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The Man with no Tea in him
Author: Dilhan, October 21st, 2009
Te... Read the rest of this entry » The Harsher Truth behind the Harsh World Author: Dilhan, July 23rd, 2009 The global edition of today’s International Herald Tribune (July 22,2009) offers an image of Sri Lankan tea pickers in their scenic tea garden environment. The caption ‘Tea workers’ harsh world’ points to the paradox this beautiful image hides. Mark McDonald’s article goes on to explain that whilst Sri Lanka is the No. 2 Tea Exporter in the world, poverty amongst tea workers is increasing. True. Suggesting though that ‘..the fortunes of the Hill Tamil workers on its many plantations have not kept pace with the industry’s growth’ hides a much more complex reality than first meets the eye. Notwithstanding the superficial comment of the Ceylon Tea Traders’ Association representative that the workers are well cared for and not exploited, there is exploitation, but those responsible are not, as Mr. McDonald implies, the Tea Exporters and Traders in Sri Lanka. (more...)... Read the rest of this entry » ‘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 » Not quite white … Author: Dilhan, March 8th, 2009 
Lenin wrote that ‘a lie told often enough becomes the truth.’ Generations of politicians before and after him have relied on this wisdom. Corporations have followed suit, and even tea has not been spared its vile influence. White Tea, is in many ways a most refined form of tea. Nurturing real white tea – such as the Silver Tips we produce on some of our tea gardens – requires enormous commitment and expertise. From the special cultivar of Camellia Sinensis that is used to make White Tea, to the gentle handpicking of the buds and their expertly supervised preparation, it is a labour of love. There is art, expertise and dedication in produ...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 » Fair Trade, rhetoric and reality Author: Dilhan, November 17th, 2008 Fairness is about justice, a basic element of humanity. In the sphere of international trade, that notion should logically be deployed simply because it is the right and only way forward. That deployment would be supported by widespread education and support from government and non governmental agencies to include as many producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers as possible. Yet what fair trade is increasingly becoming, is a proprietary and Western defined system of determining what is and is not ‘fair’. There can of course be no right or wrong way of implementing fairness in trade, because the tiniest step towards greater fairness is to be lauded and encouraged. What is going wrong though is the manner in which the notion of fairness in trade is being defined, and controlled. The interventionist, exclusive and highly commercial form that it has assumed is severely limiting the potential of fair trade by obstructing the emergence of more broad based, non exclusive and far reaching... Read the rest of this entry » Knowledge, Education, Quality – Tea Sommelie Author: Dilhan, November 3rd, 2008
Read the rest of this entry » Quality in the age of cost cutting Author: Dilhan, November 2nd, 2008 Fears of global recession have corporate planners scurrying to improve their financial prospects, mainly by cutting costs. The snappily titled programmes that are the outcome of these are obviously intended for the consumption of Wall Street, but are they fair on consumers and the worker? (more...)... 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 » |
Hearing the advice, earlier this week, of a learned marketer who proclaimed that tea – in the form that we know and love it today - will disappear in five years, and that tradition, love for tea are obsolete amongst a new generation that desires only instant gratification, it seemed that the 21st Century is no time for artisans in tea. My friend’s thesis was sound - with the relentless advance of Wal Mart, the insistence on speed and convenience amongst a generation that tweets and SMSs in preference to writing or even emailing, the teapot could well become an obscure accessory. Suggestive though the signs may be, predictions of a demise in tea in the style it has endured for millennia may be premature.
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