I was recently given the opportunity to attend Mona Jhunjhnuwala’s Taste Tea Like a Professional online course. Within this, I was taught all about the magical world of tea tasting, how to distinguish flavour profiles and lesser known taste palates, and how to mark it all down in a clear and concise way, worthy of a tea master.
Considering I’m certified by the International Tea Academy, you’d think I’d already had this sort of training. (Spoiler: I did not.)
The Course
Taste Tea Like a Professional is hands down the most immersive tea course I have ever taken. Not only did it offer over 150 minutes of on-demand videos, but it also came with 20+ downloadable PDFs, quizzes and assignments to test yourself on all the knowledge you’ve gained, AND the option to add a tea sampler and tea journal.
Plus, it came with a pretty sick temporary tattoo.
In total, there are nine chapters in the course. The first gives a general course overview and introduces the student to the five main tea categories. Chapter 2, 3, and 4 go into detail about how to taste and evaluate teas, followed by chapters 5-9 which focus on specific tea categories and how exactly this knowledge can be incorporated.
At the end of the course, I was left with a much richer understanding of the world of tea and how exactly to use my senses to learn both from and about it. I have gotten better at determining whether a tea is good quality or whether I am being mugged, and now, I have an even better appreciation for the terroir, cultivar, and processes behind each and every tea leaf. Plus, I now know more tea descriptive words – and most importantly, how to pronounce them!
One of the things that I found most helpful (along with the clear and detailed visuals) was having things at the end of each lesson to save and print off. It truly is a wonderful way to utterly engross a tea connoisseur – both old and new – in the world of tea.
Mona is a wonderful teacher, and her sheer level of passion, dedication, and skill is evident in the way she runs the classes.
The course costs $149 USD, and there is the option to purchase the Starter Tea Sampler & Tea Tasting Journal. For the whole bundle, it only costs $185 – and believe me, that’s a steal!
The Teas
I will be completely honest and say that the beautiful A4 tea journal was one of my favourite things about the course. I’ve never taken a tea course where I was taught how to write a flavour profile in detail, with a lovely little notebook that spells it all out, step-by-step. Had I ever drawn a tea leaf before this course? No. Is it something I wish I was shown how to do earlier on? Yes yes yes.
Here are my notes on the Teawala tea sample, straight from my new tea journal:
Hong Yu Ruby Red
Tea type: Black
Origin: Puli, Nantou, Taiwan
Harvest: November 2020
Brew method: 1tsp, 150ml, 90°C, 40 sec
Dry leaf: Dark, thin, twisted leaves. Long and dry. Aroma is dark peppermint, cocoa, rich, deep, hints of sweetness.
Wet leaf: Dark red, wrinkled leaves that bloom after brewing. Aroma is very meaty, almost mushroom. Peppermint, eucalyptus.
Liquid colour: Pale gold.
Flavour: Slight chocolate, umami, mushroom, vegetal, slight mineral. Eucalyptus. Becomes deeper and richer on the second brewing.
Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel that is creamy, smooth, and rich.
Aftertaste: Surprisingly, the aftertaste is quite subtle and delicate.
Additional notes: I over-brewed the tea on the third brewing, and tbh, it tasted almost like yerba mate. It wasn’t unpleasant – in fact, it was interesting to see the flavours develop.
White Peony
Tea type: White
Origin: Zhenghe, Fujian, China
Harvest: March 2021 (very fresh!)
Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 85°C, 20 sec
Dry leaf: The most beautiful white tea I’ve ever seen! Green-white, thick and curled leaves with tiny hairs. The aroma is floral, sweet, light, honey, melon.
Wet leaf: Very green, plump, soft leaves. 2 or 3 have small dark spots. The aroma is asparagus, sweet hay, herbaceous.
Liquid colour: Very pale and clear, light coming through clearly and showcasing the soft golden hues of the drink.
Flavour: So delicate! Fresh, damp grass, summer breeze, green bean, spinach, nectar.
Mouthfeel: Thick mouthfeel that is silky and clean.
Aftertaste: Sweet, soft.
