On the 15th of December, I was invited to a tea appreciation day hosted by Dilmah Tea at Sheraton PJ, and little did I know that the date coincide with International Tea Day, a day that has been celebrated since 2005 in tea producing countries.
Dilmah Tea Appreciation at Sheraton PJ
For the Tea Appreciation session, Dilmah brought in Sensory Evaluation consultant and Oenologist Edwin Soon to share with us the origin of tea and the science of flavors behind it.
Oenologist Edwin Soon explaining the history of tea
To be perfectly honest, I did not know that the different types of tea – Black, Green, Oolong, and White tea were all made from the same Camellia sinensis plant. The difference is in how the tea leaves are cured.
Basically they are as follow:
- White: wilted and unoxidized;
- Green: unwilted and unoxidized;
- Oolong: wilted, bruised, and partially oxidized;
- Black: wilted, sometimes crushed, and fully oxidized
Dilmah Tea and food pairing
Well, there are indeed other plants that we make tea from, but those will be in the category of herbal tea or flower tea, proper tea all from the same species of plant.
Additionally, tea plants at different elevation and climate will also produce leave that different flavors, with many high quality tea plants being cultivated up to 1,500 m above sea level.
who doesn’t love a proper Hi Tea?
For the afternoon tea pairing session, we started off with lamb curry puffs paired with Dilmah The Original Earl Grey, most quintessential British tea in contrast to the local, slightly spicy flavor.
Then it was salmon maki roll with Green Tea Jasmine Flower, a fitting companion many of us are familiar with. We then also had a Hi-tea set with Ratatouille turnovers, spinach and cheese quiche, and smoked salmon canapes.
Miss World Malaysia Thanuja Ananthan was sharing the same table
For sweets, we had pandan sweet pancakes with corn custard, together with Pure Chamomile Flowers, a tea that does not have any caffeine and perfect for late night. We then finished off with chocolate brownie paired with Moroccan Mint Green Tea.
Overall, it was a lovely afternoon well spent, and we (with Sharon & Wilson) got to share the same table as former Miss World Malaysia Thanuja Ananthan (did not find out who she was until more than half way through), lovely person with energetic personality!
This was also the second time I attended a Dilmah event, first being way back in 2013!
former Miss World Malaysia Thanuja Ananthan (did not find out who she was until more than half way through) <— hehehe, oh noooooo. You see? This is what happens if there are no indians in Crazy Rich Asians #LOL #realfacts
kekeke: you .. have a point 😡
😀
hmm.. me thinks uncle KY is there for the sushi only #LOL #shh
kekeke: don’t expose me!
lol busted 😉
So informative! You shared a table with me too…….
Sharon: i got say ma hahaa.
KY, something different and read is what Asian enjoyed the most. I always
head to Singapore for high moon tea. Love the selection food there.
…
Vickie: you should try Malaysia instead, probably better food and certainly better value!
I noticed that more and more hotels are serving Dilmah teas these days. During my recent staycations, I encounter many hotels with Dilmah tea sachets in the room instead of Boh tea.
oh nooooo…. #makemalaysiagreatagain
their tea memang not bad eh. i have a few pack in my work drawer
taufulou: yaa, I do have some at home too.
What a good looking selection of tea.
Monica: indeed!