Certification

Certified Chinese Tea Professional

The Certified Chinese Tea Professional programme (CCTP) is a four-level pathway in Chinese tea, recognised by the World Tea Union and built on a proprietary tasting methodology based on GB/T 23776-2018 (National Standard Methodology for sensory evaluation of tea).

Identify at Level 1, describe and present at Level 2, analyse at Level 3, then evaluate at Level 4.

CCTP Level 2 Pilot Cohort is currently enrolling.

Eight Monday Evenings at Toronto

Apply →

Philosophy

Tea is learned through the cup.

Every concept in CCTP is approached through tasting first, then explained, then validated.

Four Pillars

What CCTP teaches, all of it, is meant to end up in your hands, able to hold a leaf or a cup and read it back.

P1 · Production

The craft decisions that turn a leaf into a tea.

L1Covers the six categories and what defines each.

L2Explains why a certain processing step produces a specific colour and aroma.

L3Works backward, from what’s in the cup to production decisions.

L4Assesses whether the processing choices meet market-grade profiles.

P2 · Terroir

Where a tea comes from, and how that shows up in the cup.

L1Recognises the major tea-producing regions.

L2Applies altitude, soil, cultivar, and season to a tea’s profile.

L3Reads growing conditions, cultivar aromatics, and the influence of aging.

L4Places a tea against reference benchmarks, origin claims and quality tier.

P3 · Tea Practice

Structured practice built around brewing, hosting, and presenting.

L1Introduces presenting a tea with intention.

L2Adds vessel selection, water precision, and hosting a full session.

L3Turns gongfu brewing into a skilful and engaging presentation.

L4Evaluates tea practice against standards and leads others toward tea art mastery.

P4 · Hospitality Application

Tea knowledge built to work in a professional room.

L1Gives a single touchpoint: serving one guest well, one moment.

L2Builds that into menu language, pairing logic, and service delivery.

L3Designs full tea experiences and leads them with earned confidence.

L4Operates at the top of the field: training others, building hospitality strategy.

Four Levels

Beginners

An engaging, joyful introduction to Chinese tea. No jargon, no pressure.

Under 6 hours

Waitlist

Intermediate

Six tea families, structured tasting, and the SATT assessment.

25–30 hours

Open for Enrollment

Advanced

Advanced terroir and processing, outline only, dates to be announced.

50–70 hours

Waitlist

Diploma

Coming Soon
In Development

Level 2 · Now Enrolling

Pilot cohort is open for enrollment.

Eight Monday evenings · In person · Toronto · Small class, 5–7 people.

Apply →View Level 2 →

Sensory Evaluation

Systematic Approach to Tea Tasting (SATT) is a structured method for training tea tasting skills, built on China’s national standard and the proprietary Five Qualities assessment, applied consistently from Level 1 through Diploma.

Attention→Vocabulary→Calibration→Authority

Early on, it is about learning to notice and describe what is in front of you. Later, it is about scoring with confidence and explaining your reasoning. The result is a better cup of tea and a defensible judgment. Pleasure and mastery turn out to be the same skill.

Download Level 2 SATT Sheet for Free →