Are you a connoisseur of all things tea? Have you ever dreamed of making a career out of your passion for the perfect cuppa? If so, then becoming a professional tea-taster might just be the ideal job for you. Here’s a quick guide to what it takes to become an expert in the field.
Qualifications and Training
The first step on your journey to becoming a professional tea-taster is obtaining the right qualifications and training. The Tea Guild, which is known as “the premier organisation promoting the quality and enjoyment of tea”, offers diploma courses that cover every aspect of all things tea from tasting to blending, brewing and serving. Once you have completed these courses, you can apply for membership with the guild – something that is highly valued within the industry.
Develop Your Palette
Tasting tea is an art form that requires practice and patience; it takes time to develop and refine your palate so it can accurately detect different flavours and aromas. Start by familiarising yourself with different types of teas and begin to recognise subtleties in their flavour profiles. For example, black teas are typically bolder than green teas while white teas are milder in comparison. Learning how terroir affects flavour profiles will also help you distinguish between teas from different regions around the globe as they each have unique characteristics due to different soil composition and climate conditions.
Take Sensory Tests
Professional tasters take sensory tests in order to evaluate their ability to identify flavours blindfolded; this helps them hone their skills even further as they learn how to better differentiate between subtle differences in taste, aroma and texture while tasting multiple teas simultaneously. Taking such tests will also help build an appreciation for teas from around the world by allowing tasters to become more familiar with new flavour profiles outside their comfort zone – something that is essential for any professional taster who hopes to make a name for themselves within the industry.
Becoming a professional tea-taster takes dedication but can be incredibly rewarding. It takes time, patience, knowledge and practice but if you’re willing to put in the work then there’s no reason why you won’t succeed! With this guide now at your fingertips, go forth budding British professionals – your cuppa awaits!