Knowledge, Education, Quality – Tea Sommelier
Putting on the kettle and brewing up a cuppa sounds simple doesn’t it. It’s not – not because it is complicated – but because most people just don’t take the simple precautions to get it right. Like selecting garden fresh, origin packed tea and brewing black tea for at least 3 minutes to get the...
Quality in the age of cost cutting
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?
There’s a lot more to tea than tea alone
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...
Someone’s got their hands in our crop
Decades ago it was smoke and mirrors that were used to create illusions. Today’s illusionists are a little more sophisticated – they use brands, certificates, and a lot of money – they have after all, much more to gain than J. N. Maskelyne or Harry Houdini. The illusion I talk of is a strange one;...
Tea & the problems of mankind
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...
Does tea contain gluten or lactose?
One of the pleasures of a family business is that we have an opportunity of emailing, writing, exchanging cards and communicating generally with our customers. Each week several hundred communications arrive at Dilmah Head Office and regional offices and are largely responded to personally by my father. Amongst the queries that have been raised in...
Tea for a brilliant morning
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...
Truly appreciating tea …
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...
Monkey Rock OP1 (Orange Pekoe 1) – Oh what a lovely tea!
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...
Inspiration and education in tea
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...
Putting the ‘tea’ back in High Tea
Tea is one of life’s great companions – always urbane, gentle and understanding whatever one’s mood or circumstance – there are few other things that can ease one’s steps through the paths of life. The tradition of Afternoon Tea, or its more substantial alternative – High Tea – is a celebration of just that companionship,...
terroir in tea
The story behind your cup of tea is a fascinating one, for it is infused with art, history and dedication at every stage from hand picking the tender leaves through the ancient and traditional cycle of withering, rolling, fermentating, baking and sifting the tea leaves. And finally there is the art of tasting and selecting...
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