Now your first thought on slurping may legitimately be why master this slurping business at all?
Quite honestly, isn’t it just a very impolite, uncouth, & rather noisy method of drinking tea, especially when it is too hot to drink? Well, you might well be right on all those counts but read on as there is an exception…………
It takes 5 years to become a tea tasting expert – and all the tea tasters in the world are expert slurpers.
Slurping is key to being able to really taste tea. By rolling the tea around your mouth, it gets to all those taste buds. The method basically allows development of a very sophisticated palette absolutely critical for that all important task of evaluating the essence & flavour of various batches of tea.
As you can imagine, it’s a bit of a challenge to get these folks on film showing their craft
Which is why I absolutely loved this short video from Yorkshire Tea. Glorious sound effects & a really amusing commentary from one of their tea buyers offers unique insight into the final stages of quality control at Yorkshire Tea. My favourite quote is Suzy extolling the virtues of a job where you can spit on your boss & still remain employed, how marvelous!
Master the art of Tea Slurping - Yorkshire Tea buyer demonstrates how to be a tea taster
The next must have item for all your tea loving friends - a proper Tea tasting spoon
The other rather charming element is the special piece of equipment required – a larger than average spoon. Frankly a teaspoon is just not big enough to hold sufficient liquid to slurp. I adored the beautiful spoon that Northern Tea merchant’s James Pogson had especially commissioned, made from Sheffield steel, the home of quality British steel manufacturing, it has a uniquely angled handle that allows tea to be scooped from a cup for slurping.
James Pogsons specially designed tea tasting spoon
Mary Kate has decided that slurping is the way forward for Tea tasting
It is a method that really allows you to properly taste tea, and one that also helps to develop your palette, aiding in that all important decision on what tea you really like. My one caveat though my dears is in consideration of the potential social impact, perhaps practise & conduct this newly found slurping activity in the privacy of your own homes.
Hi Mary Kate,
I recently visited the Malabar tea factory in West Java, Indonesia, and saw for the first time a slurp cup: a tea cup with a serrated section along the tea cup rim – rather like a tiny comb, through which the tea taster slurps.
Loved the video, thank you for sharing! I’m practicing slurping today
My mum said her father used to always slurp his tea really loudly because he said it tasted best that way, which drove my grandmother nuts LOL. I guess he was on to something! 
oh for sure! Mine used to say it cooled the tea – for both the other motivation was irritation of the grandmother I suspect – thanks so much for your comment, mk