At the end of the 15th century the island of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) became the focus of European attention because it held an important strategic position in the Indian Ocean between East and West, located next to India and along the sea routes connecting the Middle East with East Asia and China.
During the French Revolutionary Wars (1787–1799), Netherlands came under French control, the British began moving from India into Sri Lanka. They realized the strategic value of Sri Lanka and hence the British decided to occupy the island permanently. In 1802, Ceylon was made a crown colony of the British. The British granted independence to Ceylon in 1948. For nearly four and a half centuries island Ceylon was under European control, first came under Portuguese, then Dutch and English. And In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka.
Originally, Ceylon, was purely a coffee island. In 1824, the British brought tea plants from China and planted them in Ceylon. The first 10kg of Ceylon tea were exported to London 1873. The breakthrough of Ceylon tea came after coffee plantations were completely destroyed by coffee rust. Thus, tea cultivation overtook coffee cultivation in 1888. By the end of the 19th century, tea cultivation was widely developed and exported in large quantities. And later black tea in Ceylon began to become popular because of its unique, elegant aroma.
Today, Sri Lanka is one of the world’s biggest tea exporters. The diversity of this country's terrain has made Ceylon tea diverse with its own characteristics. Specifically, tea from Dimbula valley has a bright yellow color and herbal aroma. Black tea from the Nuwara Eliya region has a dark color and elegant flavor. Tea from the Uva region is yellow in color and has a slight floral scent.
In addition to black tea benefits, Ceylon tea in particular contains potassium which helps relax tension in the blood vessels and arteries. Therefore, Ceylon tea helps control blood pressure effectively.
