Winning teas, winning tastes

Taking home the Grand Winner Award are Chef Daniel Franco and mixologist Thanavorn Sitichai from The Ritz Carlton Koh Samui for their food and beverage recipes with Dilmah tea as the main ingredient. They wowed the judges with a food and beverage menu crafted to provide a contrast in flavours that when paired together were in perfect balance. 

The competition welcomed 18 teams of chefs and mixologists from leading hotels nationwide, namely Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit, Hilton Sukhumvit and DoubleTree by Hilton Sukhumvit Bangkok, Pullman Bangkok King Power, Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, Pullman Bangkok Hotel G, Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers, Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong hotel, Anantara Sathorn Bangkok Hotel, Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel, Zazen Boutique Hotel Resort & SPA, Avani+ Hua Hin ResortAnantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, The Ritz Carlton Koh Samui, Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, Banyan Tree Phuket, and Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa.

“We want to introduce and cultivate a new tradition among Thais that tea can be an integral part of all our everyday livea. It can be enjoyed as cold and hot beverages, cocktails and savory dishes as well as desserts. This is why Dilmah initiated the idea for tea to be reinvented into new tastes, allowing everyone to experience the best leaves in ways that are entirely different from what we are familiar with. Our competition welcomed young chefs and mixologists to showcase their talents in designing dishes and beverages inspired by Dilmah’s Ceylon tea, introducing foodies around the world to some new, exciting recipes,” said Tasanee Asawagovitwong, general manager and founder of Global Premium Wine, the official importer of Dilmah Tea in Thailand.

The announcement of the winners was held at Rosewood Hotel Bangkok in front of the judges Dilhan C. Fernando, CEO of Dilmah, acclaimed Australian chef, Peter Kuruvita, Dilmah’s brand ambassador, and renowned mixologist and Tomek Malek, the fourth winner of World Champion Flair Bartender. First prize is a trip to Sri Lanka to experience the abundant Dilmah tea plantation and the process from growing tea tree and meticulous selection of tea leaves before the production of famous Ceylon tea, and enjoy the retreat at luxury seaside hotel, Cape Weligama.
The winning team demonstrated the preparation of a Dilmah tea-based beverage called Chai Masala Iced Macchiato using 20 grams of Dilmah ceylon ginger tea, 10 grams of cinnamon, 5 grams of cardamom, 5 grams of star anise, 3 grams of cloves and 1 litre of milk. All ingredients were cooked in a sous-vide vacuum bag at 85 degree celsius for one hour to make 60 ml. of Masala Chai Tea, then mixed with 10 ml. of Dilmah almond extract tea in a glass and garnished with masala foam, cinnamon stick and dried orange.
Visit www.dilmahteathailand.com for details.