A caramel tea that keeps the tea in charge. The blend is ninety five percent real Ceylon black, so unlike the thin, chemical sweet caramel bags that flood this category, there is a robust single origin base holding everything up. The caramel itself is buttery and toffee rich, with a honeyed natural sweetness that satisfies a dessert craving without any actual sugar, and the finish is impressively clean with no metallic tail. It takes a splash of milk well, which turns it into something close to a liquid caramel latte, and it also makes a smooth iced brew in summer. This is an everyday treat tea rather than a refined single estate experience, so do not expect nuance; expect a reliable, comforting, slightly indulgent cup. If you found other caramel teas too artificial, this is the one that fixed the problem by using proper tea. Strong enough to be an office staple.
Lee Samuel Tucker · Curator · teas.co.uk
The full picture of Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g in one page. Who makes it, how it is brewed, what your £6.00 actually buys, and why this tea earned a spot on the curator shelf.
Dilmah Caramel Tea takes the Dilmah single origin Ceylonblack tea base and overlays a clean caramel flavour for a dessert style cup. The Ceylon brightness sits underneath, the caramel adds a sweet buttery top note. No heavy syrup feel, no fake sugar artificial edge: a proper tea drink, not a flavoured sugary beverage.
The brew pours a warm amber with a slight golden cast. Aroma is two layered: clean Ceylon brightness on top, soft buttery caramel underneath. Mouthfeel is full bodied but not heavy. The caramel character is most noticeable on the first sip and the finish; the middle of the cup tastes more like a clean Ceylon than a dessert tea.
Dilmah was founded in 1988 by Merrill J Fernando, a Sri Lankan tea taster who built the family brand on Garden Fresh single origin sourcing. The Caramel variant uses the same Sri Lankan estate base as the Premium Ceylon Black but adds natural caramel flavour to the finished product. The brand name DIL plus MA comes from his sons Dilhan and Malik who run the operation alongside him.
Best brewed at boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes. Standard one bag per cup. The caramel comes through more clearly when drunk straight without milk, but a splash of milk softens it into something close to a caramel latte feel. Add a small amount of honey if you want to lean further into the dessert character.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
Texture & appearance
The brew pours a warm amber gold. Aroma is two layered: clean Ceylon brightness from the black tea base on top, soft buttery caramel underneath. The caramel reads as natural rather than synthetic.
Mouthfeel is full bodied but not heavy. The cup opens with caramel sweetness on the front palate, then settles into the Ceylon black tea character on the swallow. No syrup texture, no cloying after feel; this is a flavoured tea, not a sugary drink.
The finish carries the caramel note for a minute after the sip alongside the Ceylon brightness. Pairs particularly well with shortbread and apple crumble. Suits afternoon or evening drinking; not the morning daily driver cup.
The caramel character lingers on the breath for 60-90 seconds after the cup, longer than the tea body itself, pair with a slice of buttered shortbread or a piece of caramelised vanilla cake to amplify the dessert tone. Best brewed slightly stronger (4-5 minute steep) for the caramel to layer fully against the Ceylon malt backbone, and excellent for cold brew preparations where the caramel oils release more cleanly than under hot extraction. Caramel flavoured Ceylon black with natural caramel bean essence, sweeter on the finish than plain Ceylon but the underlying tea body keeps the cup from reading as candied. Hot or iced both work; the iced preparation needs no further sweetener.
Four dimension profile
Caramel Sweetness5/5
Soft buttery caramel top note that reads natural rather than synthetic.
Ceylon Base4/5
Single origin Sri Lankan black tea underneath the flavour overlay.
Full Body4/5
Mouthfeel takes milk well; works as a caramel latte alternative.
Smooth Finish4/5
Caramel lingers a minute after the sip; no cloying after feel.
Same Dilmah Ceylon base, no caramel flavour. Premium Ceylon Black is the foundational unflavoured cup; Caramel is the dessert style variant for afternoon drinking.
Closest UK mass market match. Yorkshire pairs Yorkshire base with caramelised biscuit flavour overlay; Dilmah pairs Sri Lankan Ceylon with pure caramel. Different base philosophy, similar dessert positioning.
Same Dilmah Ceylon base, ginger honey overlay instead of caramel. Ginger and Honey is the warming spice sweet variant; Caramel is the buttery sweet variant.
UK supermarket budget unflavoured. Tetley is the standard daily cup; Dilmah Caramel is the indulgent afternoon variant for the same drinker. Different occasion, very different price.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference the taste and texture of Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
About DilmahEST. 1988
Dilmah set out to put the grower's name back on the box. Merrill J. Fernando, a Sri Lankan tea taster, had spent decades watching the value of Ceylon tea flow to multinational packers rather than the country that grew it. In 1988 he launched Dilmah, named after his sons Dilhan and Malik, on a then radical promise: single origin tea grown, picked and packed at source in Sri Lanka, sold under the producer's own brand. It was one of the first producer owned tea brands to reach global retail, and it is still run by his sons.