Additional notes: There are several things that I learnt on this course that were honestly quite shocking! One of the most memorable was when Mona turned to the camera and went, ‘I like to eat the leaves to unravel their deeper flavours – it’s a little like eating kale crisps.’ Let me tell you that my mouth DROPPED – I had never come across the idea of eating dry tea leaves before!
Before I knew it, I popped a handful of White Peony leaves into my mouth… and it was delicious! There was a little astringency at the end, but not a lot – and meanwhile, all of the other flavours were intensified. Consider me converted to the ways of tea leaf eating!
Milk Oolong
Tea type: Oolong
Origin: Shanlinxi, Taiwan
Harvest: November 2020
Brew method: 1.30g, 150ml, 95°C, 1 min
Dry leaf: Consistent sizing. Light and dark green balls which are big, round, and thick, typically with a stem poking out (Mona taught me that this is good – means it is hand-rolled!). Slight gold colouring at the end of the stem. Aroma is sweet malt, deep grass, nutty, popcorn, buttery, toffee, almond.
Wet leaf: Gradually unfurls into these big, beautiful leaves. How do they even fit in such small balls?! The aroma is very nutty with toasted rice and almost burnt caramel.
Liquid colour: A very pale green.
Flavour: Sweet, butter, slightly nutty, roasted pine nuts. The taste is less strong than the smell, quite delicate.
Mouthfeel: Full mouthfeel, buttery, velvety, clean.
Aftertaste: Slight algae aftertaste, vegetal, green, sweet.
Additional notes: Would easily drink this wonderful milk oolong everyday – although honestly, I drank a little too much after a full morning of tea tasting and ended up with a slight tea head high!
Ceylon Highlands
Tea type: Black
Origin: Amba Estate, Uva, Sri Lanka
Harvest: May 2020
Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 95°C, 3 min
Dry leaf: Cut black with bursts of red, quite fragile leaves that snap easily. The aroma is of toasted chestnut, malt, sweet wet earth, coffee cherry, and chocolate.
Wet leaf: All the leaves are a beautiful red colour, sizing looks relatively consistent, soft leather texture. Aroma is warm, bonfire chocolate, rich, dark toffee.
Liquid colour: A clear reddish-orange.
Flavour: Robust, bold, dark chocolate, malt, sweet wet earth.
Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, clean, rounded, smooth.
Aftertaste: Chocolate.
Additional notes: The nicest Ceylon tea I’ve ever had!
Lemongrass
Tea type: Tisane
Origin: Amba Estate, Uva, Sri Lanka
Harvest: December 2020
Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 95°C, 4 min
Dry leaf: Consistent shapes and sizing, rich grass colour, soft and thin. The aroma is vegetal, like wet grass and sweet soy sauce.
Wet leaf: Appearance is the same as dry leaf, only softer. Aroma is citrus, cut grass, lollipop sherbet, spearmint.
Liquid colour: A clear and vibrant pale yellow-green.
Flavour: Delicious sweet citrus, lemon sherbet, cut grass.
Mouthfeel: Surprisingly full. Bright, clean, crisp.
Aftertaste: Herby, soft lemon, sweet clean hay.
Additional notes: I read a book earlier this year about a girl that opens up a lemon farm – and honestly, this tea smells exactly how I imagined the sweet, citrusy air on the farm! Talk about delicious.
High Mountain
Tea type: Oolong
Origin: Alishan, Taiwan
Harvest: November 2020
Brew method: 1g, 150ml, 100°C, 2 min
Dry leaf: Some of the balls are quite large whereas others are smaller – not as consistent as the previous oolong. Stems are on the outside, the leaves are beautifully rolled and a dark green colour with paler stems. Aroma is nutty, sweet, caramel, chestnut, toffee popcorn, buttery.
Wet leaf: Unfurls into big, beautiful leaves. Can see all the veins in the leaves when the light hits just right. Where the leaves have just unfurled, the texture is slightly rougher. Aroma is vegetal, like clean, sweet hay, dark grass, and toasted rice.
Liquid colour: Very pale yellow.
Flavour: Taste is less intense than the smell. Vegetal, wet grass, chestnut at back of throat. Clean roasted notes. Nutty!
Mouthfeel: Medium mouthfeel, clean, smooth, silky.
Aftertaste: Dark vegetal, wet grass.
Additional notes: A beautiful oolong which only comes second to my new favourite… Teawala Milk Oolong!
