In short: Gold Buds Uva Tea is a black tea estate in Uva Province, Sri Lanka, operating at 1,248 metres and recorded as supplying Finlays.
Gold Buds Uva Tea is a tea estate located in Uva Province, Sri Lanka, at an elevation of 1,248 metres. The estate produces black tea and is recorded as supplying Finlays, one of the major buyers and distributors in the international tea trade. The operating company is not publicly documented in available trade records.
Terroir & Climate
At 1,248 metres, Gold Buds Uva Tea sits within the mid-elevation range typical of Uva Province estates. This altitude generally places it in a zone where cooler nights and warm days tend to slow leaf maturation, a factor that can contribute to the development of more complex flavour compounds in the plucked leaf. Uva's climate is also characterised by the influence of the southwest and northeast monsoons, with the dry winds of the July–August period typically associated with heightened aromatic intensity in teas from the region.
Estates in this part of Sri Lanka often contend with a pronounced dry season that stresses the tea bushes, a condition that can lead to smaller, more concentrated leaf and a characteristic briskness in the cup. The latitude, just north of the equator, ensures year-round growing, though the quality and character of the leaf tend to vary markedly with the seasonal monsoon cycle. Soils in the Uva highlands are generally well-drained and acidic, conditions that favour Camellia sinensis cultivation.
Tea Produced
Gold Buds Uva Tea produces black tea, the dominant style of the Uva region. Teas from mid-elevation Uva estates typically exhibit a brisk, bright character with notes that can range from malty and full-bodied to more delicate and aromatic, depending on the season of manufacture. The dry-season teas from this region are often noted for a distinctive menthol-like or eucalyptus brightness, a hallmark of the Uva character that has long appealed to blenders and single-estate buyers alike.
Supply Chain & Market Position
Gold Buds Uva Tea is recorded as supplying Finlays, a vertically integrated tea company with a significant presence in sourcing, blending, and distribution across global markets. Finlays operates its own estates and also purchases from independent producers, positioning itself as a key intermediary between growers and consumer brands in Europe, North America, and beyond. The presence of Finlays as a buyer suggests that Gold Buds Uva Tea's output meets the quality and consistency standards required for inclusion in internationally traded parcels, whether for branded blends or specialty single-origin lines.
- Recorded supplier to Finlays
Location & Neighbouring Estates
Gold Buds Uva Tea lies at 6.8259, 80.9982 in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. Its 1248 m elevation is the 8th highest of 28 estates we map in Uva Province. The nearest estates in the TeaTrade directory, measured point-to-point from these coordinates, are:
- Maskeliya Plantations, Craig — 2.0 km away
- Nayabedde Tea Estate — 2.8 km away · Badulla district
- Agarapatana Plantations, Gonamotawa — 3.3 km away
- Aislaby Tea Estate — 4.4 km away · Bandarawela
- Agarapatana Plantations, Dambatenne — 4.8 km away
Estates at a Similar Altitude to Gold Buds Uva Tea
Elevation shapes how slowly leaf matures, so we match Gold Buds Uva Tea (1,248 m) with estates within 150 m of its height that are not its neighbours. Each is shown with its own 2025 climate. Gold Buds Uva Tea recorded 2,308 mm in 2025, 16% less than the 2,736 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 |
| Pussimbing Tea Estate | West Bengal, India | 1,247 m | 2,778 mm | 21.0 °C |
| Wattegoda Estate | Watagoda Estate Road, Sri Lanka | 1,246 m | 4,232 mm | 22.8 °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 |
Gold Buds Uva Tea Compared with Uva Province
In Uva Province, Gold Buds Uva Tea is drier than 70% of the others by 2025 rainfall; higher than 74% of the others by elevation; cooler than 59% of the others by daytime temperature. The table sets Gold Buds Uva Tea against the 27 other estates we map in Uva Province, so you can see whether it is typical for its region or an outlier.
| Measure | Gold Buds Uva Tea | Region median | Region range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,248 m | 1,131 m | 560 to 1,535 m |
| Annual rainfall (2025) | 2,308 mm | 2,319 mm | 2,188 to 2,899 mm |
| Mean daily high | 24.8 °C | 25.2 °C | 22.4 to 28.7 °C |
| Mean overnight low | 16.3 °C | 16.6 °C | 14.5 to 20.0 °C |
Observed Climate at Gold Buds Uva Tea (2025)
ERA5 reanalysis data modelled for Gold Buds Uva Tea’s coordinates recorded 2,308 mm of precipitation across calendar year 2025. The wettest month was November (589 mm) and the driest was June (42 mm). Daytime highs averaged 24.8 °C and overnight lows 16.3 °C over the year; September was the warmest month and January the coolest.
| Metric | 2025 value |
|---|---|
| Annual precipitation | 2,308 mm |
| Wettest month | November (589 mm) |
| Driest month | June (42 mm) |
| Mean daily high | 24.8 °C |
| Mean overnight low | 16.3 °C |
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Gold Buds Uva Tea located?
Gold Buds Uva Tea is in Uva Province, Sri Lanka, at coordinates 6.8259, 80.9982, at an elevation of about 1248 metres.
What type of tea does Gold Buds Uva Tea produce?
Gold Buds Uva Tea is recorded as producing black tea.
Which buyers does Gold Buds Uva Tea supply?
Public supplier disclosures record Gold Buds Uva Tea as supplying Finlays.
How much rain does Gold Buds Uva Tea receive?
ERA5 reanalysis data for the estate's coordinates recorded 2,308 mm of precipitation in 2025, peaking in November (589 mm).
How does Gold Buds Uva Tea compare with estates at a similar elevation?
Gold Buds Uva Tea recorded 2,308 mm in 2025, 16% less rain than the 2,736 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].