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TEA SOMMELIER COURSES

To begin, all you need is an interest in learning more about tea.

A TAC Tea Sommelier® is someone who has a thorough understanding of tea and herbal infusions, from bush to cup.

In addition to being knowledgeable in tea’s history, processing methods and preparation, they can confidently interact with anyone about tea and make recommendations based on their needs.

A certified TAC Tea Sommelier® has the necessary expertise to design a comprehensive tea menu for retail and food service environments, understand and apply the principles behind tea and food pairings and articulate the tasting notes associated with different teas and herbal infusions.

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tac tEA SOMMelier

COURSE REQUIREMENTS…

As of June 1, 2023 the Tea Sommelier® program consists of eleven (11) courses, including Tea (Tea 101 – 108), and Herbs & Infusions (HI 101 – 103).
All students registered in the Tea Sommelier® program prior to June 1, 2023 are not required to take the additional Herbs & Infusions courses.
Tea 101 is a prerequisite to all other courses, and must be successfully completed as the first course.
For each course, students are required to achieve a minimum grade of 60% in each element of the final exam (written, oral, and blind cupping).
Students who successfully pass all courses are then eligible to take the Final Certification Exam through the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada.

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The Process

HOW IT WORKS

Course Registration

If this is the beginning of your tea journey, be sure to start with Tea 101, which is the prerequisite to all other courses.

Online Content

Following registration, you’ll receive an email (within 48 hours) granting access to our online learning hub, and info for upcoming course start date.

Tea Kit

Your tea kit (if applicable for selected course) will ship out within 7-10 days, and include tea samples to practice your weekly cuppings.

Hey tea friend!

Meet Tracie

Tracie is the Program Director at the Academy of Tea and a certified TAC Tea Sommelier Professional.

She’s a lifelong tea lover, vintage teacup junkie and Founder & Owner of Tea with Tracie, an online luxury tea company.

Tracie spent almost 30 years in the corporate world before starting her own tea company at the young age of 49. She combined her business background and love of “all things tea” to fuel her dream of living a calm and joyful tea lifestyle.

Since tea has always been her liquid therapy, she’s passionate about helping others find comfort in their cup.

Introducing…

3 New Certifications

Starting June 1, 2023 the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada is now offering three new certifications for tea students:

Tea Specialist

Foodservice Tea Specialist

Herbs & Infusions Certificate

To learn more about the qualifications for these new certifications, please visit the Tea & Herbal Association of Canada.

Frequently Asked Questions

You must begin with Tea 101 as a pre-requisite to all other courses.

Once you’ve successfully passed Tea 101, you can take the remaining modules in any order you want (although there is a natural order to the way the courses were designed).

We don’t recommend taking Tea 108 until closer to the end of your tea journey.

We recommend spending a minimum of 3 hours per lesson to consume all of the course materials, and allow time to practice your weekly cuppings.

Tea 101 includes 3 lessons, and must be completed within 4 weeks of course registration.

Tea 102 – 108 include 5 lessons, and must be completed within 6 weeks of course registration.

All the lectures and videos are pre-recorded, and available online, for you to access whenever you want.

For each tea course (Tea 101 – Tea 108), you’re sent a tea kit following registration. Each kit contains the necessary tea samples for the course, and if applicable, a sealed envelope containing blind cupping teas for your final exam.

For the herbs & infusions courses (H101 – H103), no tea kits are provided.