The range is rooted in pure Ceylonblack tea, brisk, bright and golden, alongside Earl Grey, green and a flavoured line that stays closer to real ingredients than most. Because the tea is single origin and packed at source it avoids the long blend and rebag chain that flattens mainstream tea, and the freshness shows in the cup. The MJF Foundation and Dilmah Conservation are funded directly from the business, supporting schooling, disability care and environmental work across Sri Lanka. For our shelf Dilmah is the textbook Ceylon cup with a genuine conscience attached: the Pure Ceylon Black is the reference for what Ceylon tea should taste like, clean and brisk with no off notes, and the flavoured range is more honest than its price suggests. Few global brands can say the grower, the packer and the name on the box are the same hand. Dilmah genuinely can.
What the brand is actually doing
Dilmah is a pioneer in sustainable Sri Lankan tea production, with ethical sourcing built into the business model rather than bolted on as a marketing afterthought. A meaningful share of every pack funds the Merrill J Fernando Charitable Foundation, which channels brand profits into plantation worker welfare, schools, hospitals and conservation projects across the tea growing regions. The brand is a long standing member of the Ethical Tea Partnership and is independently audited for wages, working conditions and environmental management on the estates that supply its leaf, and every component of the finished product, from the leaf itself to the bag, the carton and the inks, is chosen with that same standard in mind.
Curator says, Lee on Dilmah
"A caramel tea that keeps the tea in charge. The blend is ninety five percent real Ceylon black, so unlike the thin, chemical sweet caramel bags that flood this category, there is a robust single origin base holding everything up. The caramel itself is buttery and toffee rich, with a honeyed natural sweetness that satisfies a dessert craving without any actual sugar, and the finish is impressively clean with no metallic tail. It takes a splash of milk well, which turns it into something close to a liquid caramel latte, and it also makes a smooth iced brew in summer. This is an everyday treat tea rather than a refined single estate experience, so do not expect nuance; expect a reliable, comforting, slightly indulgent cup. If you found other caramel teas too artificial, this is the one that fixed the problem by using proper tea. Strong enough to be an office staple."
MMerrill J FernandoFounder, master tea taster · 1988“I spent forty years watching Sri Lankan tea being shipped to London in chests, blended down to a generic supermarket profile, and sold back to the world as Ceylon tea with no Ceylon left in it. Dilmah is the brand that refused. We pick, we wither, we roll, we oxidise, we dry, we pack, we ship the box. The leaf you drink is the leaf we picked.”
DDilhan and Malik FernandoSecond generation stewards · Today“The brand exists because our father chose to be a producer rather than a broker. We carry that forward. Single origin, ethically certified, packed at source. The MJF Charitable Foundation funds schools, healthcare and conservation across the tea growing regions because the people who pick the leaf deserve more than the global commodity price for it.”
Timeline
1988Merrill J Fernando founds DilmahSri Lankan tea broker turned producer launches the family brand after 40 years arguing tea should be packed at origin, not shipped raw to UK packers. Name DIL + MA from sons Dilhan and Malik.
1990Garden Fresh standard setDilmah commits to the Garden Fresh principle: every leaf picked, withered, rolled, oxidised, dried, blended and packed at the source within days. The category standard before this was bulk shipped, port blended tea.
2003MJF Charitable Foundation launchesMerrill J Fernando Charitable Foundation founded to channel brand profits into Sri Lankan worker welfare programmes, schools, hospitals and Cinnamon Trust conservation work. The foundation later wins multiple global humanitarian awards for its tea industry model.
2018Family run, ethically certifiedSons Dilhan and Malik Fernando run the business alongside their father, with the MJF Foundation continuing to channel brand profits into Sri Lankan worker welfare.
The outer layer is aromatic: a dilmah caramel black tea. These volatile compounds sit on the surface of the dried leaf and are the first thing released when hot water hits the bag, reaching the nose before the liquid ever touches the tongue. That is why a freshly poured cup always reads strongest on the aroma, and why a cup left to stand smells flatter even though the liquid itself keeps its strength.
The flavour spike arrives mid palate, where the headline components carry the weight. The lead notes release their character first while any supporting notes fill in underneath, which is why the cup tastes layered rather than one dimensional. Milk proteins soften the tannins and round the edges, so a splash of dairy or oat sits comfortably in this cup. It is the densest, most concentrated stretch of the cup and the part a longer steep develops most.
