Tea and Olfaction: Deconstructing Taiwanese Oolong (in person)

Tea specialist Anna Mariani will lead this workshop with a side-by-side analysis of two contrasting Taiwanese oolong teas. Through specific exercises designed to reveal nuanced aroma notes, we will explore the connection between how we smell and how we taste. Because our sense of smell accounts for up to 80–90% of what we experience as flavor, the complex profile of tea serves as an ideal blueprint for building a perfume accord.

By translating our notes into a perfumer’s vocabulary, we will deconstruct the olfactory architecture of each infusion—from the dry leaf to the aroma lingering in the empty cup.

In the second half of the class, drawing on these insights and under the guidance of IAO instructor Julianne Lee , we will work with a baseline tea accord to learn the structural foundations of tea in fragrance. We will then explore together how to strategically augment and modify this baseline formula using specific aromamolecules to match the distinct profiles of the two teas we evaluated.

The specialty oolongs featured in this class are generously provided by Tap Twice Tea (https://taptwicetea.com/ )