Tess Thormodsgaard, Los Angeles, California

As the designated office iced-tea maker for a tech company in L.A., TAC Tea Sommelier, Tess Thormodsgaard, approached the tea program as a means to fuel her interest in food and drink culture. “I felt I was neither learning enough in my normal life nor was I learning enough at my day job” comments Thormodsgaard. For this multitasking Millennial, tea, a topic about which she is passionate, led her to pursue the sommelier certification. “The scope of the program meant I would be learning more than just about tea, but also its history, the production and business side as well as a cultural perspective.”

Q+A with Tess Thormodsgaard

What is your earliest memory of tea? When I was young, my father used to make me a warming, calming (and delicious) cup of Sleepy Time tea with milk and sugar. It was my gateway tea. I also remember having Afternoon Tea at the Ritz Carlton in Washington DC with my family when I was 13 years old. The environment was luxurious and relaxed with great food.

Favourite TAC Tea Sommelier module? Tea 107: Menu Design, Food Pairing, Cooking with Tea. I loved developing my own menu, as well as having to taste cheese and chocolate with tea. However, the most beneficial module was probably Tea 104 Tea Types because the course introduced me to the landscape of different kinds of teas from different regions, times of year, and blends and improved my tasting skills.

If you could drink two teas what would you drink? A lightly oxidized Taiwanese Oolong (iced or hot) and a Moroccan Mint (iced or hot).

Where in the world has tea played a role in your travels? Drinking green tea and eating petit fours at a Buddhist Temple in Koyasan with Buddhist monks after a 5am meditation, drinking Moroccan mint tea while negotiating a pair of slippers at a Souk in Marrakesh and indulging in tea and desserts on a Ladurée rooftop in London after day of flying.

What is next for you? Who knows! But isn’t that exciting.