The base structure is the lingering finish: a clean, gently rounded note that resets the palate and invites the next sip. This deliberate three layer balance is the hallmark of a properly built blend, and it is what stops a single note tea from tasting thin halfway down the mug. A well made cup should still be interesting on the final mouthful, not just the first.
Getting it right in the cup. Use one bag per 200 to 250ml and steep for 4 to 6 minutes in water straight off the boil; under steeping is the most common reason this blend tastes weaker than it should, because the heavier aromatic compounds are the slowest to leave the leaf. Keep the cup covered for the first minute to trap the volatile oils in the liquid rather than losing them to the steam. Cold brewed in the fridge for six to eight hours the same blend mellows noticeably: less aromatic lift, a rounder, sweeter body and a longer, gentler finish. Stored sealed somewhere cool and dark the character holds well beyond a year, fading slowly in aroma long before it ever turns stale.
How water and temperature change it. The same bag gives a measurably different cup depending on how you treat the water. Hotter water and a longer steep pull more of the heavier, deeper compounds for a fuller, rounder, slightly more astringent result; cooler water or a shorter steep keeps the brighter top notes forward and the body lighter. Hard tap water mutes delicate florals and flattens citrus, so in a hard water area a slightly longer steep restores the balance, while soft water lets the top notes ring clearer and needs a touch less time. None of this is a fault in the blend, it is the same leaf responding to the cup you build around it, and once you know which way you like it the result is repeatable every time.
Ingredients & pack
Ingredient
Proportion
What it brings
Ceylon Black Tea
present
present
Natural Caramel Flavour
present
present
Bag Material
present
present
Carton
present
present
Pack: Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g; contains tea (caffeinated). Best within 18 months of the pack date.
Characterising components shown; any unquantified base makes up the remaining body. Single Origin Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Sourcing & blend. Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g is put together by Dilmah, the single origin Ceylon family tea company. Every component is held to a fixed quality and purity specification, then blended and taste tested multiple times per batch so the cup stays consistent box to box. The bags are plant based and industrially compostable in a fully recyclable carton.
What's in Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g, and what isn't:
In: a dilmah caramel black tea, with nothing in the bag but the listed components and any infusion base.
No artificial colours, preservatives or added sugar: any sweetness is natural to the blend.
Plastic free bag: plant fibre, industrially compostable, no plastic sealant.
Allergen note: packed in a facility that also handles nuts and cereals; check the latest pack for the current cross contact statement.
Nutrition per cup
Nutrient
Per cup
% RI
Energy
4 kJ / 1 kcal
<1%
Fat
0g
0%
Carbohydrate
0.2g
<1%
of which sugars
0g
0%
Protein
0.2g
<1%
Salt
0g
0%
Caffeine
40-70 mg
n/a
L theanine
~5-10mg
n/a
Tea polyphenols
Present
n/a
Per 200ml cup, no milk, no sugar.
Caffeine vs other drinks
Decaf coffee
4mg
Green tea
30mg
Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea
70mg
Instant coffee
80mg
Brewed filter coffee
95mg
Energy drink (250ml)
80mg
This tea: 40-70 mg per 200ml cup, plus naturally occurring L theanine for calmer alertness than coffee.
Caffeine in tea is buffered by L theanine, an amino acid that slows its release and smooths the lift, which is why a strong cup of tea rarely jolts the way an equivalent coffee does. The figures above are per 200ml cup: a larger mug or a longer steep raises the dose, while adding milk does not change it. Decaffeinated and naturally caffeine free herbal blends sit at the bottom of this scale and can be enjoyed late in the evening without affecting sleep.
Allergens, dietary & safety
🌱VeganNo animal derived ingredients.🌾Gluten freeNaturally gluten free.⚡Caffeine40-70 mg per 200ml cup.🍃0 kcalNo sugar, no fat in plain cup.🤰PregnancyUK guide: 200mg caffeine/day max.👶ChildrenCaffeinated, served with care.
Manufactured in a facility that handles multiple tea types. Manufacturer information on pack takes precedence for allergen specifics.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference the ingredients, nutrition and science of Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
Questions about Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g
The questions buyers ask most. If yours isn't here, ask us directly. We reply within 4 hours, Monday to Friday.
Curated from real customer messages
🌱
What is Dilmah Caramel Tea? Most asked+
Single origin Sri Lankan Ceylonblack tea overlaid with natural caramel flavour. The Ceylon brightness sits underneath; the caramel adds a sweet buttery top note. A proper tea drink, not a sugary flavoured beverage. Designed as the dessert style cup in the Dilmah range, suited to afternoon and after dinner drinking.
