There are some things about tea you can only learn by being there. Not by reading about it, not by watching a video, but by standing in the mist of Nuwara Eliya, walking through a working tea factory, and sitting across from the people whose lives are dedicated to it.
That's exactly what our team experienced this June, as part of the 95th session of the Dilmah School of Tea. It was a four-day journey through Sri Lanka hosted by the Dilmah family.
Day 1 in Colombo: Where It All Begins
Our journey started at the Dilmah Head Office, where craftsmanship and care define every detail of how the company operates. From there, we visited the MJF Charitable Foundation — the embodiment of Dilmah's belief that business should be a matter of human service. Seeing the Power of 15% in action, supporting education, healthcare, and community programmes for Sri Lanka's tea-growing communities, was a quiet but powerful reminder of what makes Dilmah more than just a tea brand.
Day 2: Into the Highlands
From Colombo, we travelled to Nuwara Eliya — the heart of Ceylon tea country, sitting high in the misty hills at over 1,800 metres above sea level. The evening brought something truly special: the Camellia Epicurean Dinner, where every course was thoughtfully paired with a different Dilmah tea. It was here that we began to understand tea not just as a drink, but as a partner to food — capable of elevating flavour in ways we hadn't expected.
Day 3: Estate and Factory
This was the heart of the experience. We walked through the tea estate itself, watching pluckers at work in the early morning light, gathering two leaves and a bud exactly as they have for generations. From there, we moved into the factory to witness withering, rolling, oxidation, and firing — each stage transforming the leaf a little more, until what remained was, simply, tea.
Day 4: Bringing It All Together
The final day was dedicated to formal sessions — connecting everything we had seen and tasted over the previous three days into a deeper understanding of tea as a craft, a culture, and a commitment.
What We Took Away
Tea, at Dilmah, has never been about shortcuts. It is about respect — for the leaf, for the land, and for the people who grow it. Walking through that process firsthand made one thing clear: every cup carries far more than flavour. It carries a story.
We're grateful to have been part of it. Until next time, Sri Lanka.