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The Man with no Tea in him
Author: Dilhan, October 21st, 2009
Te... Read the rest of this entry » The bottom line Author: Dilhan, April 18th, 2009  At a time when every politician and bureaucrat is more aware than ever of the plight of marginalized people in less developed countries and the need for fair trading relationships to ease the gulf that exists between rich and poor nations, there is little or nothing that is being done to address the human cost of this awful reality. Over a decade since WTO identified the need for fundamental changes in the global economy nothing has been achieved. A new President in the White House carried with him the hopes of people around the world that change would genuinely happen. Nothing yet and no sign of it in relation to fairer trade. There has to be another way. Lacking empathy, desire or commitment beyond statements of g...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 » White Lie Author: Dilhan, December 13th, 2008 
The surreal beauty of white – whether in leaf, infused leaf or liquor form - is a rare pleasure that every tea aficionado must enjoy. I do not mean the commercially driven and inexpert interpretation of white tea, but the real thing. It seems strange to have to make this differentiation because white tea should be, well .. white tea.
(more...)...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 » Truly appreciating tea … Author: Dilhan, September 8th, 2008  Watte, our Single Region and Single Estate Teas beautifully present the reasons for enjoying tea 'in three senses'. For those who did not read my earlier post on this, they are the appreciation of tea 'on the eye', 'on the nose' and only then 'on the palate'.
Most people would enjoy a good cuppa for its taste, but truly exceptional tea like Watte deserves a little more. This image should go some way towards showing the link between elevation, leaf style and liquor. Much depends on your computer monitor here but the Ran Watte to the right, is grown at around 6,000 feet elevation. The cool climate, with light afternoon showers associated with the elevation, produces light and fragrant tea, which is gentle and yet has distinct personality. The Yata Watte at the left reflect the long periods of sunshi...Read the rest of this entry » Monkey Rock OP1 (Orange Pekoe 1) – Oh what a Author: Dilhan, September 6th, 2008
This OP1 from Rilagala is produced from a small batch of selectively handpicked leaf.... 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 » Is it CSR or just business as usual? Author: Dilhan, July 28th, 2008 The June 2008 issue of ‘The Director’ Magazine of the IoD, included a well researched feature on the subject of CSR. It was to me, an informative, yet bewildering overview of the subject. Informative because it is a comprehensive and well researched feature, bewildering because in many cases, the businesses that practice this ‘corporate social responsibility’ – apparently with the aim of helping people and the environment - are taking a very un-businesslike approach to the matter. The difference between businesses and charities - in general of course - is that the former usually has clear, measurable and efficiently implemented outcomes, whilst the latter are often limited in their relevance by their adoption of inappropriately focused and sometimes impractical methodology. The combination of the two, using businesses – and businesslike methods - to help people and the environment may therefore offer a potent solution to the ills of our 21st century society. CSR should therefore be... Read the rest of this entry » The beauty in the leaf Author: Dilhan, June 20th, 2008 Here's where it all starts, the two tender leaves and the bud. Picking tea by hand, as we do in Sri Lanka, ensures that we use just these two leaves and bud, not the third and fourth leaves which introduce coarse, undesirable characteristics to the tea. Antioxidants in tea are concentrated in the bud, making real white tea (not the many pretenders which claim to be white, but are really green or black) deliciously, naturally good for you. White Tea in its pure form consists only of the bud - in fact a special cultivar of Camellia Sinensis with a particularly slender bud, covered in tiny, fine silvery 'fur'. This gives Ceylon Silver Tips, its characteristic appearance. Read all about it here.... 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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In an earlier post I referred to terroir, the sense of place or the individual personality of fine tea. This month we will offer as a part of the VSRT (Very Special Rare Tea) collection, a tea that epitomizes that individuality. Rilagala – a Sinhala name which means 'Monkey Rock’ - gained its name from the colossal rock which towers over the estate, and the monkeys from the surrounding forest, who are often seen amongst the tea bushes. First established in 1907, Rilagala Estate is home to an assortment of wildlife from wild boar to deer and occasionally leopard, attracted by its biodiversity.Images of Tea
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