Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as we were known then, was known for the finest teas in the world. In fact, tea has been and still is very much a part of the lives of Sri Lankans.
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| Dilhan Fernando |
“People used to wonder where one could go to get a good cup of tea and this led to the opening of the t-Bar at the Hilton Colombo,” says Dilhan C. Fernando, Marketing Manager, Dilmah Teas. He says the idea is not only to present something with style, but also with substance and to capture the young consumer.
Mr. Fernando says the concept is all about celebrating tea and appreciating the gastronomic aspects of it.
The numerous wayside boutiques all around the island, emphasize Sri Lanka’s long connection with tea.
Just picture the tea maker in the wayside kade preparing that cup of tea for you, while you break journey – how he/she pours the tea from a height and upon pouring it, the froth builds up and there you have a delicious cup of tea either with ginger or condensed milk.
This method of pouring tea is known in Sinhala as yaara thei. What this means is that the tea is poured from a vessel held high-- a distance of a yard-- into another vessel held below.
This process gives the tea more flavour as oxygenation takes place. It also gives it a distinctive red-brick colour when it mixes with the condensed milk, resulting in a delicious cuppa.
This method of pouring tea is followed at the t-Bar and in addition guests are offered a strong Dimbulla tea which is a breakfast tea, ginger tea, lemongrass tea as well as cinnamon or milkmaid tea.
The flavour of tea is enhanced when it is served with an item of food. “Love Cake with ginger tea is the best combination to enhance this experience,” Fernando says. So guests have the option of enjoying that traditional cuppa with a slice of traditional Sri Lankan cake.
“The tea takes away the richness of the cake on your tongue so ginger tea is the perfect match to the love cake and it is a healthy beverage,” he says. Through this experience the t-Bar gives one the chance of having a good tea with a perfect combination.
“We give tradition a new lease of life by allowing people a new experience,” says Mr. Fernando, adding, “we want to market, package and present our uniquely Sri Lankan products to appeal to the upmarket Sri Lankan.”
Mr. Fernando says the new combinations of teas are served under the term t-TK, where “t” stands for tea while TK stands for tinkiri (condensed milk or milkmaid/tea kitsch). |
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