will vastly increase the prosperity of our local community with the skills and investment to help it flourish, and we would love if you can join us on this journey. Not only will you be able to taste of unique tea flavours at The Rosyth Estate House but you will be able to meet our partners and learn about every step of our processes from leaf to cup.