What is Tea Tasting?

Wine tasting is a popular party, social or other get-together idea, but not everyone can take part. Some have physical issues with alcohol and others don't want to drink for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, there are alternatives. 

There are many ways you can do this. The leaves of the tea tree come in many varieties, and even among these varieties there are flavor variations. It would be easy to develop a range of flavors from mild to very robust. These variations are almost endless and it may take many such gatherings to taste them all.

There is another idea that has occurred to me. Herbal teas may also make good tasting party themes. Bear in mind that while the phrase herbal tea is commonly accepted, it is not exactly the right term. You may find yourself using a variety of methods to prepare the teas, but that can make the idea more interesting.

If you choose to use herbs, you will have to select the ones you use very carefully. Some have major interactions or can cause problems for medical conditions. It might also be wise to have a list of possible problem teas ready for your guests. That will allow them a way to safely choose which to taste without having to explain the various problems to all and sundry.

The best place to start with herbal teas is the GRAS list. The acronym stands for "generally regarded as safe." These herbs have the least amount of interactions, which will help protect your guests. A sampling of these include allspice, bergamot, chamomile, cinnamon, ginger, hibiscus, lavender, lemon balm, licorice and the various mints. You may have to be careful with the cinnamon and the licorice, as they can cause problems, especially for diabetics or those with high blood pressure.

When planning your party, you may want to consider food, especially those that can cleanse the palate. The best choice may be sliced apples, as it should not interfere with the ability to taste the delicate flavors of the milder herbs. Crackers and very mild cheeses may also be helpful.

A question that comes up every now and again is that of adding other things to the tea cup. I suggest that this is a personal choice, so you could benefit by having some of the expected companions ready. Sugar, cream and milk may be useful if you are tasting from the tea tree. For the herbal teas, you may want to add honey and stevia.

You may be able to boost the enjoyment of your guests with a subtle use of essential oils. These won't be for consumption, rather to scent the room. Lavender and chamomile are good choices as they are gently soothing. Peppermint may be helpful, but the scent may be too strong.

A tea tasting may be the very thing to meet your neighbors, for a church get together or just to have a bunch of friends over for a pleasant afternoon. It is less likely to cause problems, as alcohol is not involved and the teas mentioned usually do not impair driving.

Become a Tea Taster

Who is a Tea Taster?
Tea taster is a specialized professional in the tea industry. The job of a tea taster is one among the most gifted careers in the world today. Tea tasting is totally an art, but needs the support of science to upgrade it to a career in the modern tea industry.

Keep Taste Buds Alive
The tea taster needs to have his or her taste buds alive to understand and differentiate the contents of taste giving alkaloids in the tea samples. His olfactory nerves should active to identify the kind of fragrances that are released by the tea samples in question.

Tea Plantation Knowledge is Essential
In order to become a tea taster, one should primarily know about the cultivation and manufacturing processes in a tea plantation. He should know all about tea kinds, varieties, and grades and again the characters of the resulting liquors. He should sacrifice certain habits and abstain from smoking, alcohol, tasting strong spicy foods.

Be a Lover of Mother Nature
To learn about all these things, the youth should preferably be a graduate in agriculture, horticulture, biology, home science or interested in food technology. A good tea taster can earn remuneration equal to that of a software engineer, besides a great chance to live in the ambiance of Mother Nature.

Tea is a Permanent Beverage
You know among all the beverages, tea is an everlasting one as it has a history of its own for a very many years. This should tell about the permanence of the industry and the tea taster’s job and career too. Tea tasting is a brilliant and fascinating career in the plantation and as well as in the tea trade at an international panorama.

Learn from the Tea Book: Tea Taster
Besides the knowledge of tea cultivation and processing, to gain a perfect knowledge on this tea tasting one should go for a tea book that gives ‘scientific tea testing, tasting and blending techniques”. One should read and enjoy the tea manual with full of illustrations, so that he can apply the techniques when taking up the job of a tea taster.

Traditional Tea Taster is Based by Experience
The tea taster is said to gain knowledge by sipping and tasting a number of cups of raw tea made out of tea samples. "Tea Taster," using a special and exact spoon, sucks the tea with a sound. This slurping sound is caused by the tea being taken into the mouth at the exact speed of 125 miles per hour. At this speed, the tea explodes at the back of the palate, forming minute mist particles. These particles help the tea taster to tell a story about the tea in volumes. The tea is then expectorated into a pan and the tea taster turns to begin with another cup of tea.

This kind of tasting by the tongue, teeth, gum and inner parts of his buccal cavity without reference to a standard about taste can not construe to a good analysis. This is out of date secret and an art with errors. Errors in art are viewed as spill over of skills. But the truth is that that will end in a tasteless tea.

Modern Tea Taster is Based on Scientific Methodology
He has a sound fool proof methodology to identify good teas rich in color, taste and flavor. He has standard reference to compare and fix the color and taste categories and say some thing concrete about the fragrances also. Science will give constant results when the experiments are repeated. This assures a flawless performance at the end.

He combines the goodness of traditional tea tasting with the modern truthful scientific methods. He is capable of confirming the degree of qualitative and functional characters of select teas. This enables him to find their percentage or proportional utility in making desired blending combinations. This is to satisfy the need of every section of the society to enhance the harmony of mankind.

Be Calm and Active!
Now the tea can bring the briskness to the body and mind on demand. Another tea will make you calm and peaceful and bring solace to the wandering mind. It can create an inner calmness and outer activity which is usually brought about by meditation. Thus the tea taster has a duty to fulfill the expectations by innovations.