Tasting is my cup of tea

Tea is the most popular beverage, second only to water, and Kenya is among it's largest exporters globally. Joyce Rop of Unilever’s Kericho factory ensures its quality before it gets to you, writes NIKKO TANUI

1: Who is a tea taster?

This is a person who, through training and experience, tests the tea’s quality and ranks it by tasting. A good tea taster should have the willingness to learn, understand consumer’s needs and be up to speed with the market trends.

2: Why is tea tasting an important process?

Taste is a very complex property and there is no machine that can be used to assess this. Tasting is a sensory evaluation process, a part of quality assurance to the customer. Tasting will ensure that the necessary adjustments of the process are made when need arises.

3: What are the stages of tea tasting?

First there’s tea sampling. Here, we obtain the various tea samples and prepare sample batches.

The tea is then put in hot water. It may be infused with milk if preferred. A taster sips the tea then swirls the liquor round the tongue and gums, drawing the aroma back into the mouth and up into the olfactory nerves, thereby tasting, feeling and smelling it.

When the liquor is swirled round the mouth, the thickness, body or viscosity is felt and judged.

We then advise on necessary adjustments in the process as per the results of the tasting.

4: And what are the stages of tea processing?

Withering — the green leaf is spread on troughs after passing the quality check. Air is blown to remove excess moisture and allow the tea components inherent in the leaf to undergo a chemical reaction.

Maceration — This is the reduction of the particle size of the leaf to expose the cells and prepare the leaf for oxidation, where air is blown to the cut leaf to expose it to a natural oxidation process.

Then the leaf is dried and finally, the tea is sorted and graded.

5: Describe your typical day at work.

I report to the factory at 7am and take a tour for approximately two hours, after which I get to the tea tasting room.

Together with a team of shift supervisors, we carry out tasting of the previous day’s hourly samples for about an hour. I then get back to my desk to carry out the administrative tasks. I manage the tea manufacturing process in the factory and ensure safety, health, environmental and quality standards are observed.

I also conduct trainings, interact a lot with regular buyers at the shop and attend the company’s meetings.

6: What are some of the terms professional tea tasters use to describe tea?

Appearance — Black, brown, fibrous, dull, bright, green, coloury. Taste — Burnt, bakey, tainted, weedy, thick.

Aroma/nose — Flavoury.

7: Why do tea tasters noisily slurp the liquid?

There are four kinds of tastes — salty, sour, sweet and bitter. Sweetness is tasted at the tip of the tongue, and bitterness at the back. Saltiness too, is tasted at the tip, but also at the sides of the front of the tongue.

The reason for sipping is to ensure that the tea is volatilised in the mouth and gets to the back of the tongue for any bitter taste to be picked up.

8: What are the qualities of a good tea?

It varies from region to region. What is good to one person may not be to another. This is about understanding the customer’s requirements and delivering the same. Good tea may have the some of these attributes; flavoury, true to grade, thick, black.

9: When and how did you start as a tea taster and what qualities should a good taster have?

I began tea tasting when I got employed in the tea industry in 2001.

10: How do you keep your taste buds alive?

Eating healthy, maintaining good oral hygiene and practice. Smoking and drinking are some of the habits that can affect the precision of the taste buds.

11: What kind of training does a tea taster have?

Anybody can taste tea as long as they are willing to learn. But each company will have the minimum entry qualification for whatever position. I hold a degree in Food Science and Technology from Egerton University.

12: What are the challenges of your job?

I have to be on top of things in order to fit to the dynamic nature of events in the industry. Initially, tea manufacturing was a male dominated career and it came with its challenges for women. However,this is changing over time.

13: Who is your role model and why?

Michelle Obama. She is an accomplished lawyer and a down-to-earth family woman. She impresses me with her gardening interests.

14: What do you wish people knew about tea?

Tea is a natural product with health benefits and it helps to keep the body healthy and alert.

In our plantations, we practise sustainable agriculture. This programme has been certified by Rainforest Alliance, an international NGO that deals with sustainability issues.

I would advise people to always take and enjoy the cup of tea with confidence. Any time is tea time!

20: Describe yourself in a few words.

Focused and hard working. I love spending time with my children Ezra, Esther and Ann and my husband Ronald Rop.