One step further…

and Dilmah School of Tea

The Tea

Tea means a lot to me. It is my favourite drink, it accompanies me throughout the day at work, it calms me down when I am stressed, it keeps me awake when I am sleepy, it helps me when I have a cold. To me tea is also family time and friend time, when we can sit, talk and drink tea together.

Working quite a lot with children made me realise that a lot of them don’t drink tea. It’s not because they don’t like it but because they are not used to it. I also notice that there is a lack of knowledge among children about tea and understanding tea culture. During my lessons I frequently prepare tea for my students and most of them enjoy it very much. We also talk about tea and tea culture. And some children have even started to drink tea and to like it after our lessons with tea.

The Inspiration

The person who has inspired me to become genuinely interested in tea and dig into the subject deeper is my daughter. She loves drinking tea and reading books and she is also passionate about discovering new legends and stories. That is why, last summer, I decided to do some projects about tea and I also involved the members of my family and some friends. The subject was becoming more and more interesting from day to day. We were discovering different kinds of tea and places in Poland where we could enjoy them. We were also finding out about different cultures, traditions and their history. There were so many things that we could learn and discover thanks to the inconspicuous tea.

We may say that we became inspired by tea. And just then an idea popped into our heads to bring together people who have ideas, who are motivated and love tea, who want to make the world a better place. And even if our activities are not going to make a big difference, it is worth to face the challenge.

The Genesis

The beginnings of our association was also the time, when WE (the members of our association) decided to learn and absorb as much as possible and now it was not all about tea. Obviously, books and the Internet were good sources of information and we used them to the breaking point. However, we have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and so we started attending different courses, workshops and conferences. In the meantime, we found out about Dilmah School of Tea which was established with the aim of upholding the traditions of tea by cultivating a respect for tea and by sharing its rich cultural heritage.

We have always appreciated the taste of the Dilmah tea and we were very happy to discover that the ideas and principals of Dilmah turned out to be very close to what we were looking for. Dilmah takes responsibility in making a positive social, economic and environmental impact wherever in the world. Getting to know more about the company made us feel that it is important for us to be the part of Dilmah training.

Dilmah School of Tea 2018, Europe , Source: schooloftea.org

One of our favourite quotes on tea presented by Mr Merrill J. Fernando is “…The simple act of pouring a cup of tea is, in itself, an ice-breaker; providing pleasurable anticipation of the goodness that is to follow…”  It seems to be true in so many aspects of life.

The Course

We wanted to learn about tea as much as possible to broaden our horizons and spread the word about the good tea. That is why, we were very glad to receive information that we can participate in Dilmah School of Tea and its Fundamentals of Tea Inspiration Certificate Course that was held on 29th October 2018 in Amsterdam.

The course itself was an amazing experience. We were utterly touched by the way Mr Merrill J. Fernando spoke about people in need, about business, that it should be, first of all, the mater of human service. Mr Fernando told us about his country and the passion for tea, and also about the importance of taking care of the environment. The words came truly from his heart and we were deeply moved by them. Finally, Mr Merrill J. Fernando had a speech at the end of the training. We were honoured to shake hands with him and receive certificates from the man with an incredible vision and a world leader in ethical business.

The Experience

The training was divided into thematic parts. They covered the story behind our cup of tea, history of tea and tea culture, ethics in tea, the manufacture and cultivation of tea, food matching with tea, tea and health, tea and cheese, how to brew a perfect cup of tea, tea mixology, and also profiling the teas.

The whole training was very intense, interesting and informative, however, some parts some especially caught our attention. It was the first time that we have tried and drunk our tea in glasses (like wine). To tell you the truth, we loved it. From that time on we often drank tea in this way, especially in the evenings. It is such a nice experience to hold a glass of warm tea and feel the warmth and the smell of it. If you have never tried it, you definitely should.

We were really keen on finding out more about the health benefits of tea which include reducing the impact of stress, protecting us from every chronic disease, from Alzheimer’s Disease to Parkinson’s Disease and, finally, its ability to strengthen the immune system and to fight cholesterol. It is also worth mentioning that the information provided on this subject was supported by research.

We were impressed by discovering how the taste of food can be changed with a sip of particular tea, and, at the same time, how tea changes its flavour with different foods. Before the course, we had never imagined that tea can give cheese a flavour boost. From now on I’ve been frequently enjoying cheese with a glass of tea.

Even though there had been some time since we learnt about the tea mixology and its other secrets, the number of tea benefits still fills us with astonishment. A tea can be served for every mood and on various occasions and, undoubtedly, making beverages with it is a real art.

All in all, being richer in experience, we will cherish our tea life and continue to go further: we will create, we will experiment, we will study and, finally, we will keep on sharing our passion and knowledge.

 

by Lila