Tea Taster Profile: Jennifer Nowicki

Jennifer Nowicki is an experienced tea taster and tea professional. She is the founder and curator of Cultivate Taste Tea. Cultivate Taste Tea is a premium tea company dedicated to sourcing and sharing the world’s finest single-origin leaves. Jennifer has spent nearly 30 years in the tea industry and extensive experience in the gourmet and natural foods sector. She combines deep business expertise with a lifelong passion for tea. 

A certified tea specialist through the Specialty Tea Institute, Jennifer trained extensively in professional cupping and palate development. She has taught cupping classes at tea festivals and in her own tea spaces. She was a semi-finalist in the Draper Competition at Smith College and a 2023 WIN (Women Innovating Now) Lab Cohort member at Babson College. 

Jennifer Nowicki in conversation with Bhavi Patel

When would you say you decided to pursue tea making/tea tasting as a professional skill? What first interested you about tasting?

When I lived in Seattle and co-owned a coffeehouse, despite never drinking coffee, I found myself completely drawn to our tea selection. Tea made sense to me in a way nothing else had before. Even then, I could feel that tea held depth, history, and nuance beyond what most people noticed. I wanted to understand it properly, not just serve it. That desire to go deeper led me to the Specialty Tea Institute. I committed to a five-year journey to become a certified tea specialist.

Those years were formative. Higher-level courses revolved around professional cupping and palate development. They taught me that tasting isn’t just about flavor. Flavor is also about structure, texture, energy, and even emotion. It was my first true introduction to the discipline and artistry of cupping. It completely reshaped how I experienced tea. I fell in love with the precision, the ritual, and the respect for the leaf. The more I tasted, the more I wanted to taste.

That foundation not only refined my palate, it ignited a passion to share the craft with others. I began leading professional cupping sessions at tea festivals. Eventually, I hosted them in my own tea space, helping people experience tea with intention and depth. That was the moment I realized this wasn’t just a fascination or a hobby. It was the work I wanted to dedicate my life to: honoring tea at its highest level and helping others develop the skill to truly taste it.

What did you do before working in tea? Did working as a tea taster represent a shift in what you initially thought to would be doing as a career?

Before working in tea, I spent years in the gourmet and natural food industry in management, constantly exploring what “quality” truly meant. I was surrounded by artisans and producers who cared about origin, ingredient integrity, and craftsmanship, and that environment shaped my belief that food and beverage could be both cultural and elevated. I always knew I wanted to own a business rooted in something meaningful, something I could devote my life to with both passion and purpose, but I hadn’t yet discovered what that would be.

When I found tea, everything aligned. Tea offered the perfect intersection of tradition, terroir, craftsmanship, and quiet complexity. It had depth like wine, ritual like culinary arts, and a cultural richness that spoke to my love of history and humanity. The more I learned, the more I realized tea wasn’t something to simply sell; it was something to study, honor, and experience with intention. That desire for depth led me to pursue formal training and become a certified tea specialist through the Specialty Tea Institute.

Mastering the Tea Palate

Professional cupping and palate development were at the core of our education, and that completely transformed how I approached tea. Learning to taste with intention (not just flavor, but structure, texture, energy, balance, and place) felt like unlocking an entirely new language. Cupping gave me the discipline and precision required to evaluate tea at a high level, and it became the foundation of my work. This is why I care so deeply about purity, provenance, and the craft of the leaf, because once you train your palate, you can never go back to seeing tea as just a beverage.

My academic background also shaped my path. I hold two bachelor’s degrees: one in Humanistic Studies, which deepened my love for the culture and story behind tea, and one in Business Administration, which gave me the tools to build a company with integrity and vision. Looking back, tea wasn’t just a career shift; it was the moment everything in my life finally aligned. I had found the rare craft worthy of a lifetime of study, and I knew I wanted to elevate it and share it with others at the highest level.

Are there some teas (tea styles) that resonate? Are there teas that you are better at describing, even if they are not your personal favorites? If so, why do you think this is the case?

