BALANGODA (Sri Lanka)

Balangoda estate hails from one of the more beautiful corners of planet Earth. The estate is situated in the low-grown Ruhunu district and as such shares geography with the breathtaking Yala National Park. Yala National Park is an exotic animal lover's paradise. The park is comprised of wild brush, ocean beaches, jungle, rocky terrain and numerous lakes and rivers. Because of the wide variety of terrain, the park is home to animal life of all description, from leopards to Asian elephants, wild boar, crocodiles, water buffalo, Eagles, Painted Storks, Indian Peafowl and the elusive Sri Lanka Junglefowl. If it has wings or 4 legs, there's a good chance it lives somewhere inside the nearly 1000 km² park. Owing to the region's low altitude and proximity to the ocean, it was hard hit by the 2004 Tsunami. Miraculously, none of the park's large game died, leading people to believe that the wild animals, sensing that something was wrong, fled for higher elevations.

Although the Ruhunu district is perhaps better known for its parkland than acreage under tea, the region produces some fabulous teas every bit as colorful and full of life as its wild inhabitants. In contrast to the cooler climes of the tea estates up country in Uva, Dimbula or Nuwara Eliya, the Ruhunu is hotter and more humid. As a tea-producing region, Ruhunu is closer climate-wise to Assam in North East India. As such, Ruhunu teas, like Assams, are typically thicker, stronger and more full-bodied than the famed up country teas.

Interestingly, for much of the 20th century, these teas were more popular on international markets than their high grown counterparts. This was due in part to the lower cost of producing tea at the lower altitudes and the predominance of blending Sri Lankan teas as opposed to marketing single estate teas. During the 1980s as tea producers in the high grown districts began refining and niche-marketing their single estate teas, Ruhunus fell out of favor with international buyers. Still, to this day Ruhunu's top estates are capable of producing some spectacular leaf. This Balangoda is no exception - flavory and thick, this is an amazing tea any time of day. Pairs exceptionally well with old weathered copies of National Geographic!