Dambatenne tea factory that was built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, in Haputale, Sri Lanka.

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Dambatenne Tea Factory

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This popular tea factory was built in 1890 by Sir Thomas Lipton, one of the most famous figures in tea history. The tour through the works is an education on the processes involved in the fermentation, rolling, drying, cutting, sieving and grading of tea. It's probably the most comprehensive tea-factory tour around, and afterwards you can sip a cuppa.

On Sundays no processing takes place, so there's little to see.

Dambatenne is 9km northeast of Haputale. Buses (Rs 28, 20 minutes) from Haputale pass the factory every 30 minutes. A three-wheeler one-way/return costs Rs 600/1000 from Haputale.

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