Ceylon Tea grown in Dimbula
Dimbula teas are characterized as ‘high-grown’; the regional definition specifies an elevation of between 1,100m and 1,600m (3,500-5,000ft.), but in practice the region’s estates all stand at an altitude of over 1,250m (4,000ft.) It is wet and misty for much of the year, and western-facing estates are drenched by the southwest monsoon between May and September; however, Dimbula also benefits from the cool, dry winds of the western ‘quality season’, a period that begins around the turn of the year and continues until March or early April. Dimbula estates yield their best teas during this season, when the air is crisp and cool by day while the nights are cold and windy. The complex topography of the region produces a variety of beneficent microclimates, which show up as differences in flavour. All, however, share the Dimbula character: a tea that produces a fine golden-orange hue in the cup, with a distinctive freshness to the flavour that leaves a clean feeling in the mouth after the tea is drunk.
The teas of Dimbula, like all high-grown teas, are slow-growing and small-leaved. Dimbula planters, however, focus on flavour rather than leaf style in the manufacture of their products. The complex topography of the region produces a variety of beneficent microclimates, which show up as differences in flavour. All, however, share the Dimbula character: a tea that produces a fine golden-orange hue in the cup, with a distinctive freshness to the flavour that leaves a clean feeling in the mouth after the tea is drunk. The higher the elevation at which it was picked, the greater will be the brightness and freshness of the liquor in the cup. This is particularly the case with tea from the Nanu-Oya sub-district, whose high altitude and proximity to Nuwara Eliya results in a tea that bears noticeable similarities to the products of that region. Other sub-districts, such as Dickoya, produce a darker, more strongly flavoured tea.
During the western quality season between March and May, the aromatic qualities of Dimbula tea increase, and notes of jasmine mixed with cypress can be detected.
