How to drink Ceylon tea?
Traditional Ceylon tea is probably best enjoyed black, brewed using boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, just enough time to bring out its brisk, full-bodied character. In Sri Lanka, people tend to serve it strong and hot, and yes, it’s usually sweetened with sugar, or sometimes they put a piece of jaggery on the side, like you can choose your own intensity.
The way you brew it makes a real difference in the end cup, a lot. High-grown teas from Nuwara Eliya come out delicate and floral, and they taste best when you drink them plain, so the faint notes aren’t covered. On the other hand, the robust low-grown teas from the Ruhuna area handle a splash of warm milk exceptionally well. Also, using freshly drawn, filtered water matters, because if the water is off, those fine tannins can turn cloudy or even bitter.