Tea School Tuesday – Week 1

I mentioned in my year-end wrap-up post that I am enrolling in courses with World Tea Academy. The plan is to share a bit about my experience with you all each week. This post was finished later than I wanted to because I unexpectedly have jury duty for the entire week. Hopefully, that will be over soon so that I can focus more on my studies (and blogging)!

I previously tested out of the Core.01 course years ago so I’m picking back up by taking Core.02. This class focuses specifically on tea enhancements and grading systems. In this first week, the course material covered the packaging and storing of tea as well as the processes that the leaves might undergo after manufacturing.

So far I feel that this is a good introductory course, especially if someone is new to the world of tea. There was a lot of information presented without being overwhelming. I was particularly happy to see them address the myth of decaffeinating your tea at home. I am happy to know that the new wave of tea professionals will not be spreading that old wive’s tale. The class discussion on how we store our teas at home was also very enjoyable.

3 Things I Learned This Week

• The EU and USDA have different regulations for decaffeinated tea
• Extracts are flavorings whose primary solvent is alcohol. Emulsions are flavorings that are dispersed using either a starch or gum suspension
• Blending tea helps to control costs. The more components there are, the easier it is to replace an ingredient that has gone up in price.

I’m looking forward to jumping into week 2. It will focus on all of the different grading systems used for tea around the world.

Have you taken this class? Would you want to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Course provided by World Tea Academy for review. Opinions are my own.