Want your "Certified Tea Sommelier Certificate"?

For the first time in North AMerica, there now exists a Certified Tea Sommelier Certificate program, offered by GEORGE BROWN UNIVERSITY of Canada.

Created in partnership with the Tea Association of Canada, this certificate has been designed for those professionals wishing to enter the distinguished world of a tea sommelier or for those so committed to the consumption of tea that they wish to become tea sommeliers themselves.

Learn how to cup, taste, blend and consume teas from all around the world. Take a global tour of countries that grow and produce tea from the comfort of the classroom.

Once you have completed the certificate and a final competency exam, you will be certified as a Tea Sommelier by the Tea Association of Canada.

For more information, call 416-415-5000, ext. 2517, or e-mail cehospitality@georgebrown.ca. You are also invited to attend an information session.

Certificate Completion: You must complete HOST 9119 (Tea – An Introduction) prior to taking the other courses in this certificate. You must complete the courses in section A prior to taking the courses in section B or the stage experience.
Compulsory Courses (Eight)
Section A
HOST 9119 Tea – An Introduction
HOST 9122 Tea – China and the Far East
HOST 9121 Tea – India, Africa and Beyond
HOST 9120 Tea – Preparation and Consumption

Section B
HOSF 9261 Tea – Menu Design and Food Pairing
HOSF 9262 Tea – Sensory Development and Evaluation
HOSF 9260 Tea – Service Training
HOSF 9263 Tea – Tea Garden Management

plus
Stage experience
Also see: Promoting tea with a Canadian twist. (Tea Association of Canada and Tea Council of Canada continue to promote tea to the Canadian market with focus on ... An article from: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

The Japanese Tea Ceremony

The Japanese tea ceremony, "chakai" or "chaji" as its known in Japan, is one of the most elaborate ceremonies ever invented for sharing a beverage within a very formal and almost religious setting. It actually won’t be wrong to say that the Japanese tea ceremony is a lot more than just "sharing tea." It's a ceremony of spiritual purification and homage for a thousand-year old cultural tradition.

Tea ceremony is such a formalized affair that in Japan there are schools that teach how it should be performed without any errors. There are different ceremonies for summer and winter; for outdoors and indoors; and for the type of tea served. The ceremony requires a special location, special utensils, and a special set of rules even for entering and leaving the ceremony room, or whether to talk and what to say during the ceremony.

In its simplest description, a tea ceremony is one in which powdered green tea and hot water is whipped by a whisk and served to the guests in a unique bowl called "chawan."

Other special utensils used in the ceremony include "chakin" (a cloth used to clean the tea bowl); the tea caddy where the powdered green tea is kept; "chashaku" (the scoop used to transfer the tea from the caddy to the bowl); and "chasen" (the whisk used to whip the hot water and tea mixture into a froth). These utensil are sometimes collectible antiques and they are considered to carry such spiritual significance that there are strict rules even for touching and handling them.

During the less-elaborate chakai ceremony, snacks and sweets are served to the guests. The chaji ceremony, on the other hand, is accompanied by a full-course meal and may last up to four hours.

The traditional rule requires that the server wears a kimono even if it's a male. However, in modern day Japan, Western-style clothes are not that uncommon, especially in the chakai ceremonies.

There are people who spend a lifetime studying, learning and practicing (and teaching) the Japanese tea ceremony. It really elevates the sublime pleasure of drinking a cup of good hot tea to a different level all together.

Check out this Japanese Tea Ceremony utensil collection.