Arriving in Kenya

Last night we arrived in Nairobi and were quickly driven to our hotel. I was taken back by just how friendly most Kenyans are - it's truly amazing how interacting with them makes you feel at home.

This morning we met with the Tea Board of Kenya, where we learned the foundations of the tea industry in this country, and how it compares to the rest of the world. I was very impressed to learn that almost all Kenyan tea is grown essentially without pesticides due to the lack of pests such as nematodes that would prey on the plants. As a result, the tea trees can remain productive for over 60 years!

In the afternoon we made the drive up to Kericho, largely regarded as the tea growing capital of Kenya. On our way, I was entertained by the sight of baboons and zebras on the side of the highway. Once we arrived in Kericho we visited the Tea Research Foundation of Kenya. This organization works with everything from plant breeding to studying the effects of climate change on tea farming. Recently they've been working on optimizing the health benefits of Kenyan tea, a project they are really excited about!

I have to wake up early to tour some tea factories tomorrow, so I'll write more later!

Before I go to bed though I wanted to share a picture I took when I was still in Sri Lanka of elephants walking to the river at the Elephant Orphange near Kandy!

Picture Post

Hi!  I wanted to give you a couple quick pictures of the beauty I have been experiencing. Full update coming soon!

Here is the fog enveloping the bungalow at Mattakelle Tea Factory

This is the garden at Sanquhar Bungalow, Pussellawa

Isn't it all amazing??

Visiting Tea Factories in Sri Lanka!

During this trip we've spent a lot of our time visiting some of Sri Lanka's finest tea factories and estates. Here are some of the highlights:

We started off with the Lumbini Tea Factory in the south. This is a low-altitude tea factory famous for its high quality Ceylon teas. We had a chance to tour the estate grounds, seeing multiple varieties of tea plants (as well as a nutmeg tree and a capsicum garden). It was truly beautiful!

Next we spent the night at the New Vithanakande Tea Factory. This is a large-volume factory that processes tea derived almost entirely from small farms in the area. Running for 24 hours a day, it employs hundreds of local men and women, and has a strong small farm outreach program including a newsletter.

I have included lots of pictures below!  I would love to hear what YOU think of them!

Here is a picture of the tea tasting process at the Lumbini Tea Factory:

A shipping truck from New Vithanakande tea factory:

 

A view from the high mountains of the tea growing region:

Some tea I picked at a teafield near NV:

 The rolling process at NV:

The view from the front of the manager bungalow at New Vithanakande:

 

 The withering process at NV:

 

Our next stops are New Uva Tea Factory and Luckyland Tea Factory... stay tuned!

Lumbini Tea Factory Photos

As promised here are some pictures from my visit to the Lumbini Tea Factory in Sri Lanka!  It was so beautiful, the pictures really can't do it justice! 



Our first tea stop... Lumbini Tea Factory!

Before heading to southern Sri Lanka to arrive at the Lumbini Tea Factory, we spent the morning in Colombo meeting with the Sri Lanka Tea Board. I learned about the entire structure of the Ceylon Tea industry from Director Hasitha De Alwis and Senior Executive Priyanka Liyanage. After conversing for just a half hour, I had pages and pages of notes about the industry, on everything from social responsibility to the auction process. They take great pride in the high percentage of orthodox method processed tea, and the diversity of flavors the country's geography is capable of producing.

Yesterday evening we finally caught sight of our first tea fields, en route to the Lumbini Tea Factory. This family-owned-and-operated factory and plantation produces some of the most tasteful and complex black tea I have ever encountered! I was ecstatic to have a chance to taste tea that had been plucked just over a week ago; certainly the freshest tea I've ever had. This morning (after an authentic Sri Lankan breakfast of milk-rice, eggs, spicy onions, and fish) we took a tour of the tea fields and the processing factory. I've never seen so much tea in my life! The vast majority of the tea produced here is black tea of various grades, and a couple varieties of white tea (silver tips and golden tips). At the end of our tour, we had a tea tasting of about ten of the different kinds of tea produced here. It is amazing how many different flavors you can get from the same green leaf.

Later today we'll be heading to the New Vithanakanda Tea Factory in Delwala. We've heard from the local Sri Lankans that this is an enormous and very well-respected plantation and factory with high quality tea. We're very excited to visit!

More pictures to come later today!

Picture Post

Here is a picture of me and my Tea Council Rep from Pollock Communications, Tasia, enjoying our first dinner!  It was a traditional Sri Lankan meal that I ate with my hands! It was not only delicious but quite the experience.

Mmmm.....

We arrived in Sri Lanka!

It was a very long journey that took me through New York City, Dubai, and an island in the Indian Ocean called Male (look it up!). It was about an hour-long drive through Colombo to reach our hotel, and it was wild. All around us are three-wheeled vehicles called trishaws, entire families on motorcycles, glowing Buddha statues, and the occasional Pizza Hut.

Given the massive time zone difference between the east coast of the US and Sri Lanka, we're very jetlagged. I'm looking forward to catching a good eight hours of sleep at our hotel, and having curry for breakfast in the morning. If I have time, I might try to walk down to the coast - the Indian Ocean is only a block from my hotel room!

This is my amazing view...

 ...better pictures to come soon!

Picture Post

Sri Lanka is the only place in the world I know of where three wheel cars are the norm!

Getting excited!

I finally made it to Sri Lanka and there is SO much I am looking forward to!  I can't wait to visit the Hantane Tea Museum, operated by the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Seeing the old machinery used for processing tea will give me a glimpse of the rich history of tea in Sri Lanka. Visiting the New Vithanakande Tea Factory will also be a treat; I’ve recently had the chance to sample some of their black teas, and I was very impressed!

Another thing I’m really excited to see is the tea auction process in Kenya. My business experience with tea has been largely limited to marketing – so it will be very interesting to observe the large-quantity tea sourcing process first hand. Similarly, visiting Unilever Kenya will be fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more than 50 pounds of tea in my life; checking out this massive tea manufacture process will be a definite eye-opener.

Wrapping up my trip in New York City will be the perfect way to end. It's going to be great interning with Tracy Stern at SALONTEA; I know there's a lot I can learn from her! I'll probably spend my weekends seeing the normal NYC sights - my mother is from the city and can't stop recommending places I should explore!

On that note, do you have any recommendations for when I am in New York?

Preparing for the trip!

Hey everyone, I’ve been going through the process of preparing for my trip to Sri Lanka, Kenya, and New York City, and I thought I’d share some of the experience with you!

First things first: vaccinations. Luckily, since I’ve done some international travel before, I wasn’t required to have too many! I ended up getting a yellow fever shot, typhoid pills, and a prescription for anti-malarial medication. Not too bad for a trip across three continents! I’ve also been exercising regularly and trying to eat as healthy as possible, in order to prepare my body for the strain of constant travel. I’m sure the huge quantities of tea I’ve been drinking will also help with this!

I’ve been drinking a lot of black teas lately, which happens to be the specialty of Sri Lanka and Kenya, to also help with the preparation. I love the boost of energy it gives me!

I am also starting to pack, which is much more difficult than I originally thought. Luckily the weather won’t vary too much from country to country but there is still a lot to consider and think about.  Any suggestions for items that I can’t forget?  (I know bug spray is a must!)