Introducing… Kevin!
To keep me company during this online tea course, I had my little red Dharma tea pet. Lovingly named Kevin, this traditional ceramic tea pet quickly became the star of all my tea ceremonies, and now, I cannot imagine sipping on some Milk Oolong or Hong Yu without him by my side.
Whenever I start and finish my tea ceremony, I make sure to offer some to Kevin. Once I have poured the liquid over his head, he lets me know how much he loves it by blowing bubbles out of his mouth. Honestly, this little feature has given me hours of entertainment!
Kevin was handmade, and as such, little personal features are clear. On one side of his head I can even make out a fingerprint! He is such a cutie, and honestly, I cannot express how awesome this little guy is.
Jia is the owner of SongTeaWare, and she sells the most divine tea accessories – I am constantly blown away by her products! With friendly customer service, quick delivery, and the tea pet of a lifetime, I cannot recommend her shop enough.
—
And so, have you ever wanted to learn how to taste tea like a professional? Let me know in the comments below!
BUT BEFORE YOU DO – WHY NOT SHARE THE LOVE AND PIN THIS POST?!
I love to drink tea but I don’t know too much about it or how to drink it. This is so helpful!
This is such an interesting course. I would definitely try the WHITE PEONY tea. I believe it must be sweet since the flower has quite a strong sweet scent too.
It’s not too different than drinking wine!
Thanks for an interesting and informative blog post on tea tasting! I am not a great tea taster but love simple tea using tea bags, milk and honey. I specifically like Indian ginger flavor and Earl Grey too. Your blog post has introduced me now to other types of tea. 🙂
I’m not much of a tea drinker and had no idea there was so much to know about the different varieties. Nor did I know that eating the leaves would be possible.
How interesting. So much to learn about tea
What a fun course! I’m not much of a tea drinker but my boyfriend definitely is. He’d love to try these teas and learn more about tea tasting. Thanks for the great guide!
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a course like this for tea, usually you only hear about things like wine tasting courses. This sounds great for anyone who loves tea and wants to gain more knowledge about different flavours!
Oh I would love this! I fell in love with tea and tea tastings during a trip to China. Since then I order Chinese tea for home as they are so good! My favorite is White Peony but I do love Oolongs too. I’ve never tried eating the leaves but that sounds amazing. I’d never heard of that before but I’ll have to try it!
This is so interesting. I’ve done a wine tasting course but I never thought of a tea tasting course. Super cool.
This is great – I LOVE tea, but I always feel like I’m drinking it wrong (it’s my morning essential so I’m usually quick to drink!) This is a wonderful guide with a lot of helpful tips!
Great post, I really enjoyed reading this! I really enjoy drinking tea and enjoy learning more about it.
This course sounds so interesting, there is do much I just don’t know about tea.
This is so interesting! I don’t drink enough tea, but this is motivating me to do more! Sounds like a cool course, as well.
ooh milk oolong is my absolute favourite too – I truly love the smell of tea leaves in the air, I bet the entire experience just smelled heavenly!
Oooh what a cool experience! It is pretty interesting that you can learn so much (especially when I already think of you as a tea expert!) I really like the sound of both of the Oolong teas that you tried.
I have a feeling at some point you’ll need a holiday in Japan to try their tea- they have sooo many varieties and I know you would also love the tea ceremonies.
Hello Amy, ¿cómo estás? I hope you’re having a lovely summer!
Thanks for sharing tips from your tea tasting journal, even in summer I love hot drinks and delicious tea is one of my favourite things. People may not realise how important it is to stay hydrated this time of the year, but it really is! And tea is a great way of doing that 😉
Thanks also for your tea recommendations, I will try Mona’s course! Right now I am following ones I found on Udemy and they are game changers.
Pablito x
This post is so helpful, and Mona’s course looks to be such an invaluable way of learning about tasting tea professionally. I never even considered that tea tasting could be something I’d be interested in, but now I know how much variation goes into it, I would be intrigued to give it a go.
I have always wanted to give tea tasting a try but have never had the opportunity to – but now I know how to! Thank you for sharing this, I will definitely be checking out Mona’s course.
I love the idea of using a little tea tasting notebook!!!