For more than a century, tea tasting is an age-old art at A Tosh & Sons as the real difference comes from how it is tasted, with sufficient time to let the flavours unfurl and help differentiate between a good and a fine brew.
                                          
According to Mr. Abhijit Ghosh, Director, A Tosh & Sons, “The ‘slurp and sip’ method involved slurping tea from a spoon and spitting the tea instead of swallowing it. But tea experts today suggest swallowing as an important step of the process to internalise the actual flavour.” 

Unravelling the parameters of tea tasting being followed at A. Tosh & Sons, Mr Ghosh further added, “Colour, brew, taste, and leaf are the key consistent elements that help discover the nuances of tea in the tea-tasting process.”   

A. Tosh & Sons, known as a reputed Bulk Tea Manufacturer in the world, has a hygienically designed Tea Tasting Room at Tosh House, Kolkata. 

Mr Ghosh explained that the importance of tea tasting is self-evident from this initiative, “It is an eclectic blend of modernism and age-old knowledge that has been helping us in selecting the finest of teas from across the world and we celebrate their passion and skills.”

Sharing the rich legacy of A Tosh & Sons, Mr Ghosh opined, “Mr. Amulya Charan Ghosh was a multi-talented tea taster who mentored the next generation in such a way that they were able to mentor the next generation, to preserve certain blends and carry forward the legacy of authentic taste.”

The hint of quality comes from full leaves. A good quality loose tea must be crunchy instead of sticky. Different types of teas require different brewing times and variable temperatures. A darker brew indicates a fuller flavour. A close examination reveals whether it is made from a proportionate mix of buds and leaves.   

Talking about notes, Mr Ghosh infuses clarity, “There are complex layers of flavours – the head note, the body note and the after taste. The head note is the initial fleeting impression. The body note is the overall lasting impression when the liquor is held in the mouth. The tail notes refer to the subtle after taste that lingers long after the tea has been swallowed. ‘Mouth-feel’ is a key part of the tea tasting process. After sipping the tea, it is important to observe different sensations in the mouth, to find out whether it feels dry, moist, or coated.”  

The aroma of a tea is important just like its flavour. Fully appreciating the aroma of the tea adds a new dimension to tea tasting – slurp and get the full taste of the tea. This gives a much better appreciation for the full flavour profile of the tea.   

The journey of 123 years as a wholesale bulk tea manufacturer has been woven around the rich legacy – and the art – of tea tasting. The promising future of tea tasting makes A.Tosh & Sons infuse passion into the rare art and deliver what the global consumer expects from his brew.