Hanthana was one of the first successful areas to cultivate tea following the failure of coffee production on the island.

The Hanthana Station was set up to cater to the needs of mid-country tea plantations with regard to the physiology, entomology of tea and in particular the identification of drought resistant clones and the insect pest shot-hole borer.

[2] The Ceylon Tea Museum was incorporated on 9 January 1998, under Section 21 of the Companies Act of 1982, in a move initiated by Clifford Ratwatte (Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tea Board).

[3] The museum contains exhibits on tea pioneers, including James Taylor[4] and Thomas Lipton, as well as much vintage tea-processing paraphernalia.

The ground floor houses 19th century colonial generators, rollers, dryers, fermentation tables, sorting machines, etc.