Kurush Bharucha is among the foremost tea tasters in the world and a brilliant teacher. As a student of his craft, he has always followed the mantra, 'Practice makes perfect, so perfect your practice' - which describes his apprentice days when he tasted up to 1000 cups of tea daily. His expertise, over four decades, extends well beyond the ability to discern quality tea. Seeing synergies across all links in the beverage chain has enabled him to develop a sharp and holistic appreciation of ground realities, constantly pushing boundaries and QUOTE “asking the right questions to constructively challenge the status quo.”

As the former head of global tea expertise at Lipton Tea & Infusions, our guest today is in demand as an advisor, educator, and judge of tea competitions.

BIO: Kurush began his career in tea in 1985 with Brooke Bond India Limited, shortly after the Anglo-Dutch major Unilever acquired the storied brand. He worked for 20 years in India, with tenures at all six of India's Tea auction centers as a taster and tea buyer and at the company's blending and packing factories as a tea blender. He then relocated to Dubai, where he spent 8 years as Lipton's Beverages Supply Chain Director, buying, blending, and packing tea for markets across its Asia and Africa region. Over the next decade, his work in the UK focused on consumer research, recipe design, building a tea culture....and training a global cadre of up to 80 tea tasters across Lipton's integrated tea business from bush to brand. He has traveled extensively, partnering with producers and sourcing sustainably certified and organic teas from the world's most exclusive network of growers. He holds a degree in Economics from Mumbai University and plans to return soon from the UK to his home in India.

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