Teenage Love Affair
My palate is in training.
About a month ago, I was struggling to put into words my experience with a particular tea. You see, all tea has character built from the soil from which it was nurtured, the way it was plucked, how tenderly the leaves were handled, the processing, down to the way it was prepared for your cup. Whether it is exceptionally good or bad, it's its own, distinct, like DNA. As I racked my brain trying to find the words, I thought to myself, is my vocabulary this wanting? Do I not read enough literature? And at rock bottom, I tried to convince myself the English language is short on adjectives. Miserable.
After some soul searching, I had to admit that the problem was in my palate! My tea palate is like a teenager. Wild, curious, cheeky, moody, rebellious just generally erratic. If I am going to critique tea and do it well, I need to have some stability in my mouth!! When I started sharing my tea musings from April on Instagram, I realised that I began pushing my taste buds to the next level, picking out different varieties and different brands, new ones, exploring preparation and so on. So I have made strides. My July tea palate is far much more superior to my April tea palate and that's what gives me confidence in what I am doing because I know it's only going to get better.
But this is not just about me, I want you to experience what I am too!! Two basic steps you can take to frame a mature palate are:
1. Taste everything!
If you've got a well-developed palate from other beverages and foods, you'll find that its power is transferable to understanding and appreciating tea. You'll start picking up on subtle flavours and notes of the tea and be able to objectively describe it.
2. Sniff, sniff, sniff
The sensation of flavour is a combination of taste and smell. Think of a time you've had a blocked nose on account of a flu. All foods and I mean ALL taste pretty bland, almost the same, right? So when you get that cuppa, inhale it, breathe it in, deep.
It is difficult to pick out nuanced flavours of tea, but it is possible. Drink a lot of tea, be patient and practice. Lots of practice!!
The Ultimate Tea Girl
xx