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| Tea sommelier Cho Tae-san brews coffee and tea at his shop, Bacio, May 8, Seoul. /Korea Times photo by Bahk Eun-ji |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Coffee is the most sought-after and consumed beverage in Korea, but the number of people seeking tea over coffee is growing, said tea sommelier Cho Tae-san, 58, who has brewed various teas since 2014.
Tea sommelier is a certified job to understand the characters of various teas, especially the representative six kinds produced worldwide _ green tea, white tea, oolong tea, yellow tea, black tea and fermented tea _ and to explain each tea's ingredients and effectiveness to consumers.
Data also shows the changing trend: The volume of coffee imports, which had been ever growing, fell from 146,000 tons in 2017 to 143,000 tons in 2018, according to the Korea Customs Service. Tea options are gaining popularity at franchise cafes, with sales of Starbucks' tea brand Teavana rising 20 percent from 2017 to 2018 and Ediya Coffee selling 9.4 million cups of tea last year, triple the amount in 2016.
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| Various tea leaves and tea wares are displayed at Cho's shop in Seoul. /Korea Times photo by Bahk Eun-ji |
"The tea market in Korea has been undergoing this huge shift," Cho said. "Koreans have not been familiar with drinking tea, mainly because of the difficult tea etiquette. But tea drinks are becoming more casual than they used to be, as evidenced by the various new tea options at coffee chains."
Cho, a former barista, said the role of tea sommelier is similar to barista's, but the tea market has more potential for development as Korea is a producer of tea leaves.
But tea was not attractive to Cho at first, he said. "I had worked in the food and beverage industry for about 30 years, but developed an interest in becoming a barista in 2011. The job was very interesting to him, but Cho soon became tired of the cutthroat competition in Korea, especially because of the sheer number of competing coffee shops.
He then discovered the charm of tea while looking for new items for his cafe which he set up in 2011. He began to take a course for certification at the Korea Tea Sommelier Institute, and become tea sommelier in 2015. Cho gave tea lectures at the institute for two years from 2016.
"The role of tea sommelier is kind of bridging the gap between tea and consumers. It is not about just selling tea. What we introduce is more like an experience, because our job is more like selling sensibility through a cup of tea," Cho said.
The history about tea is long and complex, Cho said.
"Tea sommeliers like me find joy when a brewed cup of tea can relief to a customer's mind and body."
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