Green tea will always be deeply personal to me. I began drinking Chinese green tea with my grandmother, and those early moments (quiet, intentional, rooted in care) shaped the foundation of how I connect with tea to this day. Green tea taught me to pay attention: to softness, to freshness, to the way simplicity can still be incredibly expressive. That emotional connection gave me my starting point, but it was during my formal tea education that oolong truly captured my heart.

Oolong offered a kind of infinite fascination. Its depth and complexity, the ability for the same leaves to reveal new layers with every infusion, felt like a conversation between craftsmanship and terroir. Oolong taught me how to listen to tea on a more professional level; it sharpened my palate, helped me articulate nuance, and showed me how processing can transform a leaf without losing its soul. That’s a big part of why oolong continues to guide my approach not just as a tea taster, but as a curator of teas at Cultivate Taste Tea. I value transparency, clarity, and flavor integrity, and oolong embodies all of those.

Articulating Elegance and Complexity

Interestingly, I’ve also developed a strong ability to describe Darjeeling teas, even though I’m not naturally drawn to most black (or red) teas. Darjeeling stands apart; it has a lighter body, lifted aromatics, and a refined, almost ethereal elegance that mirrors many of the qualities I love in oolong. It’s like the bridge between categories for me. I think I describe Darjeeling and oolong well because they speak the same language I do: complexity without heaviness, terroir you can taste, and a structure that reveals itself with patience and attention.

Ultimately, the teas I articulate best are the ones that offer both personality and perspective. They don’t just taste good, they teach you something. And as someone who believes tea should be explored with both palate and curiosity, those are the styles I am most passionate about sharing with others through my work and sourcing.

Which teas were initially the most challenging for you? Are they still daunting? Or have you made peace with them and reached a mutual understanding? How so?

Black (or red) teas were always the most challenging for me. Even early in my tea journey, I found myself appreciating them intellectually but struggling to connect with them emotionally. In professional cupping settings, I learned to analyze their structure, body, and aroma with precision, and I respect the craftsmanship that goes into them. But compared to other categories, they often felt heavier or more linear on my palate. I craved nuance (movement, transformation, layers unfolding gently over time) qualities I didn’t often find in the black teas I first encountered.

Blended teas were another hurdle. Growing up, the inexpensive blends available to me tasted flat, muddy, or overly flavored. They felt more like disguises than expressions of tea. Those early experiences taught me what I didn’t want: tea that hides the leaf. What I longed for, before I even had the language to describe it, was purity, transparency, and terroir-driven character. That realization ultimately shaped my sourcing philosophy and later became a cornerstone of Cultivate Taste Tea: honoring the leaf rather than masking it.

Refining My Tea Philosophy

As I immersed myself in formal tea education and professional cupping, I started to understand why certain styles resonate more than others. I’m naturally drawn to categories that balance elegance with depth: white and green teas with their soft complexity, oolongs with their layered transformation, and dark (hei cha) teas with their intriguing, evolving richness. These styles invite curiosity. They ask you to slow down, taste more intentionally, and allow the tea to speak for itself. That’s where my palate feels most at home.

Have I made peace with black teas? In a sense, yes, because I’ve learned to appreciate them on their own terms. Some surprise me with nuance, especially those that highlight terroir rather than power. I value them academically and can describe them well. However, I don’t force myself to love them in the same way I love oolong or high-grade green tea. Instead, I honor the fact that every category has its place. My role as both a tea specialist and a curator is to seek out the truest, most expressive version of each style.

Ultimately, this journey helped me clarify my philosophy: the best teas don’t need embellishment; they need respect. And the more I refine my palate, the more committed I become to sourcing teas that let their origin, craftsmanship, and leaf speak with clarity and integrity.

Will you share some insights about how you developed your tea vocabulary with readers? What was the process like for you in going from identifying “something familiar” to perhaps relating it to a memorable experience or place to being able to put a specific term to it?

