Masterclass for tea lovers
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Tips on Tea: Niraj De Mel conducting the masterclass. Pix by Sameera Weerasekara
On August 12 and 13, a group of tea enthusiasts including tourists had a taste of being tea connoisseurs at the Ceylon Tea Festival’s Tea Masterclass. For two hours on each day, the Asylum Restaurant at Arcade Independence Square, Colombo 7, transformed into an interactive classroom. The Masterclass was conducted by professional tea taster and former Chairman of the Tea Board, Niraj De Mel, who also happens to be the course director at the Mel’s Tea Academy, which provides foundation courses for tea taster and graders.
From the technique behind tea tasting to the different types of leaves and distinctive brews of each of Sri Lanka’s seven tea districts, De Mel presented a brief but comprehensive course on tea tasting and Ceylon tea. De Mel also went on to explain about the different preferences of countries and regions with regard to the grade and origin of the tea leaves, and how factors such as water quality, weather and brewing methods accounted for these differing preferences.
The event ended with high tea, where guests were treated to tea-infused savouries and pastries specially curated for the event, and of course not forgetting a cup of Ceylon Tea!
The Arcade courtyard with inflatable flamingos that doubled up as chairs