Read the Flow

Most people drink tea. This is formal evaluation training, the way it is done on the production line in China. Three levels, each one ends with an official certificate.

Who this is for

• You finished Serious Tea Drinker 101, or already know the basics, and want to go deep
• You buy or sell tea and need to judge value and check a sample against what you're sold
• You want a real credential, not just personal knowledge

This is not a tasting class. If you just want to enjoy tea, Serious Tea Drinker 101 is the better place to start.

How it works

Three levels, each building on the last, each ending with an official certificate.

• Beginner, recorded: how evaluation works, the five factors Chinese tea evaluators use to read a cup, and what to look for in each
• Intermediate, recorded: working backward from what you taste to how the tea was actually made
• Advanced, in person: reading defects, judging whether a tea's quality matches its price, and a final evaluation you complete under my supervision

The method

You'll learn the five factors Chinese tea evaluators use to read a cup: dry leaf, liquor color, aroma, taste, and infused leaf. As you move up levels, you go from observing to reverse-engineering how a tea was made, kill-green method, drying, rolling, leaf grade, growing region, then to telling a real processing flaw from a style choice and judging whether a tea is worth what it costs.

What's included

• Beginner, $399, evaluation basics and the five-factor framework, Beginner Certificate
• Intermediate, $699, adds reverse-engineering how a tea was made, Intermediate Certificate
• Advanced, $999, in person, adds defect reading, value judgment, and a final evaluation, Advanced Certificate

Each tier includes downloadable tools (evaluation record sheet, flavor wheel, defect reference card) and lifetime access to the recorded material.

Your host

I am June. I grow and make tea myself in Enshi, trained under two national-level tea masters, and I test our teas with Eurofins. This course teaches the same method used to judge tea on the production line, a real, certified profession in China.

Specifications

Format: Beginner and Intermediate are recorded video courses. Advanced is in person. Delivery: recorded levels sent by email after purchase, in-person Advanced scheduled by email. Certificate: issued per level on completion.

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