The Pedro Tea Estate is one of the most accessible tea factories near Nuwara Eliya, about 3 km from the town centre on the road toward Kandapola. Tours of the factory explain the full process: withering the green leaf overnight to reduce moisture, rolling it to break the cells, allowing it to oxidise (ferment), then firing it to stop the fermentation and dry the leaf. The different stages of oxidisation produce the various grades of tea — from green through oolong to black.
The surrounding estate is beautiful walking country, with rows of low tea bushes covering the hillsides and women pluckers working in the early morning. The tour includes tasting at the end, and the factory shop sells freshly processed tea at prices well below what you would pay in Colombo. Tuk-tuks from the town centre to Pedro take about 10 minutes.