Estate Guide: Glen Alpin - The Uva Estate That Delivers All Year
Glen Alpin Estate is found on the Eastern side in Uva. This region has both high and medium elevation teas and is best known for its seasonal “winter green” tasting teas that are produced during the months of July and August.
Whilst that winter green note is not for every tea drinker, Glen Alpin that lies at medium elevation near the town of Badulla, produces some excellent teas outside of the typical flavoury season. Badulla is well outside the famed Malwatte Valley of Uva, but what's been made here is not to be overlooked.
Glen Alpin makes leafy orthodox teas; it grows on the fringes of Uva and the views from the region show the dramatic drop from the hill country into the low country. The estate has a mix of Vegetatively propagated (VP) and Seedling teas (SD), and carries notable amounts of quality CY9 tea plants All which help to give its teas their unique taste and flavour.
All which help to give its teas their unique taste and flavour.
Mahendra Pilapitiya is today the current Superintendent of Glen Alpin. Tea in his DNA. The famed New Vithanakande Estate was founded by a relation of his and over the years the family has produced many excellent Planters. I remember my late father reminding me to ask the late Navaratne Pilapitiya of New Vithanakande if he had a relation on Gouravilla estate in Maskeliya in the 60’s. As he remembered a Superintendent with the name coming into our Maskeliya office and speaking with our staff. Unsurprisingly he was a relation!
We received some excellent samples from Glen Alpin a few weeks back, a Pekoe, Pekoe1, (FBOP) Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe and (OP) Orange Pekoe. All the samples were excellent, however the FBOP and OP stood out for us. As always we went back to the estate with our feedback, as the samples supplied are what will be sold in the Colombo Auction and we are always looking for something specific.
Click the video below to see the changes we asked for, and how these subtle changes make a difference in the final cup.
Many customers over the years have written in saying that you have tried an estate on our website and also tried it elsewhere, and there has been a notable difference.. Click above to see why, and understand how those small changes we demand give the cup its unique PMD Tea character and flavour.
Glen Alpin is a reminder that Uva tea is more than just the three week season. There is a wide bouquet of flavours that this region has to offer. Try Glen Alpin and you won’t be disappointed.
