Cheese and Tea by Dilmah

Betty Koster Holland’s Ultimate Cheese Expert While the Netherlands is renowned for its 17th century old master paintings, IJmuidenborn Betty Koster is famous these days for refining another local art form with 12th century antecedents. In the realm of Dutch masterpieces, cheeses from Koster’s Fromagerie L’Amuse — including her signature two-year warm-cellar-aged Gouda L’Amuse and Brabander, an uncommon goat Gouda — are celebrated as among the very finest cheeses in Holland and beyond. Only a few are imported into the U.S. Gouda is one of the oldest cheeses on record that is still made today. The name refers not to where the cheese was originally made but to the town by that name in southern Holland where the wheels were first traded. In 1989, cheese affineur Betty and her husband Martin started Fromagerie L’Amuse. Their shops in Amsterdam and a second in IJmuiden offer an unrivaled selection of European cheeses, along with charcuterie, condiments and beverages to serve with them.

Green Tea with Jasmin Flowers A gentle green tea in fragrant and delicate union with natural Jasmine petals. The soft, mildly sweet and mystical aroma of Jasmine is enthralling in its combination with green tea. This natural combination offers a refreshing and soothing beverage that is also a delicious palate cleanser.

Emmentaler The sweetness in the cheese turns into fresh notes, and instead of being an everyday cheese, it becomes more characteristic.

Gruyère Very nutty and floral notes, cleans the mouth, smooth mouthfeel.

Young to semi matured Gouda Buttery notes when young, rich and nutty when a little bit more matured. Very balanced.

Farmhouse Cheddar Earthy notes in cheese become fresh, meaty flavors now take over. Umami.

Pure Green Tea Gently steamed Ceylon Green tea with the mildly astringent taste of the finest in green tea. Pale yellow infusion tinged with olive highlights. A pleasantly gentle tea with a lightly sweet finish.

Feta The sweetness in the cheese turns into fresh notes, and instead of being an everyday cheese, it becomes more characteristic.

Gorgonzola Rich mouthfeel, sweet notes as in apricot. Cleans the pallet, leaving a rich and satisfying aftertaste.

Roquefort Caves Baragnaudes This special Roquefort from Société one would never guess to be so velvety together. A very balanced combination as where the tea again diminishes the salty ness of the cheese.

Brilliant Breakfast A bright and bold morning tea. Perfectly rounded, with body, strength, colour and pungency representing the essence of a fine Ceylon tea.

Young Gouda A very elegant combination, cheese melts beautifully with the dark tea. It is like an English tea with double cream in it.

Farmhouse Cheddar A fruity very earthy combination, leaving a tanning like feeling, astringent. A combination which looks like it is meant to be.

Valdeon A very earthy heartwarming combination, making you feel you are with the cheeses back in the maturing caves.

Meda Watte Mid Grown, at 3000 feet above sea level. Meda Watte tea is strong, full bodied, elegant & velvety on the palate, in the style of a Shiraz; best for afternoon or early evening. If you enjoy your tea white & sweet, a touch of dairy milk and honey protect the natural goodness of tea.

Blue Stilton Super nice combination, liquorice like flavors, earthy and slightly salty, with notes of laurier.

Single Estate Darjeeling This famous Indian tea has a subtle and sophisticated taste and prominent Muscatel note. A distinctive and refined tea with a light liquor.

Farmhouse Cheddar A fresh mouthfeel, cleaning your mouth. Earthy and woody-notes in flavors.

Ceylon Young Hyson Green Tea A gentle brew, with a slight sweetness in its finish. An ideal accompaniment to a meal, or as a relaxing afternoon tea.

Gruyère Sweet caramel notes, flavors of walnuts, very aromatic. Tanine like flavors, refreshing your mouth.

Mozzarella Di Buffalo Delightful combination, buttery and creamy. Notes of fresh mowed grass.

The First Ceylon Souchong To the Chinese Lapsang Souchong, with its distinctive, oakey flavour, was a prized tea and the penalty for divulging its secret was death. Having somehow avoided this penalty, First Ceylon Souchong is a uniquely Ceylon Souchong, offering the same strong, smoky character, but with an interesting difference. Ceylon Souchong is a Single Estate Tea produced in the Galle District, and gently panfired using Cinnamon wood. The result a prominent woodsmoke note with a touch of juiciness and sweetness in its finish.

Gruyère The fruitiness in the cheese disappears, leaving surprisingly nutty flavors as in hazelnuts. Hardly any smoked flavors left.

L’ Amuse Signature 24 Months First the caramel notes, then the elegant smoky-notes remain. Very balanced feel good combination.

