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‘Greatness’ in a cup of tea
Author: Dilhan, June 3rd, 2009  An advertisement in an inflight magazine on a trans Atlantic flight exclaims, ‘Experience the greatness of our new tea lattes’. Beneath, the advertiser earnestly underlines its claim, ‘ Yes, we did say greatness.’ And then it shows a photograph of a cup – nice, off white on green, probably porcelain – filled with a foamy, whiteness. At first glance a teaman would be forgiven for assuming that this was a case of a design error – using an image of a particularly bland cappucino instead of tea. It takes considerably less than the 7 hour flight to come to the startling realisation that this is no mistake, but the expression of a phenomenon that stalks almost every artisanal...Read the rest of this entry » teatime rocks! Author: Dilhan, February 8th, 2009 
There’s one part of life as we know it now,that seems relatively unaffected by the financial crisis – and that’s tea. The tea market has seen some volatility but tea drinkers seem to be drinking more and better quality tea, and in spite of the best efforts of the coffee industry to discover health benefits in their beans, more coffee drinkers are also appreciating tea. The trend is driven by younger people desiring more natural, healthy beverages and tea fits the bill there. But that’s not all for tea offers a lot more for the aficionado. These images are of the Dilmah t-Bar that opened in the Hilton Colombo earlier this week. True, as many who were at the launch commented, this is so unlike the tea t...Read the rest of this entry » Ethics works both ways Author: Dilhan, January 23rd, 2009 Offered a cup of tea which prominently advertised its ‘fair’ heritage and its contribution to the welfare of the workers involved in its production, I unhesitatingly accepted. That acceptance unfortunately lasted only until the first sip when it became apparent that any claim to ‘fairness’ in this cuppa, did not apply to the consumer. The dark brown liquor hid a very old, very mediocre and very overpriced tea which seemed aligned quite unashamedly at selling on the strength of the feelings of guilt its heavily ‘fair trade’ branded packaging would kindle. Give the ‘inappropriateness’ of being too honest in criticizing a product that is so wonderfully ‘good’ it seemed that my fellow tea drinkers were quite happy to swallow the insipid brew or to douse it in milk and sugar to mask its taste. Most left the tea without complaint. There were a couple of examples of greater honesty that I found on the web though. The thing about fairness is that it needs to work both ways.... Read the rest of this entry » Knowledge, Education, Quality – Tea Sommelie Author: Dilhan, November 3rd, 2008
Read the rest of this entry » There’s a lot more to tea than tea alone Author: Dilhan, October 11th, 2008 Earlier today in Poland’s historic and beautiful University town of Krakow, a slightly different tea party acknowledged that there really is much more to tea than tea itself. It’s not that tea alone is inadequate in any way, for in these times of financial disaster, the calm and serenity that tea can induce is more refreshing and required than ever. What was different about this second event in Dilmah’s Days of Tea programme in Poland, is that it shared the vibrance and colour that lies beyond the taste of your cup of tea. It all happened at the Soviet era Kino Kijow cinema, where tea mingled with art, artists and spirits.
Read the rest of this entry » Tea & the problems of mankind Author: Dilhan, September 19th, 2008
For centuries, problems of mankind have been solved over a cup of tea. Whether they were problems between nations, between businesses, even in families between husbands & wives, tea has been the soothing balm that helped their solution. The simple act of pouring a cup of tea is, in itself, an ice-breaker, providing pleasurable anticipation of the goodness that is to follow. I have dedicated nearly 60 years of my life to providing that cup of tea: not only to solve problems but to add sunshine to your day, with the first sip of Dilmah. Merrill J. Fernando Founder of Dilmah Tea... Read the rest of this entry » Tea for a brilliant morning Author: Dilhan, September 13th, 2008
Taking tea in the morning is a tradition as old as the British Empire. Breakfast Tea in Ceylon, was founded on a tradition of the predominantly Scottish pioneer planters who would wake before dawn - the planter's day usually begins at around 4am. In most of the tea planting districts, it can be very chilly at that time and tea was their warmth and sustenance at 'muster', as the morning meeting with their staff was called. To offer that strong and invigorating start to the day, the tea had to combine strength with brightness, body and a brisk, energising finish. Those origins of the tradition of Breakfast Tea, which e... Read the rest of this entry » The Cook and his new Pots Author: Dilhan, September 6th, 2008 Fulfillment - defined variously as 'measuring up to,' 'completing', 'bringing into effect' and so on - must rank as one of life's great emotions whether applied to one's job, one's promises, one's dream or in fact any form of human endeavour. And it is fulfillment that we felt when watching this desperately poor Batticaloa cook, who tried - even without adequate pots and pans - to eke out a living in the war ravaged East of Sri Lanka. He was one of many beneficiaries of the MJF Foundation's Small Entrepreneur Programme. Together with the others that formed this 2nd batch of recipients, in July he received the equipment he needed to develop his business, catering for the weddings and other celebrations in Batticaloa. There is not much to celebrate in Batticaloa today, but as the people of the East slowly raise their heads after decades of violence, it is the cooks, the bicycle repairmen, the teachers, the farmers who will most tangibly bring hope and life back to this bullet ridden economy. Read the rest of this entry » Inspiration and education in tea Author: Dilhan, September 5th, 2008 There is a special reason why Ceylon Tea came to be known as the best tea; in our little island of around 25,000 square miles, nature has blessed us with mountains over 6,000 feet high with a cool and moist climate, to lowlands with hot sunshine and only occasional rainfall. And then there is everything in between. When combined with that wonderful attribute of terroir, or ‘sense of place’ that nature bestowed on tea, the result is a potent and deliciously different array of tastes, aromas and textures in tea. My father sought to share this wonderful diversity with the tea aficionados around the world who shared his love for tea. The result was Watte. Meaning garden, in our language, Watte is a journey in tea. It starts with the Single Region Teas, Ran Watte (meaning Golden Garden), through Uda (high), Meda (Mid) and Yata (lower) and it continues through the Watte Single Estate Teas with four perfectly made teas from Lover's Leap, Somerset, Doombagastalawa and Nilagama E... Read the rest of this entry » terroir in tea Author: Dilhan, August 24th, 2008
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