The lush island nation of Sri Lanka lies off the southern tip of India, and is celebrated for its eponymous Ceylon black tea. In Sri Lanka—known as Ceylon until its establishment as a republic in 1972—coffee was the first major commercial agricultural product. A blight on coffee plants in 1869, however, decimated the industry; inspired by the volume of Assam's production in northern India, many planters then successfully turned to tea.

The mineral-rich soil and distinct seasonal weather patterns enable harvest year-round, taking place on different sides of the tropical island on either low-, mid-, or high-elevation farms.