February 21, 2023

Forest Hill, An once in a lifetime opportunity to experience tea from tea trees

Located in the tiny village of Erathna in Kuruwita area of Sri Lanka, Forest Hill is nestled in the Holy Adam’s Peak mountain range.

Buddika Dissanayake, the founder of Forest Hill, is an experienced tea planter with over 17 years of experience in the tea industry. He purchased “Warnagala” in 2017, an ancient tea factory that holds an abundant history of over 150 years. The estate was first founded by Scottish planters during the British colonial rule and after 20 years of tea cultivation, the factory was abandoned for nearly 140 years. Consequently, the conventional tea bushes grew into tall trees up to 40-50 feet tall, creating a rich plantation that blended with the natural forest.

While the slopes and walls that the British built still can be witnessed, the estate resides at 2,900 feet. Although Forest Hill spans 100 acres, part of the forest extends to the Holy Adam’s Peak rainforest reserve. Thus, the estate sources a portion of tea leaves from the Warnagala forest

The harvesting of wild tea does not do harm to either the tea plants or the forest around it, protecting its surrounding biodiversity.

Forest Hill also sources tea leaves from small-scale tea farmers in the community. These farmers are handpicked by Buddika to ensure that the best leaves are supplied. Buddhika also advices the farmers on organic plantation techniques, growing of diverse crops and tips to harvest high quality tea leaves without compromising the soil and tea bushes to ensure that the tea leaves used in Forest Hill’s teas are of highest quality. Buddika’s initiative of helping farmers provides an additional income stream for the community.

Tasting a cup of Forest Hill tea is equivalent to walking down the paths of history and experiencing the most delicate cup of Ceylon’s Sabaragamuwa region tea.