When most people think about tea tasting, they imagine elegant cups, refined aromas, and experts effortlessly identifying flavours with remarkable precision.
What many don’t see is the challenge of tasting tea all day long.
Professional tea tasters sometimes evaluate hundreds, of teas in a single session. During long tasting days, especially around tea auctions and buying seasons, the palate starts to tire.
This phenomenon, often referred to as palate fatigue or the blind spot effect, occurs when repeated exposure to similar flavours causes the senses to become less responsive. Notes that would normally stand out can become harder to detect.
In other words, the more you taste, the harder it can become to truly taste.
Experienced tea professionals know that keeping the palate fresh is as important as having years of knowledge.
To stay sharp, tasters often rely on simple but effective sensory resets.
These small rituals help clear lingering flavours and allow the palate to “start fresh” with each new tea.
Yet perhaps the most important tool is mental discipline. Remaining focused, objective, and attentive after tasting tea for hours requires patience, concentration, and years of practice.
At Empire Teas, tea tasting is not simply a quality control process. It is part of our culture.
Our founder began his career as a tea taster in 1989, developing the skills, knowledge, and sensory discipline that only decades of experience can bring. Today, that passion continues to shape everything we do.
As a mentor to our tasting team, he shares not only technical expertise but also the values that define great tea tasting, such as curiosity, consistency, and an unwavering commitment to quality.
Every blend developed at Empire Teas is personally tasted and reviewed by our founder, ensuring that each cup reflects the standards that have guided the company since its earliest days.
Long before the tea reaches your cup, skilled tasters have spent countless hours evaluating flavour, aroma, character, and quality. They ensure that every sip delivers the experience it should.
At Empire Teas, that commitment remains at the heart of everything we do.
