October 28, 2022
by Cynthia Fazekas
As a tea taster, buying season brings a lot of highs and lows across the tasting table. Flaws, rejections, and revisions. But every now and then, a truly wonderful moment happens when you get to taste a tea and straightaway it is everything it should be.
Every leaf and every cup offer a promise of what they are capable of yielding. Knowing the standards and specifications for each tea for your company and your tea audience desires is key to the job yet sets us up for disappointment when a tea does not hit the mark. In difficult harvest seasons, disappointment can often be de rigor.
When tasting we do not allow ourselves to like or dislike a tea as the process needs to be impersonal to best evaluate, so tasters sort of disassociate and leave themselves out of the equation. What matters is whether this tea is flawed and if not, does it fit the specifications or standard? It does not matter if we like it, simply stated. Then we make our notes and move on.
But occasionally, something lovely comes across the tea table. It’s hard to ignore the beauty of the leaves, and the fragrant aroma coming from the infusion cup. You stay focused on the task at hand, but then you take that first sip – in this case of fresh Formosa Bai Hao Oolong. As the tea opens on your palate, your eyes close to better appreciate the brew. Apricots, peaches, honey, sweet almond blossoms all bloom in your mind’s eye. Sweet, smooth, lingering with hints of mineral. Occasionally, a spectacular tea will give you goose bumps and even a tear in your eye. It is exactly what it is supposed to be and does not disappoint. “Completely on spec,” as we say.
This year’s Formosa Bai Hao Oolong offers perfection in an imperfect world. We hope you’ll try it and appreciate all the beauty it has to offer.
