St Andrews Tea Estate, Sri Lanka

Rediscovering a Forgotten Classic from the Heart of Dimbula

"Mention the name St Andrews and most people immediately think of Scotland. The Old Course. Golf. Ancient stone buildings overlooking the North Sea. Few would imagine that more than 5,500 miles away, hidden amongst the mist-covered mountains of Sri Lanka, another St Andrews has quietly been producing some of Ceylon's most elegant teas for well over a century."

For many of our long-standing customers, St Andrews needs little introduction.

For years it was one of the defining teas in the PMD Tea collection. It produced the sort of elegant Orange Pekoe that has become increasingly difficult to find today from the up country long, wiry leaves, naturally floral in aroma and wonderfully suited to the British tradition of afternoon tea.

Then, almost overnight, it disappeared. Not because the estate declined. Not because demand fell. The tea itself had changed.

Around 2016 the factory moved away from producing the leafy orthodox Orange Pekoe for which it had become renowned and instead concentrated on orthodox rotorvane manufacture. Whilst these teas undoubtedly had commercial value, they no longer produced the delicate cup that had made St Andrews one of our favourite western high-grown estates.

As difficult as the decision was, we reluctantly removed it from our range.

Many customers questioned why.

Several asked if we could somehow bring "the old St Andrews" back.

Unfortunately, that tea simply no longer existed.

Until now.

A Piece of Scotland in the Hills of Ceylon

Walk through the tea estates of Sri Lanka and you'll notice something rather curious.

The names sound unmistakably Scottish.

• Inverness.
• Lochnagar.
• Braemar 
• Holyrood.
• Balmoral.
• Glen Tilt 
• Strathspey.
• Tilicoultry 
• St Andrews.

This was no coincidence.

The pioneer tea industry was built largely by Scots. Many of the early planters who arrived in Ceylon during the nineteenth century came from the north-east of Scotland. Most initially believed they would spend only a few years on the island before returning home.

Instead, many spent the rest of their lives in the hills of Ceylon.

As forests were cleared and estates established, they often named their new homes after the towns, villages and landmarks they had left behind. It was a way of maintaining a connection with Scotland whilst building an entirely new industry thousands of miles away.

St Andrews is one such estate.

Interestingly, it is not the only St Andrews in Sri Lanka.

In the neighbouring district of Maskeliya, Laxapana Estate still contains the historic divisions known as St Andrews Upper and St Andrews Lower. These divisions remain today as reminders of a time when estate boundaries and ownership frequently changed. Whilst they now form part of Laxapana Estate, St Andrews itself continues as an estate in its own right, preserving one of the great names of western Ceylon tea.

It is perhaps a fitting reminder that while Scotland gave the world the home of golf, it also gave Sri Lanka many of the names that continue to define its tea industry today.

The Real Dimbula

Ask almost anyone in the tea trade where Dimbula is and the answer will often be surprisingly broad.

Today, many tea merchants use "Dimbula" as a convenient description for almost every tea grown in Sri Lanka's western highlands.

Strictly speaking, that isn't correct.

Historically, the western high-grown region consisted of several individual distinct tea-growing districts, each with its own climate, soils, altitude and character.

These include:

• Maskeliya
• Dick Oya
• Talawakelle
• Pundaloya
• Agarapatana
• Nanu Oya
• Dimbula
• Bogowantalawa 

Each district produces teas with its own unique personality.

For generations these differences were recognised throughout the industry. They were not simply geographical names but working districts, each with its own unique taste and flavour, Planters Clubs and transport agencies responsible for carrying tea from the estates to Colombo and delivering machinery and estate supplies back into the hills.

Our own family company, P. M. David Silva & Sons, transported tea throughout the Maskeliya and Dickoya districts long before we became exporters of Ceylon tea. Those years spent on the estate roads gave us an intimate understanding of the subtle differences between neighbouring tea districts.

When we describe a tea as Dimbula, we mean exactly that.

Not the wider western high-grown region. The actual Dimbula district.

St Andrews lies between Hatton and Kotagala, firmly within what generations of tea planters regarded as true Dimbula.

Its flavour reflects that geography.

Even though Dimbula and Dick Oya lie only a short distance away, experienced tea tasters immediately recognise that the cups are different.

That is the beauty of single-estate tea. Not only does every valley tell its own story, but every tea estate. 

