

I am pleased to list my teas that have won awards at the ‘Great Taste Awards’ held in the U.K. each year by the Guild of Fine Food. The Great Taste Awards are open to entries from producers and importers from abroad and not confined to the U.K. I have entered the teas for years since 1999 and as you will see the awards have increased each year as I have increased the product range.
There are several years when I did not enter the teas during the listed period shown below. The UK market is largely based on the blending of teas to a price structure that can be marketed easily, this means that the trade tend to stock tea brands that are easy for staff to handle and market, without much provenance or information as to how a tea was created by the tea-maker using his skills to allow the character of a tea to imerge from the natural conditions it is grown in, which may be elevation, the aspect of his estate to the prevailing weather changes at the time of manufacture in his factory with the type of machinery used. His tea fields will produce a different end character in a good dry period with a cool wind sweeping over the bushes than when the estate experiences varying periods of rain, including Monsoonal conditions when the tea quality will be poor and need lifting in quality by the addition of some tea from a drier period.
It is all very well winning awards and having my products acclaimed in competitions but there is little point wasting money on competitions unless the product is promoted by the trade and appreciated by the consumer. Filling the shelves with ‘Breakfast’ tea is easier, if rather boring but sells quicker than telling the interesting story behind Brunswick estate seasonal quality tea which adds an exciting flavour to the consumers tea experience.
It is to be noted that from 2008 onwards the naming of the awards was changed to stars with 3 stars being the top classification.
However it is important to understand that these are neither blended teas, nor are they what are termed ‘standard’ single estate teas which can be obtained from the auction all the year around. They are especially made for me to our specific requirement at a time of year called ‘Quality Season’ for the district that they originate from. Some of the estates will be made for me in the ‘Western’ Quality season that arrives in the Western range of mountains anytime from January to March and the season lasts for about 3 to 5 weeks. The other quality season is later in the year in the Eastern range of mountains. In a quality season a skilled tea-maker can create the special character for each of the districts above 3,500 feet elevation.
Whilst not under any Fair trade mark, they are outside the fair trade remit in that special high prices are paid for teas of this caliber and individuality of manufacture. The returns to the estates are high and they are extremely appreciative of the promotional work that we undertake on their behalf. Each estate will receive a copy of the award card which they display with great pride.
Whilst I believe that these successes will boost the confidence of customers or potential customers and confirm that these are teas of exceptional quality. I realize that awards are not the only measure of quality. My confidence in these teas arises from our own experience as a family in the coffee and then tea industry in this island for five generations, working with our own estates until 1954. I returned to the island to plant for a company estate and was the last family member to leave. Nationalisation was best avoided and after the estates returned to Private hands I have worked with old friends and colleagues in the island to produce this specialist range of ‘Seasonal Quality’ teas.