My tea vocabulary really took shape during my formal education. Here, professional cupping was not just a technique, it was a discipline. Those early sessions trained me to taste with intention, to pay attention to structure, texture, aroma, and finish, and to describe each element with precision rather than vague impressions. At first, I often sensed “something familiar,” but through guided practice, I learned to connect those sensations to memory, place, or emotion: like the crisp sweetness of spring air in the mountains or the soft nuttiness of roasted chestnuts. That bridge between sensory experience and language became the foundation of my palate.

As I deepened my studies, my vocabulary evolved along with my understanding of tea’s incredible diversity. I pushed beyond the common narratives—learning about dark teas outside of just pu-erh, studying regional processing traditions, and tasting artisanal styles that rarely make it into mainstream markets. The more I explored terroir-driven teas, the more nuanced my language became, because these teas deserve nuanced vocabulary. Describing the difference between a high-elevation oolong and a shade-grown green tea isn’t just semantics; it’s honoring the craft, environment, and culture behind each leaf.

Translating the Tea Experience

Over time, I also learned not to chase trends in tea language. While the industry sometimes leans into buzzwords or flashy descriptions, I still stand by some more traditional terminology that others might consider “uncool.” To me, clarity, honesty, and accuracy matter more than sounding trendy. If a term truly communicates the character of the tea, I’ll use it, because my goal isn’t to impress, it’s to illuminate.

Tea is beautifully simple, just leaves and water, yet endlessly complex in expression. That paradox is what keeps me curious after all these years. I approach every origin, every season, and every session as an opportunity to learn something new. My vocabulary is not static; it grows as my palate expands and my sourcing deepens.

And that philosophy is woven into Cultivate Taste Tea as well. I don’t just sell tea, I translate it. I choose teas that have something to say. And, I use language that helps others taste with more awareness and appreciation. Developing vocabulary isn’t about memorizing flavor wheels; it’s about developing sensitivity, memory, and respect. I consider myself a lifelong student of the leaf, and that dedication to continuous learning is at the heart of both my craft and my brand.

Did you actively seek opportunities to build vocabulary? What were some of your exercises?

Yes, I’ve always sought opportunities to build my tea vocabulary; it’s essential not just for appreciating tea, but for truly understanding it. During my formal training, exercises like systematic cupping, side-by-side comparisons, and careful exploration of aromas, textures, and flavors were invaluable. These practices taught me to notice subtle distinctions that most people might overlook and gave me the tools to describe them with precision. I also made a habit of connecting flavors to familiar experiences or places, like the crispness of a mountain morning or the sweetness of a seasonal fruit, which helped me move from simply recognizing a note to articulating it clearly and meaningfully.

But developing vocabulary didn’t stop with my formal education. I continue to challenge myself with new origins, rare teas, and different harvests, taking time to observe and reflect on each infusion. Every cup offers something to learn: a leaf’s structure, its aroma, its subtle transformations, and the story it carries from its place of origin. For me, building a tea vocabulary isn’t just about accumulating words; it’s about training the palate to honor the complexity, nuance, and history of each leaf. It’s about cultivating curiosity and respect, and that philosophy is at the heart of how I source, taste, and share teas at Cultivate Taste Tea. Each cup is a lesson, each sip a connection to craft, culture, and terroir.

What advice would you give consumers seeking to refine their taste in tea?

For anyone seeking to refine their taste in tea, I would start with intention and curiosity. Taste widely and thoughtfully. Pay close attention not only to flavor, but to aroma, texture, and the subtle energy of the leaf. Let your palate develop over time; there is no shortcut to understanding nuance. Professional cupping can be an invaluable tool in this process. It trains you to recognize differences that might otherwise go unnoticed, from the structure and mouthfeel to the influence of terroir and processing.

Equally important is approaching tea as both craft and culture. Every leaf carries a story: the soil it grew in, the season it was harvested, the hands that processed it, and the traditions it embodies. Learning to taste deeply is a way of connecting with that story and honoring the care behind it. I encourage tea drinkers to slow down, reflect, and engage all their senses, because refining your palate is not just about accuracy: it’s about cultivating awareness, curiosity, and appreciation. At Cultivate Taste Tea, we focus on teas that reward this kind of mindful tasting, giving each sip the space to reveal its complexity and character. The more deliberate your practice, the richer and more meaningful your tea experience becomes.

