One of the best parts of our trip was exploring a little bit more of the family staple: tea! First we visited the Mackwoods tea factory on our way through Nuwara Eliya.
We were given an introduction as to how green tea is made, and the tea making process in general.
Tea leaves drying:
A bag of tea, ready to ship:
My mom... not the safest photo opp. :)
After the tour at Mackwoods, we continued up the mountain on our way to the hotel: The Tea Factory.
The Tea Factory hotel is a refurbished factory, tucked way up in the mountains of Nuwara Eliya. The road is a bit scary - but once you get there, it's amazing. We arrived very dramatically, through the mist and up the mountains.
Once we arrived, we were greeted so warmly - with a blessing and a beautiful cup of tea.
My dad being blessed:
My mom enjoying a cup of the best tea ever:
The hotel was full of old equipment and remnants of the factory, placed strategically throughout the grounds.
A mini organic tea factory on the grounds was still operational, and provided us another little tour.
Beautiful tea leaves:
Mom and Auntie, donned with aprons on our tour:
A processing machine:
Here you can clearly see the profile spectrum of tea - from the more common BOP to a lighter, finer green tea.
The area around the hotel was so beautiful - gardens and tea trees all around.
Only one regret about the Tea Factory - our stay there was all too brief. If I ever get the opportunity to travel back Sri Lanka, I would go again in a heartbeat.
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