CORE.02 Tea Enhancements and Grading Systems
OVERVIEW
Building on the foundation material of CORE.01 and understanding how a single plant can create hundreds of kinds of tea, we will explore the post-manufacturing processes such as baking, aging, blending, flavoring, and more. In the second section of this fundamental class we will sort through the alphabet soup of tea grading systems and look at the meaning and methods used for grading tea used in China, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Taiwan. The last section will focus on the sensory evaluation of teas that have received post-manufacturing processes.
- Name and describe six post-manufacturing processes used in the tea industry.
- Describe the difference between blending, flavoring and scenting.
- Define and differentiate decaffeinated and caffeine-free teas.
- Understand the impact of flavoring and decaffeination on labeling.
- Understand and describe the various grading and naming systems used in the tea industry.
- Understand the hygroscopic nature of tea and its impact on packaging, storing and other processes.
You will need to order your class kit no later than close of registration:
• Required class kits are not included in your purchase for your course
• Class kits need to be ordered from Elmwood Inn Fine Teas
• Go to Elmwood Inn’s World Tea Academy page to purchase kit* (You need to order your kit no later than one week before your class starts to ensure that you receive it in time.)
Please Note: International students that plan on taking more than one course with World Tea Academy will save money on the shipping costs of their class kits if they order multiple kits at a time.
Students will need to supply the following additional materials BEFORE the class starts. These are not included in the class kit:
• Two professional cupping sets
• An instant read thermometer
• A digital gram scale
• A timer
Course Length:
3 weeks (plus one week grace period to submit assignments and complete any tests.)
World Tea Academy Certified Tea Specialist Candidates:
Successful completion of this class counts towards certification for WTA Certified Tea Specialist. CORE.01 and CORE.02 are the suggested prerequisite for CORE.03 through CORE.06 classes. Core.03-Core.06 can be taken in any order.
*Disclaimer: Elmwood Inn Fine Teas is not part of World Tea Academy/Questex LLC nor is it affiliated World Tea Academy/Questex LLC. World Tea Academy/Questex LLC has partnered with Elmwood Inn Fine Teas only to provide the class kits for our courses.
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COURSE OUTLINE
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- Welcome to Your Class
- Course Author: Donna Fellman
- Tea Enhancements and Grading Systems
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- Overview
- Part One: But First, Packaging and Storing
- Part Two – Six Post-Manufacturing Processes
- CORE.02 Instructor Assignment 1.1
- Week 1 Classroom Assignment
- End of Week 1 Quiz
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- Overview
- Part One – The Quality of Tea
- Part Two – Grading Systems Used Today
- CORE.02 Instructor Assignment 2.1
- Core.02 Instructor Assignment 2.2
- Week 2 Classroom Assignment
- End of Week 2 Quiz
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- Overview
- Sensory Evaluation and Professional Tea Cupping
- CORE.02 Cupping Exercise - Instructor Assignment
- Course Conclusion and Reminders
- Week 3 Classroom Assignment
- Final Exam
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Prerequisites
Suggested Prerequisites: CORE.01 or the basic tea knowledge equivalent.
Schedule
This class is offered every month except December.
See Class Schedule Page for registration and start dates.
Reviews
DaneyelMay 24, 2023
I'm just completely fascinated with all the aspects of the tea process. I enjoy learning through this course.
AnnaApr 25, 2023
JasonJan 22, 2023
KimberlyOct 23, 2022
I loved the part about grading and particularly the history of the Orange Pekoe system in India
KeithSep 28, 2022
CandiceAug 20, 2022
I've found this course pretty challenging, and I feel like all of the information is useful and helpful for me. I've found myself putting quite a bit of it to use already.
