DILMAH ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF ITS ‘GLOBALREAL HIGH TEA CHALLENGE’ TO TAKE PLACE IN SRI LANKA
Dilmah, the third largest tea producing company in the world, is proud to announce that its prestigious ‘Real High Tea Challenge,’ the toughest tea challenge in the world will decide on a Global Tea Champion this July with the participation of 21 teams from 14 countries including Hong Kong and Macau.
With the objective of putting the tea back into ‘High Tea’ the Dilmah ‘Real High Tea Challenge’ is bringing tea back to the 21st century by reinventing and redefining the luxurious ceremony of tea through innovative creations that enhance the experience as a whole.
The Dilmah ‘Real High Tea Challenge’ was first started in 2007, in partnership with the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) when Dilmah Founder – Merrill J. Fernando felt that the High Tea occasion, which was originally crafted around tea, had lost its affinity with its origins. He felt that tea had been relegated to the bottom of the menu overcrowded with the traditional high tea fare that lacked inspiration, originality and most importantly any connection to tea. As a passionate tea grower who worked tirelessly to share the joy of ‘real’ tea, he vowed to put the tea back in High Tea. Thus the Dilmah Real High Tea was born.
Today, the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge has traversed the world – Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, UAE, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Indonesia and France with the participation of the finest Chefs and hospitality professionals from 14 countries, awakening a new respect for tea among the culinary, hospitality and mixology professionals around the world. The participants from Hong Kong and Macau include the Island Shangri-la, Hong Kong Cricket Club, and the MGM Macau.
This July, the Real High Tea Global Challenge will be judged by a panel of prestigious judges including Bernd Uber – recipient of the exclusive and revered Sidney Taylor Memorial Black Hat Award, Dilhan C. Fernando – Director Dilmah School of Tea and the visionary force of Dilmah Tea Gastronomy, Simon Gault – MasterChef New Zealand judge and Peter Kuruvita – Award winning Chef and Restaurateur. Each national challenge has been judged by a panel of world-renowned professionals which includes, Uwe Micheel, Tony Khoo and more.
The criteria for judging is very simple; understanding the exact influence of terroir, the awareness of the rationale, the knowledge of the exact taste of different teas, how to create the perfect brew, the use of sustainable ingredients ideally sourced from a family business which reflects the family values that are also an integral part of Dilmah.
For further information on the Dilmah Real High Tea Challenge, log on to http://realhightea.dilmahtea.com/.