Who's a teatester
A teatester may sample up to six hundred types of tea in a single day. But what does this profession involve, where do its practitioners acquire their expertise, and why are tea sommeliers so highly esteemed?
Teatesters engage in a variety of tasks, including conducting market research, exploring new tea varieties, crafting exquisite blends, and overseeing supply management. This role demands extensive knowledge, a refined palate, and a keen sense of intuition. By ensuring that each tea is balanced and free from defects or technical flaws, teatesters play a crucial role in upholding the quality and tradition of fine tea.
Training for this profession often involves rigorous study and practical experience, often with guidance from seasoned experts. The ability to discern subtle flavor profiles and maintain the highest standards of quality is what makes tea sommeliers so highly regarded in the world of tea.
Exclusive profession
The term "teatester" blends "tea" and "test," referring to a specialist who assesses the quality of tea, selects blends, and creates bespoke compositions. While this profession has roots tracing back to the origins of tea production, it remains relatively rare. These specialists possess unique skills and secret knowledge, making them highly sought after as the tea market continues to expand with new brands and varieties.
In recent decades, the role of teatesters has gained prominence, reflecting the growing demand for expertise in the ever-evolving tea landscape. Despite this increasing need, genuine experts remain few and far between. Positions for teatesters are rare in the job market, and obtaining education in this field can be quite challenging.
Europe and Asia have distinct approaches to tea tasting. In both England and China, teatesters share similar responsibilities and credentials, but the pathways to becoming a specialist differ. In China, the birthplace of tea, tea tasting is incorporated into academic programs, with training provided at agricultural universities dedicated to this craft.
European manufacturing companies take a different approach: they often select potential candidates from among their current employees and provide in-house training. Becoming a skilled teatester typically requires around ten years of dedicated effort. This period is spent mastering tasting techniques, deepening knowledge, and gaining hands-on experience, including time spent directly on tea plantations. Although entry-level positions may not be highly lucrative, experts with two or three decades of experience are highly sought after and deeply respected. Their extensive expertise and refined skills make them invaluable in the world of tea.
Tea with character
A tea sommelier conducts an organoleptic analysis of the beverage, evaluating five key components: appearance, infusion color, aroma, taste, and strength. This assessment includes examining the tea’s astringency and overall flavor profile.
A common misconception is that the strength of tea is indicated by its rich color. In reality, the strength of tea is determined by the concentration of soluble substances in the tea leaves—the higher the concentration, the stronger the tea. Thus, a tea sommelier first evaluates the quality and chemical composition of the dry leaves. For example, a high-quality green tea can be more robust in flavor than a lower-quality black tea, despite its lighter color. RICHARD® green tea, with its floral or berry notes, exemplifies this balance—it is strong and rich in flavor while remaining clear, light, and bright.
The strength of tea is not solely a matter of brewing time. When brewed correctly, tea reaches its optimal natural strength in about five minutes. Extending the brewing time by an additional five to ten minutes can result in a bitter taste. Both Asian and European tea enthusiasts prefer to enjoy their tea shortly after brewing, rather than allowing it to infuse for prolonged periods, to ensure a high-quality and pleasant drink.
The color of tea reveals its degree of fermentation and identifies its type—black, green, white, or red. Similar to its strength, the color's richness varies depending on the quality of the tea leaves. Tea testers assess the saturation, density, and brightness of the color. A bright, clear infusion signals high-quality raw materials, while a dull or cloudy appearance suggests a less meticulous approach to the production process.
The teatester evaluates the taste and aroma of the tea separately, but they consider that together these elements create a bouquet through which the consumer will assess the overall quality of the drink. Teatesters have their own terminology. The base aroma of tea can be characterized as smoky, resinous, spicy, fruity or floral. Next, each drink is revealed in all its versatility, and all of them will invariably have great qualities. For example, the RICHARD® fruit and herb tea is based on smoky and thick tones with original colors: orange and cinnamon, thyme and rosemary, kaffir lime and English mint. The classic RICHARD® Earl Grey and RICHARD® Royal English Breakfast have a pleasantly tart taste and delightful aroma.
Key responsibilities of a teatester
In most cases, experts do more than just sample the tea. Their responsibilities include:
- studying the markets of tea producing countries, conducting market research, regular business trips to purchase raw materials and search for new tea components;
- mastering classic and modern production technologies;
- developing new products, creating blends, selecting tea raw materials, fruit and herbal additives, flavorings;
- organoleptic testing, production control, testing and quality assessment of finished tea;
- participating business processes: negotiations, work with suppliers on standards of tea raw material components, additives and flavorings, raw material stock management.
A teatester’s work involves several important restrictions, including ethical ones. To maintain impartiality, a teatester must avoid favoritism toward any particular variety or supplier. Personal connections with raw material suppliers should not influence their evaluations.
Additionally, a teatester must possess a highly developed sense of smell and an exceptional ability to discern subtle tastes. To preserve their sensitivity and avoid interference with their assessments, they often forgo spicy and salty foods, smoking, alcohol, and even perfume. Every external factor must be minimized to ensure that their evaluations are precise and unaffected by distractions.
How tea testing works
Tea evaluations are typically conducted by three separate teatesters, each regarded as an independent expert.
The testing room is equipped with a minimal yet essential inventory: porcelain cups, small teapots, scales, boiling kettles, and a timer to monitor the precise five-minute brewing time.
To begin, exactly three grams of tea are measured on the scale. This amount is brewed for five minutes with water at the appropriate temperature. During the brewing process, testers carefully examine the dry tea leaves, noting their structure, aroma, shape, and twist. Once brewed, the tea is poured into cups, where the tester first assesses the infusion's color and aroma before proceeding to taste.
In a manner similar to wine tasting, the brewed tea is not swallowed but swirled around in the mouth to fully experience its flavor. After all tea sommeliers have evaluated each variety, they convene to discuss their findings and assign a score on a ten-point scale.
Teas are classified according to an international grading system, which includes categories such as "high", "above average", "medium", "below average", and "low". On special occasions, a tea may be awarded a rating of "unique" or "exceptional," signifying an unequivocal endorsement of its outstanding quality.
Despite its seemingly straightforward nature, the profession of a teatester is remarkably complex. It demands not only specialized knowledge but also ongoing market research and an awareness of global trends. A teatester may sample between 500 and 600 cups of tea each day, carefully evaluating each one. The meticulous work of these experts ensures the creation of a perfect product—delicious, flavorful, and richly nuanced. Like RICHARD® tea.