Year | Tea | Award |
---|---|---|
1999 | Elpitiya Green Gunpowder G.P. 1 | Silver |
2000 | Earl Grey F.B.O.P Loose tea | Gold |
‘Organic’ Thotulagala F.B.O.P. | Silver | |
‘Organic’ Bio dynamic Iddalgashinna | ||
Green (Chinese style) O.P. 1 SPL | Bronze | |
2001 | 2001 Earl Grey Tea Bags | Silver |
St. James F.B.O.P. | Silver | |
Specialist Green Kandyan Blooms (bud and leaf only) | Bronze | |
Brunswick B.O.P. | Bronze | |
Chrystler’s Farm O.P. 1 | Bronze | |
N.B. No Gold award was awarded in 2001 for any estate or blended teas entered. | ||
2002 | Uva Highlands F.P. | Silver |
Breakfast Blend B.O.P. | Bronze | |
The above 2 new products were entered this year. | ||
2003 | Mahagastota (Lover’s Leap) F.B.O.P. | Silver |
Western New Season B.O.P. | Bronze | |
2004 | Nuwara Eliya Valley Series Special Edition Box | Gold |
Western New Season B.O.P. | Silver | |
Natural Earl Grey F.B.O.P | Silver | |
Brunswick B.O.P. | Bronze | |
Organic Venture B.O.P. | Bronze | |
Kotagala Valley series Special Edition Box | Bronze | |
2005 | Uva Seasonal Best Dark F.P. | Gold |
Uva Seasonal Best Light F.P. | Silver | |
Indian Darjeeling Single Estate F.B.O.P. | Bronze | |
Natural Earl Grey F.B.O.P. | Bronze | |
| Elpitiya Green Gunpowder G.P.1 Spl
| Bronze |
‘SPECIALITY IMPORTER of the YEAR’ | ||
2006 | Silver Tips Needles White Tea (Special clone) | Gold |
Uva Seasonal Light F.P. | Gold | |
Natural Bergamot Earl Grey F.B.O.P. Loose Tea | Silver | |
Natural Bergamot Earl Grey B.O.P.F. Tea Bags | Silver | |
Assam – Traditional Tippy grade | Silver | |
Breakfast B.O.P.F. Tea Bags | Bronze | |
2008 | Uva Seasobnal Best – Limited Edition F.P. | Gold 3 Star |
Uva Seasonal Best Light F.P. | Gold 3 Star | |
Natural Bergamot Earl Grey F.B.O.P. | Gold 3 Star | |
Iddalgashinne Bio/Organic Green Tea Bags | Gold 2 Star | |
Breakfast Blend B.O.P. | Gold 2 Star | |
2009 | Lover’s Leap F.P. – Nuwara Eliya | Gold 3 Star |
Lover’s Leap O.P. 1 SPL | Gold 3 Star | |
Uva Seasonal Best Light F.P. | Gold 3 Star | |
Uva Seasonal Limited Edition F.P. | Gold 2 Star | |
Iddalgashinne Bio/Organic Tea Bags | Gold 1 Star | |
Natural Bergamot Earl Grey Tea Bags | Gold 1 Star | |
2015 | Nuwara Eliya (Lover’s Leap) F.B.O.P. | 3 Star |
Dimbula Brunswick B.O.P. | 2 Star | |
Uva Seasonal Light F.B.O.P. | 2 Star | |
Uda Pussellawa F.B.O.P | 1 Star | |
Natural Bergamot Earl Grey F.B.O.P | 1 Star | |
2017 | Brunswick B.O.P. | 1 Star |
Doteloya B.O.P. | 1 Star | |
Nuwara Eliya F.B.O.P. | 1 Star | |
Iddalgashinna O.P. 1 SPL Green Tea | 1 Star | |
Silver Tips (White Tea) | 1 Star | |
Breakfast Tea Bags | 1 Star | |
2018 | Brunswick B.O.P.F. Tea bags | 2 Star |
Brunswick B.O.P. Loose tea | 1 Star | |
Kenilworth. O.P. 1 Loose tea | 1 Star | |
Lover’s Leap F.B.O.P. Loose tea | 2 Star | |
Nayapane F.B.O.P. Loose tea | 2 Star | |
Silver Tips – White Tea – Single tea buds | 2 Star | |
Natural Earl Grey B.O.P.F. Tea bags | 2 Star | |
2019 | Brunswick B.O.P. Sp Loose Single estate tea | 3 Stars |
Doteloya B.O.P. Loose Single estate tea | 1 Star | |
Shawlands F.B.O.P. Loose Single estate tea | 1 Star | |
Natural Bergamot Earl Grey F.B.O.P. Loose Single estate tea | 1 Star | |
2021 | Lover’s Leap F.B.O.P. Loose Single estate tea | 2 Star |
Brunswick B.O.P. Loose Single estate tea | 1 Star | |
Brunswick B.O.P.F. Single estate tea bags | 1 Star | |
Hellbodde B.O.P. Loose Single estate tea | 1 Star | |
| 68 Awards to date | |
|