MichaelJul 23, 2022
THank you for such a well organized and informative class. I found the reading provided great detail and the classroom assignments were a great way to work with the material. The classroom exercise for week three was especially enjoyable. There are numerous points from this course that will impact the class I teach at my university. The information in this course help me to see T in a new light. Instead of focusing purely on the six families or cultivars, the grading and quality issue help to view Tea from a broader market view. It was a lot of fun and very useful. I appreciate having the reading materials as a PDF download as sometimes the websites ability to manage window size can be challenging. Thank you for the timely grading and useful feedback. I look forward to getting started my next course. Best to you for happy summer, Marc
MarcJun 28, 2022
Very enriching course. Learned a lot. Thank you
judicaelleJun 24, 2022
I like this school very much and I will try to attend all course that I want.Thank you
YuMay 22, 2022
I would love to take this class live. Overall I learned a lot and look forward to learning more
SherryannMar 30, 2022
DaniellaMar 24, 2022
AndreaMar 20, 2022
Another great class!
EricaMar 03, 2022
KathrynMar 01, 2022
Super interesting and informative. This course really emphasizes the care that goes into making each individual tea and I continue to learn more than I expect. Thank-you.
KayleeJan 09, 2022
OrawanOct 26, 2021
I enjoyed the blending and flavoring assignment, as that was the first time for me to do something along those lines.
LornaSep 29, 2021
MarleneSep 27, 2021
I have learned a lot from this course. Thank you.
NorikoApr 26, 2021
Although i work in the tea industry for so long, the course has taught me a lot of new details i wasn't aware of.
KonstantinosApr 24, 2021
This was a really interesting course on the enhancements and grading systems of tea. I learned a lot, and was glad to be able to try certain varieties first hand. The reading was great, and I felt like I was guided through each step of learning.
NatalieJun 26, 2020
Like the first course, I enjoyed this one thoroughly - and learned many surprising new things!
AlisonApr 21, 2020
Very excellent course filled with valuable information. I'm excited to be taking courses with World Tea Academy.
EstherMay 26, 2019
Such a wonderful class. So much information to absorb, but it is done in a hands on way. I have really enjoyed this course and look forward to many more classes.
JoyMar 24, 2019
MichaelFeb 05, 2019
Great info and organized in a way that really helps retain the information.
AnthonyDec 01, 2018
This is the second of two introductory courses I have taken with the World Tea Academy. Both courses have been both thorough in range and informative in depth. Grateful for the opportunity to participate!!
BryanAug 30, 2018
Such great material! I love the new UI, I think it is more user friendly, and I love the additional resources to read. I don't feel as if there was a big interruption this month, so that was good. Keep up the good work!
RuthMay 08, 2018
JasmineMay 08, 2018
Learned a lot with each week's lesson.
ClarissaMar 20, 2018
I loved that this course introduced me to the grading system and the foundational differences of each of the major tea producing countries.
CourtneyMar 20, 2018
So much great information!!
SHARONMar 01, 2018
Very useful information and made me venture outside my knowledge and comfort zone in trying and considering enhanced teas.
KeriJan 17, 2018
I found lots of interresting information in this course. I was always confused in tea gradind, but now I know more about it. Also the post-manufacturing processes. I know most of them, but Aging is something new for me. Many thanks for it! :-)
PetraOct 21, 2017
Another wonderful course from WTA and Donna! This built so nicely upon the foundation of Core.01. I'm very much looking forward to the next courses!
KellySep 03, 2017
This CORE class was amazing! Thank you for providing more information regarding the six post production processes and grading styles.
KimberlyAug 27, 2017
This course was an eye opener! Proof that tea cupping is our most essential skill as professionals.
TerriAug 24, 2017
Excellent course and good teaching program methodology by instructor Donna Fellman.
UlisesJul 30, 2017
Incredibly helpful to know the exact processes and different types of post-manufacturing modifications that can be made to the leaf. Cupping continues to be an enjoyable exercise and one of my favorite aspect of these courses.
ThomasJul 26, 2017
I loved how in depth the information is. I have a lot to still learn to "stick" in my brain, but I have really enjoyed learning about all of the different post manufacturing processes. This is what I am truly interested in when it comes to teas.
SusanJul 25, 2017
affirmed some of my knowledge on teas and clarified questions I had on grades and methods for determining quality.
KuangJun 27, 2017
Great course! It was very informative and provided quality information that will help in building a tea business.
