The Ceylon Tea Museum is located in the former Hantane Tea Factory, which was originally constructed in 1925. It is situated 3km south of Kandy. Hantane was one of the first successful areas to cultivate tea following the failure of coffee production on the island.
The four storey factory was abandoned for more than a decade before it was refurbished in 2001 by the Sri Lanka Tea Board and the Planters’ Association of Sri Lanka and opened in January 2002. The museum contains exhibits on tea pioneers, including James Taylor and Thomas Lipton, as well as lots of vintage tea-processing paraphernalia. The ground floor houses 19th Century colonial generators, rollers, dryers, fermentation tables, sorting machines, etc. The second floor houses the library and museum. The third floor has a shop whilst the top floor contains a restaurant and tea rooms.