🌱
Does it contain caffeine? +
Yes. Standard caffeinated black tea base at approximately 40-60 mg per cup. Suits afternoon and early evening drinking but not last thing before sleep. Sits in the typical UK afternoon tea caffeine range.
🌱
How do I brew the perfect cup? +
Temperature: boiling water (100°C). Steep: 3-5 minutes. Service: drink straight to taste the natural caramel character clearly, or add milk for a softer caramel latte feel. A teaspoon of honey leans further into the dessert character.
🌱
Is it suitable for vegans, vegetarians and gluten free diets? +
Yes to all three. Tea leaf + natural caramel flavour, no animal derived ingredients, no gluten, no synthetic additives. Adding dairy milk changes the vegan status of the finished cup; the tea itself is plant based.
🌱
Is the caramel real or synthetic? +
Natural caramel flavour overlaid onto the Ceylonblack tea base. The flavour reads natural rather than synthetic and is not cloying. No actual caramel sauce or sugar syrup added to the tea bag; just the natural source caramel flavour compounds.
🌱
How does Dilmah Caramel compare to flavoured supermarket teas? +
Dilmah uses single origin Ceylon base with real caramel flavour; supermarket equivalents typically use port blended budget black tea with synthetic caramel flavouring. The Dilmah cup is cleaner, the caramel reads natural, and the supply chain is ethically certified.
🌱
Can I drink it cold or iced? +
Yes. Cold brew one bag in 250ml cold water overnight for the smoothest cup. The caramel character holds up beautifully over ice. Excellent base for a caramel iced tea with a splash of milk or cream.
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What food pairs well with it? +
Shortbread, apple crumble, sticky toffee pudding, vanilla ice cream. The caramel echoes the cooking sugar character in classic British desserts. Also works alongside cinnamon swirl pastries or a cinnamon spiced doughnut for the autumn cafe treat feel.
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Where does the tea come from? +
Sri Lanka. Single origin Ceylonblack tea base, the same Sri Lankan estates used in Dilmah Premium Ceylon Black. The caramel flavour is added during finished product blending at the Dilmah Colombo facility.
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Is the bag biodegradable? +
The filter paper bag is biodegradable in industrial composting. Standard tea bag format. The outer carton is recyclable cardboard, certified by the Ethical Tea Partnership for the full supply chain.
🌱
What other Dilmah teas do you sell? +
Five Dilmah products: Premium Ceylon Black (unflavoured), Earl Grey (bergamot), Caramel (this one), Ginger and Honey, and Ceylon Pure Green Loose Leaf. All share the same Sri Lankan Ceylon estate base; the flavoured variants overlay real flavour ingredients on that base.
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When's the best time of day to drink it? +
Afternoon and early evening. The caramel character feels dessert appropriate rather than morning driver. Pairs naturally with a post lunch biscuit or an after dinner sweet course. Caffeinated so not last thing before sleep.
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How should I store it? +
Cool, dry, sealed carton or airtight tin. Tea absorbs ambient aromas, especially flavoured teas; keep away from coffee, garlic and strong spices. Best aromatic strength within 6 months of opening; safe to drink for the full best before date.
🌱
Why is Dilmah more expensive than Tetley? +
Single origin Sri Lankan base, ethically certified supply chain, packed at source, family owned. You pay roughly 4x cup price for substantially cleaner provenance, transparent supply chain and a more refined caramel character. Tetley uses port blended budget black with synthetic flavouring.
🌱
How is the caramel flavour created in Dilmah Caramel? +
The caramel character comes from natural caramel flavouring extract applied to the Ceylonblack tea base, plus a subtle layer of vanilla undertone for depth. The flavouring is the same kind used by premium tea brands and patisserie chefs, derived from caramelised sugar and natural vanilla rather than artificial flavourings or sugar syrup added to the cup. The Ceylon black tea base provides the structural body; the caramel layers as a top note on the first sip, the mid palate carries the malt and caramel together, and the finish leaves a soft toffee character on the breath for 60-90 seconds. The blend is naturally calorie free in the cup, the caramel flavouring delivers the sweet character without adding sugar.
🌱
What makes Caramel Tea different from supermarket teabag brands? +
Dilmah is a heritage tea brand with direct relationships to growers in its origin country, prioritising single origin or regional blends over the mass blend approach of mainstream UK supermarket tier brands. The cup tastes of where it came from rather than a generic blend. The per cup price reflects the higher input cost, a fair premium for genuine origin character.
Source:Teas.co.uk,
the UK independent tea specialist in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
If you reference questions and answers about Dilmah Caramel Tea, 20 Tea Bags 30g, please cite teas.co.uk.
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