The Wonder of Tea

If anyone asked me a few months ago where tea comes from, I would say that it comes from the grocery store. Many experiences are lost in transportation when you live in industrialized countries (where most consumer goods are imported), understanding the labour that goes into every cup of tea is one of them.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Sri Lanka’s tea plantation estates and factories; and, I’ve witnessed the pain that plantation workers endure. This is the story of tea (more on the workers later): tea pluckers, majority females, wake up before the sun and start their household chores. They cook for the day, and then take their children to school before starting another day in emerald fields. Their working hours are long, usually 9-10 hours, and the sun overhead is strong. They collect two-leaves-and-a-bud one by one from the sea of green around them into their cane or plastic baskets that hang from their foreheads against their backs. Restrooms are few and far between so they have to run home in-case nature calls and return to work as soon as they can. At the end of the day, their output is weighed and they are paid accordingly. (The average income of a tea-plucker is 400 Rs. per day (approximately $3.5)). Then the tea leaves are transported by truck to the nearest factory. Here, the tea leaves are first withered for 14 hours, then they are dried for 20-22 minutes, then they are processed into the form we purchase in grocery stores. The metamorphosis from two-leaves-and-a-bud into consumable tea takes approximately 22 hours.

The tea here is a coppery, sunset colour. Its aroma is refreshing. Its taste is awakening. Known as liquid gold, Tea is Sri Lanka’s primary source of income. But, the hands that contribute are often forgotten. Knowing the story behind every cup of tea, putting a face to the tea bags, smelling the sweat and blood of the labourers, I truly appreciate the wonder of tea.