MaryJun 25, 2017
This course did a great job at exploring post-manufacturing processes, grading systems, and cupping practices. Thank you for the experience.
AlexMay 11, 2017
Very Informative!
TammyMay 03, 2017
Thank you! Wonderful course, and I am learning a lot.
JessieApr 30, 2017
Excellent Course and love the different cupping assignments especially the blending assignment.
JamesApr 02, 2017
This course gave a nicely detailed education on the grading of tea. This course helped enhance my knowledge in this area. Thank you!!
KathleenApr 01, 2017
Very good information in this course. I really enjoyed this and now realize that making tea in an art and a science in different ways. I didn't fully appreciate the complexity!
JamesApr 01, 2017
Great information. Self paced is excellent for a folk time working person. Love all the information given in the course material.
DonnaLeeMar 25, 2017
Great course for better understanding tea.
soniaMar 19, 2017
Hi there Another great class - thanks so much for the opportunity!
M RenéeMar 05, 2017
Again very solid, engaging, useful information for both the tea enthusiast and the tea professional, clearing up many misconceptions in the industry with clear concise knowledge
DylanFeb 26, 2017
I really enjoyed the class.
Lisa Feb 19, 2017
Very informative course. I particularly enjoyed the blending cupping exercises in this course.
TinaJan 29, 2017
Great info and practical applications to learn beyond just taste.
LoriDec 02, 2016
Two of the most interesting parts of this course was learning about "hygroscopy" and getting the opportunity to first learn about and then blend a few teas and then cup/compare them. It was fun!
CarrieSep 30, 2016
Once again, I learned a lot - especially about the post manufacturing processes.
JudiAug 29, 2016
Learned a lot of valuable information. I will change the way I pick out teas to purchase. Will ask more questions about them.
KimberlyJul 31, 2016
Really feel we are starting to get into the large subject of tea. Have definitely recognised the value of cupping & that it's important to practice it often.
SimoneJul 25, 2016
Enjoyed reading and learning about the detail of the differences and category of tea. So much more to learn.
NicholasMay 27, 2016
Loved the details in this course. Grading gives me another perspective altogether now.
Naiya May 27, 2016
As a consumer, this course allows me to better understand the processes that go into creating the wide variety of teas on the market.
ChristinaMay 20, 2016
Very informative course, and excellent classroom exercises for Week 3.
MatthewApr 24, 2016
I learned so much about tea enhancements and systems with this course. Thanks for offering it!
GeorgiaApr 23, 2016
Grading systems will, I think, always be a bit of a pain in the tea world. Always useful to revisit all of the different ways tea is evaluated.
DavidMar 28, 2016
A lot of information was provided and presented in a way that was easy to retain. Looking forward to Core 3
RenéFeb 25, 2016
The information is detailed and organized. It's a good stepping stone from CORE.01 into the more complex subjects like terroir.
JulietJan 24, 2016
Excellent course!
SofiaJan 24, 2016
Really enjoyed it, informative and thorough.
Luke Nov 18, 2015
Very fun and informative!
ShawnaJul 26, 2015
I learned a lot from this course, and also had a great time doing the exercises and exploring tea . However, I did feel that in some instances the material did not go as deep as I would have liked, and I still have many questions about tea quality that will hopefully get answered in later chapters of this certification.
GwenJul 24, 2015
Thank you for an excellent class, Donna and team. The material was well structured with interesting background material. I enjoyed the core and class assignments as well as the practical cupping exercise. 5 stars! Looking forward to the next class!
MichaelJun 25, 2015
Many Thanks Donna and team for an excellent class. The material was well structured with interesting background material. I enjoyed the class and core assignments as well as the cupping session on the teas provided. Looking forward to the next class!
MichaelJun 25, 2015
Great course! Interesting introduction to tea post-manufacturing processing!
ArielJun 22, 2015
Just the right amount of info. Not so much that it's overwhelming and hard to remember, but enough to learn a wide breadth of things!
TiffanyJan 26, 2015