STI CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The Northwest Tea Festival is proud to announce a very special event for our local tea professionals and aspirants:

• The Specialty Tea Institute (STI) will present the introductory levels of its Tea Certification Program in concurrence with the Festival.
• The Specialty Tea Institute is a division of the Tea Association of the United States, dedicated to serving the needs of purveyors in the specialty tea industry.
• It exists as a traveling school, offering a professional tea education across the country.
• There are currently three complete levels in the program; the first class of Level 4 debuts at this year's World Tea Expo. Each class is an all-day engagement.
• Registration will be available on the Tea Association website: http://www.teausa.org/

September 30th - Foundations of Tea: Level One

As the first course in STI's expanding education and certification program, Foundations of Tea: Level One will provide attendees with a strong understanding of the 5 basic tea types and the two traditional styles of orthodox tea production used to create them. Topics also include the essential components of teas, where and how teas are grown, the stages of processing and what differentiates the different types and classifications of tea. Attendees will have the opportunity to taste representative samples of each of the 5 tea types, discuss tea steeping methods and examine the basic characteristics of different teas.

October 1st - Foundations of Tea: Level Two

Building on the essential groundwork presented in Level One, Foundations of Tea: Level Two will examine CTC tea production and manufacture, as well as blending, flavoring and scenting, and introduction to sensory evaluation of teas. Also included is an introduction to the principles of grading and naming teas by country of origin. This seminar will allow attendees to examine and taste 5-6 pairs of teas as they are guided through the basics of a comparison cupping of the 5 tea types.