The lowdown
While enjoying a hot, refreshing cup of tea, can you expertly identify its flavours and fragrances? Well, if the answer is yes and if you are a graduate in home science, agriculture, biology, or horticulture, then a career as a tea taster will be ideal for you. India is one of the leading producers in the world, along with Sri Lanka and China. A tea taster is a person who not only tastes the tea but also has to identify the difference between teas and give expert advice on the various ways in which tea can be brewed in order to achieve a particular taste. One should have adequate knowlege of the cultivation and manufacturing processes in a tea plantation and be aware of all types of teas, leaves, grades and liquors. One good thing about the industry is the high salary you get and fantastic job locations — in Assam or Kerala, with their verdant tea gardens. Tasters also have to do branding and marketing of the product and coordinate with gardeners, importers, exporters, researchers, staying updated on the current trends in the domestic and international tea markets.
Clockwork
7am: Breakfast
9am: Check orders on our online tea store, oversee the packing and shipment of orders
11am: Reply to emails and catch up with my team on tasks and updates
1pm to 2pm: Lunch
2pm: Receive tea samples, conduct tasting and prepare tasting notes
5pm: Look after new business initiatives, researching and reading online
6.30pm: Call it a day
The payoff
Lots of hotels have tea rooms and they are eager to employ tea sommeliers at different levels — creating tea blends, tea pairing menu or tea infused food — options are endless. Working as a tea sommelier with a five-star hotel, can get you a starting salary of Rs. 50,000 per month which can further increase according to your experience
Skills/TRAITS
* An aspirant requires to have sharp gustation (sense of taste) skills, sharp olfactory (sense of smell) skills
* Thorough understanding of tea and its history, processing methods and preparation
* Decision-making skills
* Attention to minute details
* Physically fit, adaptable and self-reliant
* One should be inclined to keep smoking and drinking in check
* Ability to communicate well
* One must be knowledgeable about the tea market and be alert to changing market forces
* Be a lover of Mother Nature
Getting there
There are no formal degree courses available in tea tasting yet. There are a few certificate courses available in tea tasting that help students learn gain scientific knowledge and learn about the different techniques of tea tasting. The basic eligibility criteria for the course is graduation. However, if a student is sure about a career as a tea taster, then having an educational background in food sciences, horticulture, agricultural science or even botany can aid in his/ her knowledge. If you wish to pursue a career as a tea sommelier, it is better to study in a tea producing country be it India, Sri Lanka or Taiwan. Working in a tea estate
is important since you get hands-on experience
Getting there
There are no formal degree courses available in tea tasting yet. There are a few certificate courses available in tea tasting that help students learn gain scientific knowledge and learn about the different techniques of tea tasting. The basic eligibility criteria for the course is graduation. However, if a student is sure about a career as a tea taster, then having an educational background in food sciences, horticulture, agricultural science or even botany can aid in his/ her knowledge. If you wish to pursue a career as a tea sommelier, it is better to study in a tea producing country be it India, Sri Lanka or Taiwan. Working in a tea estate
is important since you get hands-on experience
Institutes and URLs
* Tea Sommelier Academy, Colombo;
www.freshtea-lab.com/teasommeliera.htm
* Specialty Tea Institute, USA;
www.teausa.com/14613/specialty-tea-institute
* Lipton Institute of Tea;
www.lipton.com.au/about/about_lipton/lipton_institute_of_tea
* Indian Institute of Plantation Management, Bangalore;
www.iipmb.edu.in/images/application/PCP-TTMBrochureMay2013.pdf
Pros and cons
* Tea tasting is an upcoming trend in the hospitality sector
* Great salaries
* People are still getting used to the idea of a tea sommelier. Hence, jobs are few, but openings are increasing
* You get an opportunity to explore different cultures of the world through tea
To become a master of the drink, all you need to do is practice. Everything else will follow ----- Snigdha Manchanda, a tea taster based in Mumbai