Certification Levels

WTA offers a CORE certification level and advanced levels. Our Core Program focuses on creating deep understanding of tea and building the foundational skills required for success in the industry. This program will result in accreditation as a Certified Tea Specialist. Students can continue their education and achieve an advanced accreditation.

WTA Certified Tea Specialist™ - A fast track to accreditation to build core knowledge base or for front line staff training to improve sales. The program consists of a Core Curriculum of seven classes and completion earns students the designation of WTA Certified Tea Specialist™.

In our Advanced Curriculum you can achieve one or more of the following higher-level designations: WTA Certified Tea Professional™, WTA Certified Tea Sommelier™, and WTA Certified Tea Health Expert™. Advanced certification will require students to complete a minimum of six of the electives in their desired advanced certification. Advanced Certifications will be available starting in 2014.

WTA Certified Tea Professional™ - Designed for business owners and individuals directly involved in the tea trade.

WTA Certified Tea Sommelier™ - Crafted for tea room owners and staff and foodservice professionals.

WTA Certified Tea Health Expert™- is perfect for spas, wellness centers, nutritionists, dietitians, health care providers, naturopaths, and anyone interested in leading a healthy tea lifestyle.

WTA Certified Tea Blender™- provides the technical skills and deep understanding of the art and science of every aspect of creating blends and enhanced tea products as well as road maps for navigating the US regulatory requirements that apply to these practices.

About World Tea Academy

Quick Links:

World Tea Academy (WTA) is the future of tea education brought to you by the leading tea educator in North America, World Tea Media.

Since launching in 2013, World Tea Academy has had over 400 students enrolled and has spanned 43 countries, 6 of the 7 continents, 6 of the 10 Canadian provinces, and 44 of the 50 United States.

World Tea Academy delivers professional education right from your home or business. We help focus your investment on education not travel. WTA is led by well-respected and accomplished tea educator, Donna Fellman, with the support and oversight of our Strategic Technical Advisors.

Classes are delivered online in concise three-week sessions to meet the demands of your busy schedule. Our proven online learning platform includes robust features and creates a classroom-like environment for student-to-student interaction. Classes are filled with rich content, videos, key learning points, group discussions, and PDF downloads of all course materials.

Each week, the new content is made unlocked for enrolled students with Weeks One and Week Two providing key learning materials and content and Week Three focusing on professionally cupping teas. Students taking our lead-off class, Core.01 Essentials of Camellia sinensis, are shipped both teas and a Cupping Lab Starter Kit that include cupping sets, digital scale, thermometer, and timer. For all classes, teas are sent to the students for the cupping exercises frequently utilizing North American Tea Championship winning teas.

Here are brief summaries of our online tea sommelier courses. To see when each class runs, see the Tea Certification Courses and Schedule tabs above.