Tie Guan Yin Tightly rolled, jade green leaf with the characteristically elegant herbal aroma of Tie Guan Yin. When brewed, the leaf unfurls as it releases a light and wonderfully floral personality. A delicate tea that is as pleasing in appearance and aroma as on the palate. The pale yellow liquor is tinged with green and offers a gentle taste with hints of olive, herb and is refreshingly fragrant.

Gruyère A sweet and rich combination, when drinking the tea, bringing an explosion of honey notes.

Messenhanger This fresh style of Gouda suddenly brings vanilla notes, a little sweetness. Leaving a warm mouthfeel and the fragrance of fresh mowed grass.

Lover’s Leap Estate Pekoe 1 Beautifully even leaf, with olive flecks, hinting at the high elevation at which this exceptional tea was grown. When brewed, the leaves unfurl and acquire jade green hues as they release their aroma and flavour. The result is a clear, amber liquor with highlights of gold and a delightfully elegant and refreshing character. A fresh, grassy note complements a light, bright, and elegant tea. A gentle, yet energetic personality evolves into a complex of citrus, tropical fruit, and floral notes.

Saint Felicien A French bloody-rind cheese with a lactic paste, and many flavors, like yoghurt, earthy, nutty now with this elegant black tea. A lovely combination! We are tasting red fruit as in raspberries and currents, as well as tobacco notes. Again a pleasant mouthfeel.

Rilhena Estate Pekoe 1 The inky black, rolled Pekoe leaf, with shotty appearance evolves into a coppery, dark infusion when infused. The mahogany colour and thick aroma suggest a full bodied tea and indeed presents a surprisingly powerful, yet restrained tea with an earthy character that is typical of tea from the Ratnapura Region. This tea is rich in flavour with a touch of malt and hints of fig and stewed fruit.

Bastiaansen Blauwe Geit This Gouda-style goat milk blue veined cheese combines very well with the robust tea. Notes of coconut, hazelnuts, salty and sweet at the same time.

Ceylon Green Tea with Lychee and Ginger A delicious fusion of floral, fruit, sweet, spice and herb notes in a refined Ceylon Green Tea. Bright and delicate in the cup, a mildly spicy fragrance yields to a profusion of flavours, the aromatic sweetness of lychee, gently embraced by the grassy notes in Ceylon Green Tea and then a light warmth from natural ginger. A very enticing green tea, enjoyable all day or as a palate cleansing digestif. Light, fruity and mildly piquant.

Stichelton This English raw-milk Stilton brings ani’s-notes to the tea. Liquorice-like notes on the pallet leaning and drying afterwards, like tantines.

Ceylon Green Tea with Ginger A bright Ceylon tea in a spicy marriage with natural Ginger. A delicious combination with the lightly piquant warmth of ginger and the fresh, herbal note in the Green Tea producing a refreshing and complex finish

Pyramide Wolverlei A Dutch goat milk cheese, quite lactic, made in the French style, is normally quite fresh. Now the cheese gets more depth, and earthy notes as well.

Ceylon Breakfast Tea An essential gourmet tea experience; tea from Ceylon’s western high grown region, where the varying climatic conditions produces a perfectly balanced tea. A ruby red liquor yields the best of Ceylon in a tea that offers richness, depth and the slightly grassy, bright note of high quality, fresh tea. Neither too strong nor too light, a delicious tea to wake up to, to revive or simply relax with. A tea for connoisseurs.

Carré Du Vinage A rindwashed cheese from the north of France, washed with beer. This is a very outspoken cheese with aromatic smell and flavor, for the cheese-lover. With the tea, we get this floral explosion, and the whole world loves it!

Gentle Chamomile Chamomile is a gentle and relaxing herb enjoyed by many as a tonic for centuries. Chamomile has a serene character and wonderful aroma. The daisy-like Chamomile flower, where the subtle flavour is concentrated, has an uplifting aroma reminiscent of apples. It is often enjoyed as a gentle, naturally caffeine free infusion in the evening.

Parmigiano Reggiano An Italian classic, very hard cheese, matured for at least 2 years. Usually fruity and sweet in flavor. The Vivid Breakfast changes this, into a rather meaty flavor. Like umami, very nice.

For centuries, problems of mankind have been solved over a cup of tea whether they were problems between nations, amongst businesses, even in families, between husbands and wives, tea has been the soothing balm that helped their solution. The simple act of pouring a cup of tea is, in itself, an ice-breaker, providing pleasurable anticipation of the goodness that is to follow. I have dedicated my life towards providing that cup: not only to solve problems but to add sunshine, to our day, with every sip of Dilmah.

Merrill J. Fernando Founder of Dilmah Tea MJF Holdings Ltd 111 Negombo Road, Peliyagoda, Sri Lanka. ( +94 11 482 2000 Fax +94 11 482 2001 info@dilmahtea.com www.mjffoundation.org www.dilmahtea.com wwwdilmahconservation.org www.facebook.com/dilmah www.twitter.com/dilmah