Zion Hill

Zion Hill is a tea estate located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, at an elevation of 717 metres. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, a major tea processor and distributor with operations across multiple origins.

Terroir & Climate

At 717 metres elevation, Zion Hill sits within the mid-country growing zone of Sri Lanka's Central Province. Estates at this altitude typically experience a climate that is neither as cool as the high-grown districts above 1,200 metres nor as warm as the low-country plantations below 600 metres. This intermediate elevation generally allows for steady year-round growth, with growing cycles influenced by the two monsoon periods that sweep across Sri Lanka: the south-west monsoon from May to September and the north-east from December to February.

Mid-country estates in the Central Province often benefit from moderate temperatures and relatively consistent rainfall distribution, conditions that tend to favour reliable cropping patterns. The interplay of elevation, rainfall and temperature at this altitude typically shapes leaf development and the balance of chemical compounds that contribute to cup character, though individual terroir is subject to aspect, soil composition and micro-climatic variation.

Tea Produced

Zion Hill produces black tea. Mid-grown Ceylon teas from estates at this elevation often yield a cup that strikes a balance between the brisk, bright character of high-grown teas and the fuller body typical of low-country leaf. The liquor tends to show good colour and a medium strength, with a clean, straightforward profile that makes it suitable for both blending and single-origin offerings. Estates in this zone generally produce teas with reliable consistency and accessible flavour, characteristics valued by processors serving both retail and food-service markets.

Supply Chain & Market Position

Zion Hill is recorded as supplying Finlays, one of the world's largest vertically integrated tea businesses with sourcing, processing and blending operations across East Africa and South Asia. Finlays supplies major multinational tea brands as well as retail private-label programmes, and its presence in a supplier list typically signals that an estate's output meets the quality and volume benchmarks required for industrial-scale blending and large customer contracts. This relationship suggests that Zion Hill's production is absorbed into the mainstream commercial supply chain serving international buyers.

• Recorded supplier to  Finlays

Location & Neighbouring Estates

Zion Hill lies at 7.1377, 80.6111 in Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its 717 m elevation is the 72nd highest of 94 estates we map in Central Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:

• Yahaladuwa — under 1 km away · Southern Province
• Elpitiya Plantations, New Peacock Group — 2.9 km away
• Dartry — 2.9 km away
• Elpitiya Plantations, Nayapane — 5.3 km away
• Lantern Hill Lotus Valley — 5.3 km away

Estates at a Similar Altitude to Zion Hill

Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Zion Hill (717 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Zion Hill recorded 2,750 mm in 2025, within 5% of the 2,770 mm average across these estates, so altitude explains most of its rainfall.

Estate	Where	Elevation	Rain 2025	Mean high
Chisambo Tea Estate	Mulanje, Malawi	718 m	3,220 mm	25.6 °C
Lujeri Estates Limited, Nchima (Ltel)	Mulanje Mountain Reserve, Malawi	725 m	3,738 mm	25.4 °C
Wamba Tea Estate	Mutasa, Zimbabwe	708 m	2,156 mm	26.0 °C
Monte Metilille	Gurue, Mozambique	727 m	1,868 mm	26.4 °C
Chongtong	Darjeeling. West Bengal, India	698 m	2,870 mm	26.8 °C

Zion Hill Compared with Central Province

In Central Province, Zion Hill is drier than 76% of the others by 2025 rainfall; lower than 76% of the others by elevation; warmer than 77% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets Zion Hill 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	Zion Hill	Region median	Region range
Elevation	717 m	1,203 m	37 to 1,924 m
Annual rainfall (2025)	2,750 mm	3,152 mm	2,071 to 4,839 mm
Mean daily high	26.5 °C	23.1 °C	19.1 to 30.1 °C
Mean overnight low	18.8 °C	16.4 °C	12.4 to 22.2 °C

Observed Climate at Zion Hill (2025)

ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Zion Hill’s coordinates recorded 2,750 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (859 mm) and the driest was February (9 mm). Daytime highs averaged 26.5 °C and overnight lows 18.8 °C over the year; May was the warmest month and February the coolest.

Metric	2025 value
Annual precipitation	2,750 mm
Wettest month	November (859 mm)
Driest month	February (9 mm)
Mean daily high	26.5 °C
Mean overnight low	18.8 °C

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Zion Hill located?

Zion Hill is in Central Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 7.1377, 80.6111, at an elevation of about 717 metres.

What type of tea does Zion Hill produce?

Zion Hill is recorded as producing black tea.

Which buyers does Zion Hill supply?

Public supplier disclosures record Zion Hill as supplying Finlays.

How much rain does Zion Hill receive?

ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 2,750 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (859 mm).

How does Zion Hill compare with estates at a similar elevation?

Estates at a similar elevation recorded about 2,770 mm of rain in 2025, close to the 2,750 mm at Zion Hill.

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].