It’s 7am in Sri Lanka’s Bogawantalawa Valley, hours away from the capital city Colombo. I slip out of my room at the Ceylon Tea Trails’ Tienstin Bungalow and take a seat on patio. Before me lies a sea of green – tea fields enveloped in a thick cloud of mist. My only accompaniment is a cup of freshly brewed Ceylon tea with a slice of lemon and birdsong. As I take my first sip, I think about the magical sway this beverage has on tea aficionados across the world.
A trip here brings you into the heart of tea country where rolling hills of fresh tea form a picturesque backdrop against the azure sky. Ironically, in the 1800s Sri Lanka was initially a coffee growing nation – until the crops were wiped out by a fungus. As a substitute for coffee, the former British colonial rulers planted the humble tea crop. Today, more than 400,000 acres stand testament to that foresight and this ‘green gold’ remains one of the country’s most famed exports.
Slipping into the past is easy at the Ceylon Tea Trails bungalows that are owned by the local Dilmah Tea Company. Four refurbished colonial bungalows complete with stately dining rooms and manicured gardens offer visitors a luxurious stay reminiscent of the tea planter’s lifestyle. But that’s not what brings me here. It’s their epicurean vacations that draws inspiration from garden fresh produce in their own backyard.
Keen to try a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast I opt for starting the day with a riot of spices – another of the country’s main exports. Feathery string hoppers (rice pancakes) generously soak up the curry swimming with pieces of potato. The fish curry has a real kick that’s soothed by the sweet coconut in the kiribath (milk rice). The fragrant spread is accompanied by a juicy coconut sambol redolent of chilli and, of course, a pot of freshly brewed Ceylon Supreme Blend.
Surrounded by verdant tea plants, the day is spent leisurely strolling or biking through the serpentine paths. As I stop for a picnic along the way, I think I could get used to this pace of life. Next stop is a tour with the resident tea planter along Dilmah’s trails and I watch tea being hand picked, then fermented and packaged using century old artisanal methods in the factory. The tour aptly ends with a tea tasting, where I learn the intricacies of its flavours and leave feeling like a bit of a connoisseur.
Back at the bungalow I’m already looking forward to dinner – a tea-infused meal using Dilmah’s flavoured and single estate teas. My first course is a beetroot and orange salad dressed in a vinaigrette made with Spicy Berry tea. It’s followed by a succulent roast chicken anointed in a gravy of Yatta Watte (low-grown tea). Then comes the meal’s decadent sweet ending – a modern tiramisu with velvety layers of Orange Pekoe scented cream. My opinion about tea was revolutionized. It was no more just a soothing beverage, but rather, a gourmet ingredient that can hold its own.
As I sipped my post-dinner cup of tea infused with a stick of cinnamon, I couldn’t help but silently thank the former colonial rulers. Languorous meals, a locavore approach to eating, fresh air and a slower pace of life – the tea planters knew what they were doing. Little wonder Ceylon Tea Trails has been listed as Sri Lanka’s first Relias&Chateaux Resort. So the next time I need to escape, I’m returning for a trip back in time and a cuppa at this tea lover’s paradise.
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