getting to know the tea sommelier

Did you know that there people who are extensively knowledgeable about teas in a scholarly, learned way?

An individual who may love tea and can name 20 types of teas in a minute does not necessarily make the person a tea expert. The term “tea expert,” in point of fact, is an exclusive, technical term which means we don’t just go around throwing in the words, addressing one a “tea expert” only because he or she knows some rather uncommon information about teas.

A tea expert or a tea specialist is also widely known as the tea sommelier.

And to be called a tea sommelier, you should have gone through several phases and levels of expansive, if not all-encompassing, study of teas.

where to begin: what it really takes to achieve the profession of a tea sommelier

The depth of knowledge of teas of the tea sommelier is much more complex than some might think. And this range of knowledge of teas is appropriately learned and attained by way of going to a well-acclaimed and renowned tea institute or academy. One has to study a pile of books and go through even more hands-on training – including but not limited to finding the slightest nuances in tastes of countless kinds of teas and being able to recognize teas, set apart what’s good and what’s not, employing the sense of smell.

Yes, wine sommelier, we hear yah! 😉 The process rings a bell; the vocation sommelier rings a bell, yes. But this sommelier is particularly inclined only to teas and everything about them, little trivia to bigger encyclopedic tea erudition.

There’s so much to learn – and exams to pass – for people who dream of becoming a certified tea expert as their profession, or vocation, at that. They have to know teas, in and out, both in theory and in practice.

And so yes, pretty much like getting in your dream university, spend years of study of your choice of academic field, graduate, and eventually, be officially certified to practice the course of field which you’ve decided to take.

The curriculum for formally educating yourself about teas is extensive. It’s very broad. But, it certainly is not impossible. On the contrary, it is truly attainable not only because you are able but because more than that, it takes passion and love for teas and getting to know teas to apply the learning in the practical world.

You have to have the passion for teas, that entrenched interest in them, in order for you to take the first steps to becoming a tea sommelier.

the ultimate step to becoming a tea sommelier: getting certified

Oh, it’s a few hours of completion of written and practical tests.

That crucial time when you have to prove yourself worthy of the title. That ultimate moment when you go back to every course, every program, every lesson on teas which you ever took, and review and revive in your mind the details of learning that you accumulated along the way, all those years.

the jobs that await the tea sommelier

High-end, five-star restaurants surely and seriously need your hand at picking the best teas for their first-rate menu. And with your commendable savvy and proficiency, there’s just no room to fail them on the work which they entrusted you with.

From tasting to brewing to blending and flavoring to food pairings, you’ve got their back. And let’s not forget the quality control section of the work.

Over the years, you will find yourself having established a reputable name as a tea sommelier.

As well, you can integrate some knowhow in commerce with your savoir faire in teas and start you own business. This doesn’t mean it has to be big. It can be a small specialty tea shop. It can be a trade of raw teas. The list goes on. Think about it. Who knows, you can narrow down your choices and carve your own unique niche in the colorful and flavorful and aromatic yet beautifully intricate world of teas.

Hats off, then, to the tea sommelier – the learnt tea master. And to the everyday tea lovers, too! 😉