Press release and images on Dilmah's 47th School of Tea- 1 Small Step for the Tea Revolution, 1 Giant Leap for Hospitality Professionals from Dilmah

The curtain fell on yet another successful edition of Dilmah's groundbreaking School of Tea (SOT) - a revolutionary course that seeks to inspire passion in tea through knowledge of its artisanal aspects and versatility amongst hospitality professionals, tea aficionados and consumers. The 47th School of Tea held in Sri Lanka from 7th -11th February brought together 140 professionals from 32 countries across the globe who took with them more than just knowledge about the world's finest herb. They took with them memories and friendship, and in their corner of the world they will strive to impart their new found specialist knowledge by serving more than the perfect cup. New creations in perfect pairings, tea inspired cocktails or mocktails will revolutionise tea's perceived boundaries for guests and hoteliers alike.

The School of Tea's specialised courses seek to enlighten and inspire rather than drill hours of boring theory into participants. Dilmah's Tea School showed that even though knowledge is the destination, it's the journey that truly inspires passion. From experiencing how traditional real tea is made in the cold mountains of Nuwara Eliya with an immersive, one-of-a-kind real time lesson in Dilmah's tea gardens, to revolutionising what tea can really do when cooked, paired, tasted, shaken and transformed... live and explicit. February 2017 marks the journey of how 140 hospitality professionals, tea aficionados and consumers returned to real tea, in all its epic glory.

Alessandro Giudici, F&B Europe Products Development Manager at Autogrill, and SOT participant, said that, "I would have to spend hours and too many words to describe the satisfaction and the many things learned from a session run by Dilmah in an exceptional manner and with high professionalism, from my point of view it was an impeccable, holistic experience in the tea world, managed with great passion. "

Dilmah School of Tea is an accredited institution by the World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) - a network of over 10 million professional chefs worldwide. Dilmah's SOT programme contained theory and practical sessions mainly focusing on the areas of artisanal black and green tea manufacturing, health benefits of tea, history of Ceylon tea, brewing a perfect cup of tea, Tea inspired mixology and gastronomy, tea and cheese pairing, sensory evaluation, menu development, and Dilmah's tea inspired concepts which altogether would help change the ordinary tea service to a 21st century tea experience. Of course, with the advancement of technology comes the advancement of teaching methods. Dilmah's e-learning site (elearning.schooloftea.org) lets the real tea alumni learn paperless and on the go. It includes 14 modules with content and progress reports, presentations, videos of the classroom sessions, tea garden visits, a social forum and more.

As a bonus, the 47th SOT participants were invited to be a part of Dilmah's Empower Culinary & Hospitality School's (ECHS) maiden batch graduation dinner - Sri Lanka's premier culinary and hospitality facility, which creates new avenues for underprivileged and marginalised youth with empowerment through education in the gastronomy and hospitality industry of Sri Lanka, free of charge. The school received the prestigious World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) accreditation at the dinner. Global attendees included WACS Education Director John Clancy, Renowned Chef and ECHS Governor Peter Kuruvita, Award Winning Black Hat Chef and ECHS Governor Bernd Uber, and Hilton Executive Chef and ECHS Governor Rohan Fernandopulle.