Which Ceylon tea brand should I actually take home Mlesna Dilmah Heladiv or supermarket Akbar
5 Answers from travellers
Quick honest tour. Dilmah is the most internationally known and proudly single-origin Sri Lankan; excellent quality, available everywhere, fair value at supermarkets. Mlesna and Basilur are the "fancy tin" brands aimed at the gift market: lovely packaging, good tea but you pay heavily for the box. Akbar is the big supermarket workhorse, perfectly good everyday Ceylon tea at a fraction of the gift-shop price. Heladiv is solid mid-tier. For serious tea lovers, skip all the above and head to a specialty tea boutique in Colombo (or buy at the factory of a single estate like Pedro, Dambatenne or Bogawantalawa). A 100g pack of LOOSE-LEAF single-estate tea (FBOPF or OP1 grade) tells you the garden, the altitude and the picking date, the way wine tells you the vineyard. Locals drink Mlesna for guests, Akbar for the kitchen, and Pedro/Dambatenne single estate for serious tea drinking.
Pack tea in your checked bag, not carry-on, and double-bag against humidity, especially after the long-haul. Mine arrived perfect that way.
Avoid the airport gift tea entirely; it is 2 to 3 times city supermarket prices. Buy supermarket Akbar or Dilmah in a Cargills or Keells two days before your flight.
High-altitude (Nuwara Eliya 1800m+, Uva 1600m+) teas are lighter and floral; low-altitude (Ruhuna) is darker and stronger. Match to your taste before buying a kilo.
Buying loose-leaf single-estate at a specialty boutique plus a kg of Akbar supermarket for daily. Skipping the airport. Thanks!
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