Sommelier day — restaurant pairing training

What you get

• Comparative tasting of twelve single-origin Chinese teas — sheng pu’er, shu pu’er, dancong oolong, Bái Háo Yín Zhēn, long jing, and a yellow tea

• Three structured plate trials pairing tea with small savoury, umami, and dessert courses

• A service-temperature workshop with three water temperatures and precise steep timings for each tea class

• Costing exercise using real restaurant scenario data to build a tea programme margin plan

• Hardcopy workbook with tasting grids, pairing rationales, and regional maps from Guangdong to Yunnan

• One-year access to the tea.services members’ library of brewing videos and case studies

• Priority booking for follow-up mentorship sessions with the tea masters who lead the day

Tea as a menu language, not an afterthought

The day begins with a quiet arrival in the light-filled Berlin loft we use for immersions — cups pre-warmed, the first gaiwan already breathing with a Guangdong dancong, Mǐ Lán Xiāng, its honey-orchid fragrance filling the room before anyone speaks. Mei Yang opens with a gesture, not a script: a single-trunk oolong from Phoenix Mountain poured into porcelain, then tasted alongside the same leaf brewed a second time at a slightly cooler temperature. The difference in texture — from silken to almost brothy — sets the terms for the hours ahead. This isn’t a lecture; it’s a calibration.

The morning builds through a structured tasting of six teas that span the core Chinese families: a sun-dried sheng from Yiwu, a deep-fermented shu from Menghai, a charcoal-roasted duck shit dancong, a long jing green that still carries the nuttiness of a pan-fire finish, a white tea Bái Háo Yín Zhēn from Fuding whose dry leaves are silver needles, and a yellow tea from Anhui that few restaurants even know exists. Each infusion is discussed first on its own terms — mouthfeel, aftertaste, the way the liquor coats the tongue — then immediately paired with a small bite designed by a chef-collaborator. A single scallop ceviche, for instance, pulls the long jing’s vegetal sweetness forward, while the same dish sends the Menghai shu into a flat, earthy register that reminds everyone why pairing is a chemistry of contrast, not complement.

After lunch — a light bowl of noodles and jasmine-scented broth — Chen Hui Yi takes the table into the white, green, and yellow section. She sets three gaiwans side by side, each at a different water temperature: 75°C, 85°C, and just off the boil. The same Bái Háo Yín Zhēn behaves like three different teas. This is the service-temperature workshop, and it’s where the session turns from tasting to action. Sommeliers work in pairs, brewing for each other, logging results, calibrating palates. The aim is to give them the confidence to serve a white tea at 80°C in a fine-dining room and know exactly why they chose that parameter.

The final block is a costing exercise grounded in a real restaurant case: a 60-cover establishment with a tasting menu, a wine-dominated list, and a budget for three Chinese teas. Participants receive the wholesale prices, the pour costs, the breakage estimates, and a target margin. Forty-five minutes of quiet calculations and debate produce numbers that often surprise — some teas, like aged sheng, can carry higher margins than many wines, but only if the storytelling matches the quality. The room becomes a clinic on how to price, position, and promote a tea programme without trivialising the craft.

The day closes with a last round of Mǐ Lán Xiāng, now cooled in an old cha hai. The fragrance has shifted again — cooler, more mineral, a hint of stone fruit. Everyone leaves with a workbook, a palate they trust a little more, and the clear sense that Chinese tea belongs in the same conversation as any wine glass. Members of tea.community enjoy early notice and a private debrief call. For public-facing pairings, see our seasonal tasting calendar on tea.events.

Who leads this session

• Mei Yang — Phoenix dancong specialist — her masterclass on single-trunk oolongs anchors the morning tasting and plate trials.

• Chen Hui Yi — White, yellow, and green tea expert — leads the comparative tasting and service-temperature workshop.

Practicalities

• Location — Berlin, Charlottenburg — a private loft studio with full tea bar and induction stations.

• Cohort size — Maximum 12 sommeliers to preserve one-to-one attention.

• Language — Primary instruction in English; Mandarin and German support available.

• Dress — Smart casual — dress for a working kitchen but with respect for the tea table.

• Food & drink — A light lunch included; all tea throughout the day; water and palate cleansers.

• What to bring — A notebook and a sharp palate — all equipment and the workbook are provided.

• Follow-up — One-hour post-training call within two weeks; discounted online kit sessions.