Sommeliers - they're not just for wine anymore. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, a sommelier is "a waiter in a restaurant who has charge of wines and their service" or "a wine steward." Though this doesn't leave any room to apply the word to tea culture, many tea experts have gone ahead and taken on this appellation even so.

One measure of the popularity of the term sommelier as it applies to wine vs. sommelier as it relates to tea is a simple Google search. While perhaps not the most scientific method for comparing the two, a search for "sommelier" returns 1,690,000 English results, as opposed to 5,640 for "tea sommelier."

It's hard to say exactly when the first tea sommelier appeared on the scene, but several individuals lay claim to a variety of firsts. In the United States - and perhaps worldwide - James Labe is said to be the first person to take on such a post, at New York's W Hotel. Nowadays, Labe is counted as one of the faculty members of the American Tea Masters Association, among other things. Here's a 2000 podcast that features Labe.

In Canada, Michael Obnowlenny seems to have been the first to blaze the trail as a tea sommelier. Obnowlenny holds court at the EPIC Restaurant, located in Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel. In England, the title of first tea sommelier apparently goes to Karl Kessab, who plies his trade at London's Lanesborough Hotel. For Kessab's thoughts on what this post entails, refer to this interview and this podcast.

As of 2003, when this article on tea sommeliers was published, there was no formal certification course available for someone hoping to take on this designation. That's apparently still the case today. Aspiring tea sommeliers looking to further their education might want to consider the Tea Certification Program offered by The Tea Association of the USA. Also of interest, a Tea Sommelier Academy, located in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

For additional perspective on what a tea sommelier does, look here and here.