Certification · Level 3
Level 3
Read the cup back to its origin.
Level 3 is the advanced tier of the CCTP: 14 modules, 50–70 hours, and over 100 teas tasted. It covers the full breadth of Chinese tea culture, presentation, grading, selection and design, and reasoned assessment, across all four pillars. You finish able to grade any tea with rigour, present it with authentic aesthetic command, and carry the credibility of a complete tea professional.
Teaching Philosophy
Tea is learned through the cup, not the textbook. Every concept in CCTP is approached through tasting first, then explained, then validated. At Level 3, the Five Qualities deepen from a scoring grid into a reasoning tool.
The level is demanding but not a gate. Its difficulty lives in the depth of the material, not in tricks, follow the structure of the learning process and the standard is within reach. The aim is mastery shaped to your own palate and style.
Fourteen Modules, Balanced Across Four Pillars
Module 01
Advanced Processing, Decisions, Not Categories
Each craft lever, oxidation, fixing, rolling, roasting, yellowing, as a separable, readable decision.
P1, Production
Module 02
The Three Origins, Source, Craft, Time
Every aroma enters in the garden, at the maker’s hand, or in storage. Naming which is the heart of attribution.
P1, Production
Module 03
Backward Reasoning by Category
Observe, then reason to production, fix the craft, fix the category, back out source and time.
P1, Production
Module 04
Terroir at Depth, Mountain, Slope, Season
山场气, mountain character, altitude, leaf grade, harvest timing, reading where a tea grew from the cup.
P2, Terroir
Module 05
Cultivar & Regional Signatures
品种香, cultivar aromatics across China’s benchmark regions and their defining single origin styles.
P2, Terroir
Module 06
Aging & Storage, Reading Time
陈香, 药香, 参香, how aged white, oolong, and dark teas reveal age and storage in the cup.
P2, Terroir
Module 07
SATT at Level 3, The Reasoning Grid
形色香味韵 sharpened, intensity, persistence, and aroma read across dry leaf, steam, liquor, cooled cup, empty cup.
Sensory, woven
Module 08
Quality Grading, The Cupping Method
Systematic cupping to GB/T standard: form, colour, fragrance, taste, resonance, scored, weighted, defensible.
Sensory, woven
Module 09
Assessing the Unknown
Grading a tea with no label, fairly and on its own terms, the practitioner’s true test.
Sensory, woven
Module 10
Defects, Faults & Adulteration
Recognising poor storage, processing faults, and misrepresentation, protecting your own judgement.
Sensory, woven
Module 11
习茶, Brewing as Precision & Art
Vessel, water, parameter, and intention as one. Mastery of gongfu method as a controllable, repeatable instrument.
P3, 习茶
Module 12
The Aesthetics of Presentation
Tea space, vessel pairing, seasonal sensibility, and gesture, the authentic Chinese aesthetic principles behind a beautiful, intentional setting.
P3, 习茶
Module 13
Designing the Tea Experience
Selecting and sequencing teas, menu construction, and sommelier-level pairing, designing a session with a signature personal voice.
P4, Hospitality
Module 14
Standing Out, Authority & Presence
Teaching, writing, and leading tastings with credibility, the comprehensive professional who stands out in any room.
P4, Hospitality
Learning Outcomes
Assessment
Written exam
Advanced theory, in person
Blind tasting
Six teas in exam, twelve in course practice
Pass mark
75%
The Programme
Teas tasted
Over 100 samples across the course
Study commitment
50–70 hours
Prerequisite
CCTP Level 2 completion
Not Currently Enrolling · Outline Only
For those tea has stayed with.
Level 3 is built for the serious, lifelong practitioner ready to turn deep interest into genuine authority. When it opens, the cohort will be intentionally small, four to six students, to allow close guidance through demanding material. Completion of Level 2 will be required. Join the waitlist to be notified, or ask whether Level 3 is right for you.
Cohort size
4–6 students
Format
In person, Toronto
Study time
50–70 hours
L3 Tuition
$795 CAD
Prerequisite: CCTP Level 2. Responses within 48 hours.
Thanks, you're on the list. We'll be in touch when Level 3 opens.
Join the Waitlist
Or email directly: teaacademy.org@gmail.com