Tea tasting is the organoleptic analysis of the tea “liquor” in order to determine the quality and value of the tea. By “slurping” the liquor to the back of the palette, thus aerating it and allowing full aroma, taste and thickness to be experienced, a tea‘s intrinsic worth is determinable. The palette, like any instrument, needs to be trained through repetition and cross-referencing. Additionally, depth of color, clarity and opaqueness of a tea’s liquor are visual cues that a skilled Buyer/Taster must learn and utilize to accurately estimate a tea’s worth. Further, knowledge of the entire manufacturing process is required, so that mapping of specific flavors or faults can be related to causal factors. Much in the same way that a sommelier evaluates wines, tea tasters are able to identify the country, the specific region, and even on which estate the tea was produced. In order for this degree of expertise to develop, a minimum training of some 3 to 5 years, including overseas at origin, is required in order to be able to distinguish the more than 3,000 varieties of tea from one another and to be considered a true tea expert within the tea business. Compliments of Peter F. Goggi