Dilmah Premium Ceylon Tea is a single-origin black tea grown and packed entirely in Sri Lanka, carrying the Sri Lanka Tea Board's Ceylon Tea Lion Logo — a certification that can only be awarded to tea packed within the country from 100% pure Ceylon leaf. The grade is Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings, known in the trade as BOPF, sourced from the central highlands of Sri Lanka, a region associated with brightness and medium strength in the cup.
Dilmah was founded in 1985 by Merrill J. Fernando, whose family had been immersed in the Ceylon tea trade for decades before that. The company pioneered the idea of single-origin tea packed at source in 1988, at a time when the prevailing industry practice was to blend leaves from multiple countries before packing overseas. That commitment remains unchanged: the tea is grown, handpicked, and packed at Dilmah's facility on Negombo Road in Peliyagoda, Sri Lanka, before it travels to your cup.
The packaging describes the tea as a gourmet black tea with a rich, full-bodied taste. The single ingredient is pure Ceylon black tea with no additives; the product is also GM free, as stated on pack. Brewing is straightforward: place one tea bag in a cup, pour 200–220 ml of freshly boiled water at 100°C, leave to brew for three to five minutes with occasional stirring, then remove the bag. For storage, keep the tea in an airtight container in a cool, dry, odour-free place.
The listing offers several pack configurations to suit different household needs, from a single 25-bag pack through to multi-pack options. Each 25-bag pack weighs 50g net. Larger 50-bag and 100-bag formats are also available, as are multi-packs grouping two, three, four or ten of the 100-bag boxes together — practical for regular drinkers or for stocking a workplace kitchen.
Behind the tea sits a wider family ethos. The words 'Kindness to People and Nature' and 'Made with Love by Our Family' appear on the packaging and reflect the family's commitment to ethical trade and the work of the MJF Charitable Foundation, which is funded by a minimum percentage of pre-tax profits. It is, in the end, tea that can be traced to a single origin, packed where it was grown, by a family that has staked its reputation on that transparency.
