About Ahinsa tea

Fun fact: Ahinsa (or, more commonly, Ahimsa) is a Jain, Hindu and Buddhist belief in the sanctity of all living things and the need to avoid harm and violence. For the team at Nilmini Estates, it was the perfect name to bestow on a tea produced in a way that respects humans, animals, plants and the environment.

Founded in 1999, Ahinsa is the flagship organic tea of Nilmini Estates, which launched the brand to expand and promote organic tea production in Sri Lanka. Located in the low-lying landscape of Sri Lanka's southwest, Nilmini sits on the border of Dellawa forest, part of the World Heritage-listed Sinharaja Forest Reserve – the largest remaining tract of unspoilt tropical rainforest in Sri Lanka.

Today, Ahinsa tea factory produces this lively Ceylon loose leaf tea with leaves supplied by 186 fully certified organic tea farms from around Sri Lanka, each of which is regularly monitored to check compliance.

Alternatives this Single-Origin organic black tea

Ceylon teas are nothing if not diverse, and our tasters have sampled some of the country's best for you to try. Kenilworth is a great alternative breakfast brew, while Luxury Pekoe, Ruhuna and Bogawantalawa are lovely full-bodied teas. Adam's Peak has a rich flavour and an abundance of silver tips. Or, for a more delicate style, look to Nuwara Eliya or the high-grown Lover's Leap. Alternatively, explore our Assam teas for a familiar, yet distinctly malty character.

The region experiences a Tropical Rainforest climate (Af), which combines high temperatures and high precipitation. The hottest months are March and April, with average highs of 34°C. The rest of the is only slightly less warm, with lows of 22°C and highs of 32°C. It rains throughout the year, with peaks in October and November, and is at 100% for most of the year, with a slight dip to around 90% in January.

There is cloud cover all year round, with clearer skies from December to March, with a gentle breeze that picks up from May to September. Known as the City of Gems, Ratnapura is known for its trade of precious and semi-precious stones. Tea is grown on nearby hills overlooking the Sinharaja rain forest, an exceptional biodiversity hotspot of international significance, and home to a majority of Sri Lanka’s endemic species of trees, animals and birds.

The dense forests harbour elephants, leopards and the endemic purple-faced langur, as well as numerous species of birds and reptiles. Below 600m, teas from Ratnapura are known as “low grown”, and offer a distinctive, mellow flavour profile. Although teas can be harvested all year round, the highest grade, FBOPFEXS, is only harvested between May and November.