St. Coombs

St. Coombs is a tea estate in Sri Lanka's Central Province, situated at 1,272 metres above sea level. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as a supplier to Finlays, a major global tea and horticulture business. The operating company is not publicly documented in available trade records.

Terroir & Climate

At 1,272 metres, St. Coombs sits within the mid-elevation band that characterises much of Sri Lanka's Central Province tea country. Estates at this altitude typically experience moderate temperatures and steady rainfall patterns that support year-round cropping, though the cooler nights and reduced temperature variation compared to low-grown zones generally slow the rate of leaf growth. This slower maturation tends to allow more nuanced flavour compounds to develop in the leaf.

The Central Province's position in the island's interior typically exposes estates to the influence of both monsoon cycles, though local topography and aspect can create significant microclimatic variation. Mid-elevation Ceylon teas from this altitude range are generally understood to occupy a middle ground between the briskness of low-grown leaf and the delicacy of high-grown, often yielding teas with balanced body and moderate astringency.

Tea Produced

St. Coombs produces black tea, the dominant style across Sri Lanka's Central Province. Mid-grown Ceylon blacks from estates at this elevation typically yield a copper-coloured infusion with moderate body and a balance of briskness and smoothness. Teas from this altitude band often display a rounded character, with less of the pronounced brightness of low-grown leaf but more body than the lighter, more floral high-grown teas. Depending on withering and fermentation regimes, mid-elevation Central Province blacks may show notes ranging from malty sweetness to gentle astringency.

Supply Chain & Market Position

St. Coombs is recorded as a supplier to Finlays, a vertically integrated global business with operations spanning tea growing, processing, blending and distribution. Finlays sources from estates across the principal origins to supply major retail, foodservice and branded tea customers in Europe, North America and beyond. Supplying Finlays suggests that St. Coombs' output meets the quality and volume benchmarks required for inclusion in international blended and packaged tea programmes, positioning the estate within the commercial mainstream of Sri Lankan black tea export.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

St. Coombs lies at 6.9083, 80.6802 in Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its 1272 m elevation is the 40th highest of 94 estates we map in Central Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• Agrakanda — 1.2 km away
• Horana Plantations, Bambrakelly Group — 1.2 km away
• Horana Plantations, Eildon Hall — 1.2 km away
• Henfold Estate — 1.2 km away · Lindula
• Hatton Plantations, Waltrim — 2.4 km away

Estates at a Similar Altitude to St. Coombs

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match St. Coombs (1,272 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. St. Coombs recorded 4,232 mm in 2025, 80% more than the 2,351 mm average across these estates: at the same height, local weather and exposure matter as much as elevation.

Estate	Where	Elevation	Rain 2025	Mean high
Green Fountain Yunnan Tea Co., Ltd.Mangbai	Yunnan Province, China	1,248 m	2,424 mm	24.0 °C
Gold Buds Uva Tea	Uva Province, Sri Lanka	1,248 m	2,308 mm	24.8 °C
Pussimbing Tea Estate	West Bengal, India	1,247 m	2,778 mm	21.0 °C
DHAJEA	West Bengal, India	1,244 m	2,778 mm	21.0 °C
Guizhou Tongren Gui Tea Co., Ltd.	Guiyang, China	1,241 m	1,466 mm	19.9 °C

St. Coombs Compared with Central Province

In Central Province, St. Coombs is wetter than 80% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 58% of the others by elevation; cooler than 62% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets St. Coombs against the 93 other estates we map in Central Province, so you can see whether it is typical for its region or an outlier.

Measure	St. Coombs	Region median	Region range
Elevation	1,272 m	1,203 m	37 to 1,924 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	4,232 mm	3,152 mm	2,071 to 4,839 mm
Mean daily high	22.7 °C	23.1 °C	19.1 to 30.1 °C
Mean overnight low	15.8 °C	16.4 °C	12.4 to 22.2 °C

Observed Climate at St. Coombs (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for St. Coombs’s coordinates recorded 4,232 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (899 mm) and the driest was February (52 mm). Daytime highs averaged 22.7 °C and overnight lows 15.8 °C over the year; May was the warmest month and December the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	4,232 mm
Wettest month	November (899 mm)
Driest month	February (52 mm)
Mean daily high	22.7 °C
Mean overnight low	15.8 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is St. Coombs located?

St. Coombs is in Central Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.9083, 80.6802, at an elevation of about 1272 metres.

What type of tea does St. Coombs produce?

St. Coombs is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does St. Coombs supply?

Public supplier disclosures record St. Coombs as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does St. Coombs receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 4,232 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (899 mm).

How does St. Coombs compare with estates at a similar elevation?

St. Coombs recorded 4,232 mm in 2025, 80% more rain than the 2,351 mm average of estates at a similar elevation.

Data sources: public supply-chain disclosures (Ethical Tea Partnership member lists, Rainforest Alliance certificate holders and retailer supplier disclosures); climate figures are ERA5 reanalysis modelled for the estate’s coordinates via Open-Meteo (calendar year 2025); coordinates and elevations from geocoded records. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].