Ceylon Tea Museum

Ceylon Tea Museum

Located in the Hantane Estate, the Ceylon Tea Museum occupies a former four-storey tea factory dating from 1925. Exhibits on the ground floor include drying furnaces, grinders and sorters used in the 19th century. The highlights here, however, are the miniature working model of a tea factory and an 80-year-old tea bush.

The first floor contains displays on two of Sri Lanka’s greatest tea pioneers: James Taylor and Thomas Lipton. There is a small collection of Taylor’s personal articles, which includes his books and walking stick, as well as a display on the life of Lipton. The floor also houses other tea-related paraphernalia, including Sri Lanka’s oldest surviving packet of tea in its original packaging, dating from 1944.

The third floor has small shops selling tea, and on the top floor is a restaurant, where visitors can enjoy a free cup of the beverage while admiring glorious views of the Knuckles Range