TASTING NOTES

Jeju Island Korean Green Tea

Origin and Terroir

This is a first flush Jeju Island green tea. Grown in the rich volcanic soil of the eastern slope of Mt Halla in Harye Village, Seogwipo, southern coast of Jeju Island in South Korea. This tea reflects a rare maritime–mountain terroir. The cool coastal breezes, morning mists, and shaded cultivation produce a distinctly elegant green tea with remarkable clarity and depth. 

The liquor color reminds us of an early spring dandelion, and the wet leaves smell of dried straw and cooked asparagus.

Dry Leaf

Appearance: Needle-like, deep jade to slight bluish tint.
Aroma: Fresh cut grass, marine breeze, toasted nori, hint of pine, and sweet pea.

Liquor

Color: Clear early spring dandelion. Brilliant, silky, and luminous in the cup.

Aroma (Wet leaf and steam)

Steamed greens, ocean mist, umami broth, dried straw, and cooked asparagus. Delicate sweetness reminiscent of steamed rice or chestnut.

Taste/Flavor Profile

• First Impression: Clean, refreshing, delicately sweet. 

• Primary Notes: Umami-rich broth, young spring greens, light nutty toastiness. 

• Mid-Palate: Layers of sweet peas, bamboo shoot, and subtle marine salinity that enhance complexity.
• Finish: Long, cooling, and elegant with lingering vegetal, brothy, and mild astringency.

Mouthfeel

Silky, smooth body with a buoyant texture. Light yet structured. Gentle natural viscosity without heaviness.

Aftertaste

Persistent and refined; a softly sweet, slightly savory echo that invites mindfulness and calmness.

Overall Character

Balanced. Pure. Meditative.
This tea showcases the harmony of Jeju’s volcanic terroir (clean energy, ocean air, and fertile soil), resulting in a green tea that is both nuanced and highly sophisticated. A quintessential example of Korean craftsmanship and restraint, offering depth without intensity and elegance without compromise.

 

High Mountain Jade Oolong

Origin and Terroir

Grown at high elevation in mist-covered Chinese mountain gardens from the QingXin cultivar, this jade oolong benefits from dramatic day–night temperature shifts and pristine air quality. Slow leaf development at altitude concentrates aromatics and preserves natural sweetness, resulting in exceptional clarity, elegance, and floral lift.

Dry Leaf 

Appearance: Tightly rolled, lustrous jade to deep olive-green pearls with visible bud sets.
Aroma: Orchid, lilac, sweet cream, fresh mountain air, and a hint of sugarcane. 

Liquor 

Color: Pale golden-green, brilliantly clear with a soft, luminous, silky sheen.

Aroma (Wet Leaf and Steam)

Explosive florals: orchid, gardenia, osmanthus layered with buttered greens, honeysuckle, and gentle alpine freshness. Subtle notes of stone fruit and sweet cream emerge as the leaves open.

Taste/Flavor Profile

• First Impression: Bright, pure, and floral-forward. 
• Primary Notes: Orchid, magnolia, honeysuckle, butter, and tender young greens.
• Mid-Palate: Juicy stone fruit (white peach, apricot), sugarcane, and light nectar.
• Finish: Long, cooling, and ethereal with lingering florals and soft mineral elegance.

Mouthfeel

Silky, supple, and round with a buoyant texture. Medium body with refined structure. Slight natural viscosity balanced by uplifting freshness.

Aftertaste

Highly persistent returning sweetness. A cooling, almost mentholated sensation on the breath followed by a sweet floral echo that expands slowly on the palate.

Overall Character

Elegant. Floral. Transcendent. 
This high mountain jade oolong is a masterclass in refinement, capturing the pristine environment of its origin with remarkable aromatic density and textural grace. It embodies the pinnacle of Chinese oolong craftsmanship: layered, long-lasting, and profoundly balanced.

All photos by Jennifer Nowocki

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