Nuwani Dissanayake: The Journey of a Tea Tasting Champion

For seven years, Nuwani Dissanayake has built her career around one of Sri Lanka’s most iconic exports, learning to recognise the character, complexity and craft behind every cup of tea. Today, her journey has reached a milestone of its own. Working at Anverally & Sons, Nuwani has made history as the first female winner of the Tea Tasting Championship, bringing a new chapter to her personal journey and another proud moment to Sri Lanka’s tea industry.

For those meeting you for the first time, how would you describe your journey in the tea industry over the past seven years?

My journey in the tea industry started seven years ago, soon after I completed my degree in Export Agriculture at Uva Wellassa University. I joined Finlays Colombo Limited as a trainee tea taster, and that was really where my passion for tea began. I never imagined that those first steps as a trainee tea taster would eventually lead me to where I am today.  Starting as a trainee gave me the opportunity to learn the industry from the fundamentals. I had the chance to work with experienced tea professionals, develop my tasting skills and understand what goes into producing, evaluating and blending of tea. Over the years, I gradually moved forward in my career and took on different responsibilities. Each step taught me something different, not only about tea, but also about people, markets and the business behind the product. Today, I am working as a Business Development Manager at Anverally & Sons, one of Sri Lanka’s leading tea exporters. When I look back, I feel proud of how far I have come. I started my journey by learning how to understand a cup of tea, and today I am involved in taking Sri Lankan tea and business opportunities to markets around the world. For me, the journey has been a combination of learning, challenges, hard work and, most importantly, having the right people around me who were willing to guide and support me along the way.

Tea tasting can seem deceptively simple to someone outside the industry. What does professional tea tasting actually involve?

Tea tasting is not simply just tasting tea. There are lot of responsibilities that are incorporated with a professional tea taster, that one sip can reveal an entire story. We look beyond the cup. We assess the appearance and aroma of the dry leaf, the infused leaf, and the colour and character of the brewed tea. We look at its strength, body, brightness, flavour and even the aftertaste. These characteristics can give us clues about the tea’s origin, region and elevation, and also help us identify whether there are any quality issues.A tea taster does not only involve in tea tasting. A taster is also involved in tea grading, buying tea from the auction and developing new tea recipes. It takes a trained palate, a good memory and most importantly, experience. With time, you learn to pick up very subtle differences that most people may not notice. That is what makes professional tea tasting both a skill and an art.

You hold a degree in Export Agriculture from Uva Wellassa University. How did your academic background influence your understanding of Sri Lanka's tea industry?

I think my degree gave me a really good foundation for my career in tea. I studied Export Agriculture at Uva Wellassa University and specialised in Agricultural Entrepreneurship. So, it wasn’t only about learning the theory of agriculture, we also had a lot of exposure to the practical and business side. During my degree, we learned about different export agricultural crops and understood the journey of a product from cultivation and manufacturing right through to export. Tea was one of the important areas we studied, so I was able to learn about tea cultivation, manufacturing and also the export and import procedures. The management side of my degree also helped me later when I started getting into tea trading and the commercial side of the industry. It helped me understand that tea is not only an agricultural product; there is a whole business behind it. So, when I started working in the tea industry, I already had an understanding of both sides, the agriculture behind the tea and the business of taking that product to the market. Then my practical experience over the years helped me develop that knowledge further.

You've built your career at Anverally & Sons, one of Sri Lanka's prominent tea exporters. What has working in that environment taught you about the industry?

I often say that Anverally & Sons is like a university for me. There is always something new to learn, whether it is about tea, customers, markets or the business itself. One thing I really value is the friendly working environment. I have a good team around me in both the Sales and Tea departments, and we work very closely with each other. That teamwork has taught me that the tea business is not something one person can manage alone. What I have learned most is to understand the entire journey of tea. From sourcing the right tea and making sure the quality is maintained, to blending, packing, arranging the export and finally making sure the customer receives the product as expected, every step matters. Working at Anverally & Sons has also shown me how much coordination and attention to detail goes into putting a good cup of Ceylon tea in front of a customer. I am still learning every day, and that is what I enjoy most about working here.

Take us back to the moment you won the 2026 Tea Tasting Championship. What went through your mind?

Honestly, I was incredibly excited, and probably even more surprised. I went into the competition hoping to do my best, but I genuinely did not expect to win. The competition was extremely challenging, and we had very limited time to evaluate each tea. In certain cups, we had to wear black glasses so that we could not see the colour of the tea and identify the region and elevation purely through our senses. There was very little room for hesitation, and you had to trust your training and your palate. But when they announced my name as the winner, my first thought was not just about the competition. I immediately thought about all the people who had supported me throughout my journey. At that moment, I felt that I had made them proud. For me, that was one of the most special parts of winning. I would especially like to thank our Managing Director Mr. Mohamed Anverally at Anverally & Sons, Mr. Harindra Kiridena, General Manager – Tea, for believing in me, giving me this opportunity and supporting me throughout the competition. I am also grateful to Ms. Dharini Jayawardhana, General Manager – Sales, for her encouragement and support.

I am also very thankful to Mr. Nishan Wickramarathna, who introduced me to the tea industry and has continued to support me throughout my journey. I will always remember the late Mr. Vidanagamage Jayathilaka, and Mr Thilanka Dassanayake for training me over the years, and to Mr. Romesh Moraes for his constant encouragement and support. And, of course, my biggest thank you goes to my parents and my husband. They have always given me the freedom and confidence to chase my dreams. So, while the trophy has my name on it, I see it as a reflection of many people who helped me get there. That makes the achievement even more meaningful to me.

Your victory also marks a significant moment for women in an industry that has traditionally had strong male representation, do you hope that your achievement will change how people perceive the opportunities available to women within Sri Lanka's tea industry?

Yes, definitely. This was the first time a woman won the Tea Tasting Championship, so I am very happy that my achievement can be an example for other women who are interested in the tea industry. But honestly, I don’t think it should be about whether you are a man or a woman. At the end of the day, what matters is how willing you are to take on challenges, how much you are ready to learn, and how hard you are willing to work to achieve what you want. I believe there are many opportunities for women in Sri Lanka’s tea industry, and sometimes we just need to have the confidence to step forward and take those opportunities. For me, winning the championship has given me even more confidence to keep challenging myself. If my journey can encourage other young women to believe that they can also achieve something like this, I would be really happy.

If your victory could leave one message for the next generation of tea professionals, what would you want it to be?

I would say, first of all, stay humble. The tea industry is a prestigious industry, and there are so many legends who have worked for years and built this industry for us. We should respect and learn from the people who came before us. I also believe you should always be ready to learn and accept your mistakes. We can never say that we know everything about tea, because every day there is something new to learn. Even after gaining experience, there will always be new things that can teach you something. And finally, I would say that discipline and practice are very important. Talent can give you a good start, but it is regular practice that sharpens your skills. For me, winning the championship is not the end of my learning journey. In fact, it has reminded me that there is still so much more to learn. I think that is the mindset we should carry into the tea industry; stay humble, keep learning and never stop improving.