:: History Of Ceylon Tea The production of black tea in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) began after a deadly fungus called Hemileia vastatrix destroyed most of the coffee crop on the island. The coffee plantation owners realized that they needed to diversify. The Loolecondera Estate had long been interested in producing tea in Sri Lanka. James Taylor, the father of Ceylon Tea, had recently arrived on the Estate and wanted to be there for the sowing of the first tea crops in 1867. It was done on 19 acres of land. James Taylor was already experienced in tea cultivation. He had acquired his knowledge in North India. He carried out different experiments on cultivating tea on the verandah of his estate. He rolled the leaves by hand and fired the oxidized leaves on clay stoves over charcoal fire. The tea that James Taylor made was delicious and sold for a very good price in the London Auction. The tea craze hit Ceylon . By 1890 tea production reaches at 22900 tons and after Ceylon Tea becomes popular all around the world.