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In conjunction with the January 2007 Winter Fancy Food Show, the Specialty Tea Institute held a Tea Certification program at the Carnelian Room in San Francisco, CA. For four days, over 75 tea professionals and enthusiasts gathered to become certified in Level 1, 2 and 3 tea education classes.
Levels 1 and 2: The Foundations of Tea were presented in their new formats. Students created or strengthened their core knowledge of the world of specialty tea with lead instructor, Donna Fellman, Chairwoman of the STI Education Committee, Phil Parda, of Zhong Guo Cha (Level 1) and Ken Rudee of Barnes and Watson Fine Teas (Level 2).
STI also introduced two new Level 3 classes. The Level 3, Oolong Teas class was presented by two distinguished experts in the field, Thomas Shu and Stephen Chao. Thomas Shu of ABC Teas started the day with a performance of a traditional Taiwanese tea pluckers’ song. Later he introduced and described a wide variety of oolong teas as the students tasted and took notes. The afternoon was devoted to Chinese oolongs, presented by Stephen Chao of Eastrise Trading Corp. Mr. Chao presented a wide range of teas from commercial to premium grades, as well as in-depth information about tea production.
The final class, Professional Cupping and Sensory Awareness was delivered by two outstanding tea professionals, Mike Spillane of GS Haly and Richard Guzauskas of Q Trade International. The purpose of the class was to learn to evaluate and analyze teas for suitability and quality. The morning session familiarized students with all aspects of cupping from the essential elements of the set-up procedure and sensory analysis to spitting and record-keeping. The afternoon session consisted of further instruction and exercises in sensory evaluation. Students were taught to recognize defects in the teas such as under-withered, over-fired, case-hardened, over-rolled, and recognizing when oil had been applied to a scented tea.
Next Upcoming Tea Certification Program:
STI CERTIFICATION PROGRAM @ SCAAFoundations of Tea: Level One & Level Two
May 3-4, 2007
Long Beach, CA
Location: Renaissance Hotel