Maria Kockmann, serving tea with consciousness

This edition of Your Tea Journey Continues features some very interesting people of tea. Our latest story introduces us to Maria Kockmann whose tea journey has taken her between South America and Europe. She represents a new generation of tea sommeliers who have taken great strides to understand the world of tea, the people who grow it, and the relevance of it in today’s times. Anne-Frédérique Dayraut, our writer in France, interviews Maria in this insightful and considered conversation.

We also showcase people who have been part of our series called Taster’s Profiles, tea experts who taste more teas in a day than some of us do in a month! It’s a sneak peek into the working life of tea sommeliers.

Happy reading!

Aravinda Anantharaman
Editor, Tea Journey
Todays tea: 2024 second flush black tea, Bermiok tea estate in Sikkim, India

Expertise, Point of View

By Anne-Frédérique Dayraut

Maria Kockmann: Tea with Consciousness

Bringing consciousness to tasting, not just in the sensory experience of the mouth or intellect, but also in the body. Sometimes these approaches face each other: the very Western sommelier…

By Dan Bolton

Alfred Mwase: Crafting Orthodox Teas Amid a Sea of CTC

The Satemwa Tea Estate, founded in 1923, began to revive the production of orthodox teas about 15 years ago. It is the only estate in Malawi crafting orthodox teas. Taster…

By Anne-Frédérique Dayraut

Taster and Pioneer Tea Sommelier Lydia Gautier

A pioneer tea sommelier in France and the author of several reference books on tea, Lydia Gautier has been a consultant for many international brands. Her 25 years of experience…

By Anne-Frédérique Dayraut

Taster Profile: Carine Baudry

The world of smells is closely linked to our experience. We work on memory, and so everyone describes tea with different terms. My role as a tea taster is to…

Aravinda Anantharaman

Editor, Tea Journey Magazine
Write me at aravinda@teajourney.pub