Why You Should Learn to Taste Tea

For new business owners, understanding their products is crucial for effective sales, which is why learning to taste tea is essential for a tea business owner. Humans are all born with a natural ability to detect sensations on our palate that we call taste. As we grow, we quickly learn to associate taste with the liking or disliking of any sampled item. We don’t necessarily have to discern anything particular about the item, as all we need to know is whether we like it or not. This can even produce an emotional response in reaction to our likes and dislikes.

Professional tea tasters do not have the luxury of liking or disliking. Their job is to analyze, evaluate, and identify the character and nuances of their subjects. How do they get there? It generally takes many years to develop a taster’s palate, but it is easy to start.

Professional tasting is akin to listening to one instrument or a simple melody of music within a composition. Just as most people tend to focus on the vocal parts of a song, which are usually the most dominant, they also tend to notice the top notes or the most basic character of a tea. Listen more carefully and see if you can now hear harmonies, such as a backup singer, or listen for the drum part or bass guitar. These are the elements that fill out a musical performance, just like a good quality tea will have its elements. (Hopefully, harmonious ones!)

If your tea purveyor provides a good description of the tea's character, it should provide a vocabulary for the sensations you experience as you ‘listen’ more deeply with your palate. Does it have citrus notes? Does it remind you of a hoppy lager? Is it crisp and fruity like a green apple? Sip and think while rolling the tea around in your mouth. Does it feel dry like a Chianti or silky like coconut milk? How do all these sensations work together? In a great tea, they will harmonize in a wonderful interplay, leaving you intrigued and seeking the next sip. Indeed, a great tea will always invite you back for another drink.

During this exercise, at no time can you decide whether you like the tea or not. It is hard to break the habit of immediately deciding to like or dislike, but it is essential. Once you can stay neutral, you are more likely to find the nuances and define them in your mind. Also, note that it helps to have other food items as flavor reference points. The more you sample and ponder fruits, herbs, and different tastes commonly found in fine tea, the more these sensations will jump out at you when you cup.