Experiences

A Firsthand Look Into The World Behind Sri Lankan Tea

A journey through the central highlands of Sri Lanka is incomplete without the exchange of a smile with our tea pickers. Many of these hardworking women have been born out of families who migrated to our upcountry climes from South India centuries ago. In between times of hardship and happiness, they have built a world of their own, hidden from the international fame and splendour of Sri Lankan tea.

Meena Amma’s Tea Experience offers a one-of-a-kind experience hosted by an exceptional woman who welcomes you to her own version of Sri Lanka. Having grown up with five siblings, Meena Amma shares the warmth of highland families who, like her, have built their lives in the estates that surround you. Once a tea picker herself, Meena Amma grew up and worked in regional estates until she eventually joined us as a gardener at the Warwick Estate. Today, Meena Amma looks after you with an enchanting charm of upcountry hospitality as she hosts a series of unique local experiences designed around the life of our tea and its community.

It was at Meena Amma’s request that these experiences were crafted, for her to have you join her in the daily routine around the estate. You may join her on her brisk walks through our lush plantations, interact with the many pickers who have built their life around them, and even gain firsthand insights into the arduous work that goes into your cup of tea.

Aside from joining her on visits to the estate temple, or watching the children rush to the estate school in the early mornings, Meena Amma will also treat you to locally sourced meals she learned to prepare from her mother – cooked in a firewood hearth in a rustic country kitchen, and followed up with a warm cup of afternoon tea sourced directly from the plantations around you and hand-rolled with care. Should you wish, you may also complement Meena Amma’s experiences with a visit to the Pedro Tea Factory and discover the next stages in the production process of our world-famous Sri Lankan Tea.

The two line rooms hosted by Meena Amma are refurbished spaces of the original accommodation for our surrounding plantations, and have since been designed to immerse you into the lives of Sri Lanka’s iconic tea pickers. Tucked away in a quiet corner of the Warwick Estate, these two unique spaces feature an attached bathroom with hot and cold water, as well as a living area adorned with a vintage rocking chair to relax.