Why St Andrews Tastes Different

St Andrews sits at approximately 4,000 feet above sea level, where cool nights and mild daytime temperatures slow the growth of the tea bush.

Most mornings, the estate is covered in a blanket of white mist before the rising sun gradually clears the valley.

To visitors it creates spectacular scenery.

To the tea bush it creates gentle environmental stress.

The slower growth allows natural aromatic compounds to develop within the young shoots before the famous two leaves and a bud are hand-plucked.

Rather than producing a heavy, robust cup, St Andrews develops elegance.

Its Orange Pekoe displays a naturally rosy aroma, bright amber liquor and refined floral character that have made it one of the classic afternoon tea estates of Sri Lanka.

It is exactly the sort of tea that pairs beautifully with freshly baked scones, clotted cream and strawberry preserve.

Waiting for Nature – The Western Quality Season

One of the greatest misconceptions about tea is that quality can simply be manufactured.

It cannot.

Every year, estates across Sri Lanka's western highlands wait for what tea tasters simply call the Western Quality Season.

For this remarkable transformation to occur, nature must provide exactly the right conditions.

The estate requires at least two weeks of dry weather accompanied by south-west winds.

The prolonged dry spell reduces the amount of water available to the tea bush. The drying winds remove even more moisture from the leaves. The plant enters a survival state.  Growth slows.

The young shoots begin concentrating volatile aromatic oils rather than producing rapid growth.

When these carefully hand-plucked leaves are manufactured, they produce some of the most elegant teas of the entire year.

Some seasons last several weeks. Others scarcely appear at all within changes in climate these are sadly becoming more common. 

It is this unpredictability that makes seasonal single-estate tea so fascinating.

Great tea is never manufactured on demand. It is grown in partnership with nature.

 

Orange Pekoe 

 One of Tea's Greatest Misunderstood Terms

Few names in tea are more misunderstood than Orange Pekoe.

Many people assume it refers to orange flavour.

Others believe it describes the colour of the liquor.

Some even think it means the tea contains citrus.

It means none of these.

Orange Pekoe is simply a grade of orthodox tea characterised by its long, wiry, beautifully twisted leaf.

The word Orange is widely believed to originate from the Dutch House of Orange. During the seventeenth century, the Dutch East India Company introduced tea into Europe from China. The finest teas supplied to the Dutch Royal Court became associated with the House of Orange as a mark of distinction.

The word Pekoe is derived from the Chinese phrase Bai Hao, meaning "white down", referring to the tiny silver hairs found on young tea buds. Those same buds are still carefully harvested today to produce exquisite Silver Tips teas.

Although today's Orange Pekoe looks very different from those original Chinese Bai Hao teas, the name has survived for more than three centuries.

Its long twisted leaves produce bright, elegant liquors that have become synonymous with the finest afternoon teas.

St Andrews remains one of the finest examples of this traditional style.

The Tea That Refused to Be Forgotten

Several years after removing St Andrews from our range, we were working late one evening with one of our hospitality customers developing a new afternoon tea menu.

Someone discovered an old sample tucked away on a shelf.

Curiosity got the better of us.

Despite its age, the tea still produced a wonderfully elegant cup.

Its floral aroma filled the room.

One of the chefs looked up and smiled.

"Remind me again why we ever took this off the menu?"

It was a fair question.

The answer was simple.

The tea we loved no longer existed. Or so we thought.

The Return of a Classic

Everything changed when a new management team took over the estate.

Word soon reached us that St Andrews had returned to producing leafy orthodox teas.

Immediately we began tasting every batch that became available.

The first teas weren't quite there.

The balance was missing.

The floral character had yet to return.

But month after month the estate improved.

We made a trip up to St Andrews to see the fields and the factory. Almost five months later, one sample arrived that changed everything.

The first infusion immediately brought back memories of the original St Andrews.

The rosy aroma had returned. The elegance was unmistakable.

Without hesitation, St Andrews reclaimed its place in the PMD Tea collection.

 

Preserving Tradition, Embracing the Future

Preserving Tradition, Embracing the Future

Tea estates like St Andrews are often celebrated for their history, but their future is every bit as important.

The challenges facing tea today are very different from those encountered by the pioneer planters of the nineteenth century. Rising energy costs, changing weather patterns and an increasing focus on environmental responsibility mean that producing exceptional tea now requires innovation as well as tradition.

