By: Emdi Iyer.
The career of a tea taster comes with loads of responsibilities, constant learning and needs the apt acumen to adapt and adjust to new trends. The daily cup of tea that we relish is actually a result of several changes gone with the cultivation and creation of tea leaves. What makes the tea relishing is the opinion and final consent of the tea taster. Tea tasters are sought after and train themselves in this field with constant knowledge and interaction. Tea laboratories are dedicated set ups in all tea manufacturing units where access is minimum as the taster needs the silence and quiet to understand the real taste of the tea.
In order to be a tea taster one needs to be articulate, so it does well if you know some do’s and don’ts on communication skills. The lingo used to determine and express the taste of tea has to be clearly communicated so that the team initiates the improvements. The final opinion of the person matters a lot in radically changing the composition of tea cultivation and processing. It includes a set of programs that are related to taste, texture and also how it feels after reaching the palate. The tea is tasted with a spoon in a certain programmed way of sipping or clicking the tongue up to the palate. This is an art which one learns slowly and steadily.
If you are serious about taking this as a career, you may want to do a formal course. It is always good to add to your knowledge with a lot of reading and taking a senior tea taster as your mentor. It is advisable to understand the basic tenets of tea farming and also the right kind of climate and soil that certain tea plants require. An in depth knowledge of blending especially about mixing two varied farm produces is also essential so that the brand gets famous.
Tea tasters are usually recruited by repute and the depth of their knowledge. The remuneration is also good. Being a tea taster is also a matter of discipline as you need to stay away from smoking, throat infections and abstain from intake of a spicy diet. The idea is to keep the palate and tongue healthy along with the olfactory system. Tea is a rejuvenating factor in our lives and the aroma too is a matter of concern while selecting the tea. Thus an overall factor is essential when you give the final sign off for the brand of tea.
This is also a field where one is recognized for their ability. The future holds success wherein you can also have a team who can be trained under you and you can also extend your services to eminent societies pertaining to tea in India and abroad. With tea drinking gaining more prominence as a health drink, there is more to do here. Updating your knowledge about the crop, temperature essentials to get a good produce as well as knowing the soil or cultivating it as per your need are other skills which you can extend to corporate houses who are adding new brands of tea in the market.
