Deep within the southern lowlands, Handunugoda Tea Estate produces one of the world’s rarest and most expensive teas – Virgin White Tea, hand-harvested before dawn by young women wearing gloves and face masks to prevent human oils from contaminating the precious leaf buds. A guided walk through the estate reveals how this tea is grown, processed, and prepared in a manner entirely unchanged from ancient Chinese practice. The estate’s engaging owner, Herman Gunaratne, is one of Sri Lanka’s most colourful personalities and has written extensively on the history of Ceylon tea. The experience extends to Sri Lanka’s other great spice legacy: Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), the only true cinnamon in the world, distinct from the cassia commonly sold elsewhere. A dedicated demonstration shows the intricate skill involved in peeling and quilling the delicate inner bark of the cinnamon tree by hand, a craft practised on this coastline for over 500 years, first traded by Arab merchants and later monopolised by the Dutch colonial spice empire.