Auction day on the Coast of Kenya

Right before visiting the auction, we stopped by the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) headquarters. The EATTA is in charge of running the Mombasa auction - considered by many to be the highest volume tea auction in the world, representing 11 African countries. In addition to working with the auction, they also are engaged in marketing for the tea industry as well as trying to eliminate inefficiencies in the system.

Next came the auction. Tea buyers from around the world gather in one large room and make bids (in English) on lots of tea - each lot generally has 20 bulk bags of tea, about 60-70 kilograms each. Most tea cost between $2 and $3.25 per kilogram, and usually 5-6 lots are sold each minute; so you can imagine how much money is really flowing! The auction even has its own strange code language. When someone says "Thank you" after you purchase a lot of tea, they are actually asking if they can split it with you. It was really interesting to watch this all happen!

The coast of Mombasa at low tide - believe it or not, this is winter in Kenya:

A cart of many-colored roses in the packing room of Finlay's horticulture operation:

This is a special clone of tea intended for producing white tea - it has been selectively bred to have perfect tips for making silver-needles style tea:

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!

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!)