Tea tasting is a specialised job in the tea industry which is required to assess the quality of tea. Though derived from the same species of tea plant, Camellia sinensis, the taste of tea can vary significantly. Like wine, the tea’s terroir (a combination of soil, climate and topography) defines the taste. The varying conditions can result in a range of flavours, and it is the tea taster’s role to taste-test tea prior to selling or blending a batch of tea. Tea tasting is a very specialised profession and is often seen as a bit of an art.
In a similar way to wine tasting, professional tea tasting follows a very precise ritual, the object of which is to assess the best qualities and the defects of the tea, and often to compare the different batches produced from the same harvest.
Although the cultivation of tea has changed incredibly in the 5000 or so years since it was grown for tea drinking, the tea tasting process has barely changed at all. In whatever country the tasting takes place, it always follows the same rules and is carried out using similar equipment. For example, porcelain is always used as a receptacle, due to the fact that it is inert and will not influence the flavour or odour of the tea. Water quality is also a significant factor and the preferred option is to use water boilers with built in filtration (or other treatment) to ensure the water used is of an acceptable quality.
The tea tasting itself involves the tea taster slurping the tea into the mouth from a spoon. This allows the tea and plenty of oxygen to pass over the taste buds and allows the taster to experience a more even taste profile of the tea. The taste profile and characteristics are the assessed and graded by the taster. It is common for the tea to be tested by comparison to a known taste standard, rather than a ‘blind’ test of tea quality. Characteristics assessed include odour, taste identification, acidity, structure as well as colour and texture. As in wine tasting, the tea is usually spat out into spittoon before moving on to the next sample. The tea manufacturer will then place a value on the batch of tea based on the taster’s grading and other factors such as availability, demand and market trends.
A tea taster is often knowledgeable about the tea manufacturing process, from cultivation to grading and will know the various characteristics expected from a particular blend. Though an innate tasting ability might be expected of a tea taster, many tea companies provide training to ensure their tasters are qualified to grade their tea to the required standard. This can often require a good deal of commitment from a potential professional taster. Tetley’s tea tasting training programme, for example, lasts seven years before a taster is fully qualified. Training usually involves intensive examination and blind taste tests. A taster’s taste buds are his livelihood and tasters often look after their palate by foregoing spicy foods, alcohol or smoking, to keep their tasting abilities intact.
Author: Marcus
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