The Art of Tea with Emirates & Dilmah Tea

Each year, Emirates brews more than 33 million cups of tea for passengers onboard, as well as serving a range of tea in Emirates’ airport lounges worldwide. Tea consumption onboard has steadily risen in recent years by over 10% as many passengers embrace a wellness lifestyle. Tea has a myriad of health benefits and healing properties, as well as providing a ritualistic moment that many find enhances comfort and calm.

For more than three decades, Emirates has chosen to partner with passionate, family-owned Dilmah Tea, a Sri Lankan tea company launched in 1985, the first producer-owned tea brand globally whereby the tea is cultivated, handpicked and packed at origin – perfectly preserving its natural goodness and ensuring an unrivalled position as one of the finest teas in the world.

Dilmah Tea has selected exclusive tea blends to be served only in First Class, including the “Emirates Signature”(*), and other ones for Business Class. They were presented at an event held at the Hilton Brussels Grand-Place on 15 June.

Sri Lanka is in Emirates’ network since 1986 and its capital Colombo can be reached twice a day from Brussels via Dubai. Emirates Skywards members can exchange their miles for a Tea Makers Private Retreat package that includes a tea-making master class, culinary tea-based experiences, food and tea pairing experiences and a visit to tea fields.

Among the food and tea pairings tasted during the event, there was first a Pure Chamomile Flowers tea with an apple crumble, and then a Moroccan Mint Green Tea with a selection of three kinds of cheese: Délice de Bourgogne, 15-month-old Gouda and Gorgonzola Dolce.

(*) The Emirates Signature tea uses flowery orange pekoe 1 leaf, with a sprinkle of marigold and safflower. It has rich aromatic notes of rose, almond and ginger for a balance of fragrances and flavours.