Walk through the factory at St Andrews and this balance is immediately apparent.

Still standing on the factory floor is an old Walkers tea roller, manufactured in Sri Lanka and remarkably still in use today. Walkers was based on Trincomalee Street in Kandy and became closely associated with the machinery that supported the development of Ceylon’s plantation industry.

The roller is more than an old piece of equipment preserved for display. It remains part of the working factory, continuing to perform the task for which it was built generations ago.

During orthodox manufacture, withered tea leaves are placed into the roller, where they are gently twisted and pressed. This begins to break down the structure of the leaf, releasing the natural juices and enzymes required for oxidation. It is an essential stage in transforming freshly plucked green leaf into the long, wiry Orange Pekoe for which St Andrews is known.

There is something remarkable about watching machinery of this age continue to operate. It reflects the quality of the original engineering, but also the care of generations of factory teams who have maintained it.

The Walkers roller is therefore not simply a reminder of the estate’s past. It remains part of the way St Andrews makes tea today.

Yet, by looking beyond the factory floor to the roof above, one sees another chapter in the estate’s story.

A substantial installation of solar panels now helps generate electricity for the factory’s day-to-day operations. This reduces its reliance on Sri Lanka’s national electricity grid and allows part of the energy required to manufacture tea to come from a renewable source.

The contrast is striking.

Inside the factory, an old Sri Lankan-made Walkers roller continues to shape tea using machinery and techniques passed down through generations. Above it, modern solar technology helps provide the energy required to power the motors for the very same roller.  

Together, they tell a much broader story about the future of Ceylon tea.

Progress does not always mean discarding what came before. Sometimes it means preserving what continues to work while introducing new technology where it can make a meaningful difference.

For us, this balance is important.

St Andrews continues to produce its Orange Pekoe through traditional orthodox manufacture, using skills and equipment that have stood the test of time. At the same time, its investment in solar energy demonstrates that a historic estate need not remain fixed in the past.

Preserving heritage does not mean standing still.

The greatest tea estates are those that honour the knowledge, machinery and craftsmanship handed down through generations while embracing innovations that can help sustain them for generations to come.

At St Andrews, the old Walkers roller and the new solar panels exist side by side one representing the enduring industrial heritage of Ceylon tea, and the other pointing towards a more sustainable future.

St Andrews – Where Tradition Still Matters

There is perhaps no more fitting name for this estate than St Andrews.

For golfers, St Andrews in Scotland is regarded as the spiritual home of the game. The Old Course has hosted champions for centuries, yet despite advances in equipment and technology, its greatest challenge has always remained the same. Success still depends upon patience, precision and a deep understanding of the landscape.

Tea is remarkably similar.

Over the past century, tea manufacture has embraced modern machinery capable of producing ever larger volumes of tea. While these innovations have undoubtedly made tea more accessible around the world, many have moved away from the leafy orthodox styles that first established Ceylon's reputation.

St Andrews reminds us that some traditions are worth preserving.

Its Orange Pekoe continues to celebrate elegance over volume, craftsmanship over speed and quality over convenience.

Like the Old Course itself, it is not about novelty.

It is about experiencing something that has stood the test of time.

At a Glance 

Region: Dimbula (Hatton–Kotagala District)

Elevation: Approximately 4,000 ft (1,220 m)

Tea Style: Orthodox Orange Pekoe

Best Enjoyed: Plain 

Perfect Pairing: Fresh scones, clotted cream and strawberry preserve

Quality Season: January to March (weather dependent)

Sustainability: Factory powered in part by on-site solar energy

PMD Tasting Notes: A naturally rosy aroma with a bright amber liquor, refined floral character, soft sweetness and a beautifully clean finish.

 

Rediscovering a Classic

Some teas become fashionable.

Others quietly disappear.

Every so often, however, an old friend returns.

For us, St Andrews is exactly that.

Not because of nostalgia.

Not because of its Scottish name.

But because, after years away, it once again produces the elegant orthodox Orange Pekoe that first earned its place amongst the great teas of Dimbula.

Whether your journey to St Andrews takes you to the windswept coastline of Fife or to the mist-covered mountains between Hatton and Kotagala, one thing unites them both: a respect for heritage.

One has spent centuries perfecting the game of golf.

The other has spent generations perfecting one of Ceylon's most elegant afternoon teas.

In a world that is constantly changing, both remind us that true classics never go out of style.