Taste Testings: Consumer Product Reviews

Dilmah Tea offers a wide range of premium and gourmet teas, in loose leaf and teabag formats. The full collection includes gourmet single-origin pure Ceylon black and green teas, Ceylon silver tip white tea, and Watte single region and single estate teas. Each tea variety is a single origin rather than a multi-origin blend, and offers superior quality, taste and freshness. Green and black teas have a suggested retail price of $3.99 per box of 20 tea bags, while the single-estate Watte teas, packaged in a tin box for peak freshness, retails for a suggested price of $7.99 for 20 tea bags.

Female, 20-something
“Earl Grey tea was never a flavour I wanted to try because the name did not sound pleasing at all. I thought wrong. After trying Dilmah’s Earl Grey tea I now have a new favourite tea flavour! It was so rich and full of exotic spices. Those who enjoy Chai tea will definitely enjoy Earl Grey. As for the green tea it was delightful; honestly one of the best green teas I have ever had. I would definitely recommend this brand to all tea lovers. I cannot wait to try the other flavours!”

Male, 40-something
As a fan of Captain Picard of Star Trek: TNG, any time I get to sip a cup of Earl Grey tea, I feel as though I am in charge (Picard’s one constant: Earl Grey. Hot.) Despite the fact that tea is supposed to be full of caffeine, I always find a hot cuppa tea to be relaxing – and that’s exactly what I got from my Dilmah tea; not too strong, not bitter at all, just a simple, honest rich brew. The tea is full of rich flavour with a very heady bouquet – exactly what one wants in a nice evening tea to relax with. I admit to being a tad confused about the packaging, however. The single teabag package is too busy. Four photographic images, two brand boxes with two different background colours, a stamp implying that the tea is Dilmah Fresh – which means nothing to the consumer – and a spot of cursive writing telling me that it’s fresh. So it’s repeating itself. The back of the package presents a good deal of information on the tea, so perhaps less information on the front could be employed.

Female, 40-something
“I’m a tea drinker, so I was looking forward to trying Dilmah for the first time. I loved the English Breakfast tea – it was robust, full-flavoured and very refreshing. I usually end up putting at least three teabags in the pot in the morning, but I only needed two Dilmah bags to get the same strong flavour. This is a new favourite! I’m not crazy about the packaging – the images aren’t particularly appealing, but I like the personal story inside. It’s about the same price as other premium teas I buy.”

Male, 47
“The Somerset Estate tea has a rich, smooth flavour. Very tasty. Better than the usual national brands I buy. Could use a longer string on the teabag. I think it’s expensive, even for a premium brand.”

Female, 30-something
“The Dilmah Ceylon Green Tea with natural Lemongrass Leaves has a great scent – very delicate, very soft. I don’t smell the bean-y flavour that sometimes comes with green tea. I don’t know anything about tea from Sri Lanka, so drinking this seemed especially exotic. The taste was smooth, not bean-y at all. I did find myself wishing the lemon flavour was stronger. I would buy this tea. It has a fresh comforting flavour and a mellow taste.”