Update: June, 2023
My name is Joshua Linvers, I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
My parents are Swiss and French Canadian but somehow I speak neither language. I married into Japanese culture when I was 18, and since then my Japanese is on track to some level of fluency. I am an avid Japanophile and lover of a great deal of Asian culture in general. The old novels and historical accounts from ancient China, Japan, and Korea truly fascinate me to the point I’ve convinced myself that I was some sort of book keeper of these events in a past life. I’ve always chosen the path of least resistance, and through this flow I ended up getting into the world of tea and building this company.
From November 2012 until July 2020 I was employed as the head waiter and sommelier of Q Haute Cuisine, a contemporary French restaurant in Calgary’s Eau Claire community. It was considered by many to be among the top restaurants in Canada. COVID-19 had a strong effect on our restaurant and unfortunately, we were not able to weather the storm. Prior to Q Haute Cuisine, I was the butler for the Consulate General of Japan in Calgary, an experience that re-wired the kid I was into a robotic, service-centric tool. Since then, things have come a long way, these days (since August 2020) I am a? the? I don’t want to come off as pretentious here — some form of ‘face‘ of Carino restaurant in Mission, Calgary. I’m there Wednesday to Saturday evenings, you’ll definitely see me if you visit. I’ve learned a lot about what a proper customer experience should be in my life, and it’s my privilege to show that to ours customers. While visiting us, the tea menu is ‘secret’ in a sense that I’ll only bring it up if I am 100% confident in my ability to deliver the life experience you deserve; but if you’re in on the secret, well jeez, I’ll kick myself into a higher gear to make sure you’re getting what you want from your visit. Ask and you shall receive.
In early 2013 at the request of chef Michele Aurigemma, I began to study tea as an alternative to alcohol for our customers. Throughout my years of research, focused tasting, and experience in the dining room I have honed my craft. Pairing tea and food is a niche asset that I have ardently developed; and with the desire to do it better, I came to the conclusion that if I don’t import tea myself, I’ll always have to buy the unremarkable quality which our local market supports — and that is unacceptable.
In 2016 after a visit to the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, I started Sommerier Tea Selections. The name was the suggestion of my father-in-law during a lengthy (9 hour) walk through the streets of Osaka. Linguistically going back in time, the word ‘sommelier’ was taken from ‘sommerier’, taken from ‘sommier’. We figured as the world has several branches of sommeliers these days, there must have been “sommerier’s of tea” in the past. I focus on importing traditional, authentic, luxury teas of China and Japan. It’s about time our culture moves past the ‘everyday’ of tea and starts to drink something excellent (once in a while), and my goal is to enable that. I believe once someone tries a Lao Cong Phoenix Oolong, a high grade of Sencha, or a black tea like Jin Jun Mei, their opinion of tea will be forever changed. I believe this because I’ve seen this countless times — the ‘impact’ good tea has on people is a driving factor for me to take my skillset further.
Based on my career paths in life I feel uniquely capable to educate others about tea in a way that is especially relevant and memorable. I understand what is interesting to talk about and what stories should be told, I am efficient and charming (if I can say so about myself), and I can quickly host events with minimal set-up and tear-down time.
I have taught tasting classes for as few as 2 people to look at tea though the lens that I do, curated private dinner parties for clients in their homes for as few as 6 people, taught the importance of water quality in office boardrooms of 14, brewed tea at Christmas parties in convention centres for over 900 people, and maintained a presence during a busy festival with over 100,000 visitors. Over the years I have worked with fine dining chefs to create well over 300 paired dishes for tea, wine, whiskey, sake, cocktails, and beer. In 2023, as I am 35 years old, I have a great deal of confidence to say: If you’ll consider me for your event, no matter the size or style, no one is leaving without good memories.
Creativity and storytelling are two of my most practiced skills. If you might like to spend a few hours in an afternoon or evening to learn about tea (or wine pairing), or if you are considering having a non-alcoholic option for a large event, please do not hesitate to reach out to me by email at josh@sommerier.com
I’ll be sincerely glad to help, thank you for your consideration!