In short: New Mount Carmel is a black tea estate in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, at 480 metres elevation, recorded as supplying Finlays.
New Mount Carmel is a tea estate located in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, at an elevation of 480 metres. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, the multinational tea and horticulture group.
Terroir & Climate
At 480 metres above sea level, New Mount Carmel sits within the low-grown category of Sri Lankan tea production, a designation that typically applies to estates below 600 metres. This elevation and the estate's position at approximately 7° north latitude place it in a warm, humid zone where the growing cycle tends to be year-round, with less pronounced dormancy than is common at higher altitudes.
Low-grown estates in Sri Lanka's Sabaragamuwa Province generally benefit from consistent rainfall and warmer temperatures, conditions that tend to encourage vigorous vegetative growth and faster leaf turnover. These environmental factors typically yield teas with bolder, more robust character than the delicate profiles associated with high-elevation gardens, though specific outcomes depend on processing and the timing of plucking.
Tea Produced
New Mount Carmel produces black tea. Estates at this elevation in Sri Lanka typically yield full-bodied, malty teas with good strength and colour in the cup. Low-grown Ceylon blacks are often characterised by their brisk, assertive profiles rather than the floral or nuanced notes more common at higher altitudes, and they tend to perform well in blends where body and consistency are valued.
Supply Chain & Market Position
New Mount Carmel is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea business with extensive sourcing, blending, packing and distribution operations across multiple continents. Finlays supplies both retail brands and foodservice clients, and inclusion in its supply base suggests that New Mount Carmel's output meets the volume, consistency and traceability requirements of a global buyer operating at scale.
- Recorded supplier to Finlays
Location & Neighbouring Estates
New Mount Carmel lies at 7.1333, 80.4456 in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Its 480 m elevation is the 16th highest of 75 estates we map in Sabaragamuwa Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:
- Ingurugala — 1.9 km away · Central Province
- Kegalle Plantations, Dotel Oya — 3.0 km away
- Yuillefield Tea Estate — 5.9 km away · Western Province
- Cooroondoowatte — 9.3 km away · Central Province
- Kegalle Plantations, Yataderiya — 9.6 km away
Estates at a Similar Altitude to New Mount Carmel
Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match New Mount Carmel (480 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. New Mount Carmel recorded 3,278 mm in 2025, 76% more than the 1,868 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ariel | Route 14 / Km 962 / Dos de Mayo () Misiones, Argentina | 479 m | 1,831 mm | 25.3 °C |
| J Llorente Y Cias A | Misiones, Argentina | 482 m | 1,810 mm | 25.7 °C |
| Tianhua Luoping Tea Industry Co., Ltd. | China, China | 478 m | 1,689 mm | 22.3 °C |
| Fujian Sufu Tea Co., Ltd. | Fujian Province, China | 472 m | 1,344 mm | 24.7 °C |
| Rasagalla | Ratnapura, Sri Lanka | 502 m | 2,664 mm | 27.5 °C |
New Mount Carmel Compared with Sabaragamuwa Province
In Sabaragamuwa Province, New Mount Carmel is drier than 58% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 80% of the others by elevation; cooler than 77% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets New Mount Carmel against the 74 other estates we map in Sabaragamuwa Province, so you can see whether it is typical for its region or an outlier.
| Measure | New Mount Carmel | Region median | Region range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 480 m | 164 m | 26 to 1,355 m |
| Annual rainfall (2025) | 3,278 mm | 3,412 mm | 2,018 to 4,839 mm |
| Mean daily high | 28.0 °C | 29.5 °C | 21.5 to 30.9 °C |
| Mean overnight low | 20.3 °C | 21.9 °C | 15.7 to 23.0 °C |
Observed Climate at New Mount Carmel (2025)
ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for New Mount Carmel’s coordinates recorded 3,278 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (871 mm) and the driest was February (23 mm). Daytime highs averaged 28.0 °C and overnight lows 20.3 °C over the year; April was the warmest month and November the coolest.
| Metric | 2025 value |
|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 3,278 mm |
| Wettest month | November (871 mm) |
| Driest month | February (23 mm) |
| Mean daily high | 28.0 °C |
| Mean overnight low | 20.3 °C |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is New Mount Carmel located?
New Mount Carmel is in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 7.1333, 80.4456, at an elevation of about 480 metres.
What type of tea does New Mount Carmel produce?
New Mount Carmel is recorded as producing black tea.
Which buyers does New Mount Carmel supply?
Public supplier disclosures record New Mount Carmel as supplying Finlays.
How much rain does New Mount Carmel receive?
ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 3,278 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (871 mm).
How does New Mount Carmel compare with estates at a similar elevation?
New Mount Carmel recorded 3,278 mm in 2025, 76% more rain than the 1,868 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].