2027 sitting calendar — full-year schedule
Tea academy releases the complete 2027 examination sitting calendar, covering foundation, specialist, master and educator credentials across 14 cities. Registration windows, fee schedule and new testing locations align with the global expansion of Chinese-tea credentialing.
Saint Petersburg — 2026-12-15
14 cities · 28 sittings · four credential tiers · one unified standard
Today the tea academy published the official 2027 examination sitting calendar, setting the full-year schedule for all four credential tiers: foundation, specialist, master and educator. The calendar spans 14 examination cities across China, Russia, Europe and Southeast Asia, offering 28 test sittings between January and December 2027. Every session is structured around the same rigorous competency framework for Chinese tea practice, referenced to national standards such as GB/T 22111-2008 for *shēng pǔ'ěr* (生普洱) and GB/T 19460-2008 for geographical indication teas.
Extended global footprint
The 2027 calendar introduces first-time sittings in Buryatia (Ulan-Ude), Berlin and Bangkok, complementing established examination centres in Kunming, Menghai, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Vladivostok, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The expansion reflects a 37% increase in international candidate registrations recorded in 2026, when tea academy processed 4,276 examinations globally. Foundation level candidates accounted for 2,691 sittings at a 62% pass rate; 1,182 specialist candidates achieved a 48% pass rate. Master tier saw 23 theses submitted and 17 successfully defended, while educator credential was conferred to 33 professionals.
Examination windows and registration timelines
All tiers follow strict registration windows. Foundation tier sittings are offered in six blocks: 18–24 January, 8–14 March, 10–16 May, 12–18 July, 6–12 September and 8–14 November. Registration opens 90 days before each block and closes 30 days prior. Specialist tier has four sittings: 15–21 February, 17–23 May, 16–22 August and 15–21 November, with the same 90/30-day registration cadence. Master and educator tiers run two joint sitting windows in April (5–11 April) and October (4–10 October), requiring thesis submission by 1 March and 1 September respectively. All registration and payment is processed through shop.thetea.app, the official marketplace of the THETEA constellation.
Fee schedule for 2027
- Foundation: US$ 185 per attempt (early-registration discount US$ 165 until 60 days prior).
- Specialist: US$ 335 (early-registration US$ 295).
- Master: US$ 595 (thesis submission fee US$ 95 additional).
- Educator: US$ 395 (includes one proctored teaching demonstration).
All fees are listed exclusive of applicable local taxes. Re-examination fees are 60% of the standard rate. Candidates may reschedule once per registration window at no charge within the same tier.
Standards alignment and exam content
Examination content across all tiers is benchmarked against Chinese national tea standards and the tea academy competency framework. Foundation tier assesses fundamental knowledge of six tea categories, water temperature curves, brewing ratios and safety protocols. Specialist tier adds deep evaluation of processing steps — including *wò duī* (渥堆) for ripe pu'er — and cultivar identification for key regions like *Lóngjǐng* (龙井) and *Mí Lán Xiāng* (蜜兰香). Master tier candidates must demonstrate sensory evaluation proficiency through documented tasting logs referenced to GB/T 23776-2018 sensory analysis methodology, in addition to defending an original research thesis. Educator tier tests both tea knowledge and pedagogical delivery, requiring a live proctored teaching session with volunteer students. Sample examination papers and preparation materials are available on thetea.app and the dedicated learning platform tea.school.
Candidates preparing for pu'er-focused specialist modules are encouraged to consult the cultivar database and storage research repository on puerh.app, while verified credential holders can generate their digital badges through the credential verification portal at teamotea.com.
“The 2027 calendar reflects the maturation of the tea academy credentialing ecosystem,” said Evgeniy Smoley, chief executive officer of Teamotea. “By expanding sittings to fourteen cities and aligning examination windows with the seasonal rhythms of Chinese tea production, we are ensuring that candidates worldwide can demonstrate expertise at the right time. The introduction of a dedicated specialist sitting in Menghai during the spring harvest, for example, allows candidates to experience raw-material selection first-hand — a level of authenticity that distinguishes tea academy credentials from any other programme.”
Proctor network and integrity measures
All sittings are supervised by tea academy senior proctors, each holding at least a specialist credential and having completed a 40-hour proctor training module. A digital proctor-verification flow — integrated with the exam-runner environment — authenticates every test session via webcam monitoring and randomised question delivery. The detailed integrity protocol is published on the exam page.
The full 2027 sitting calendar is available at tea.academy/2027-sitting-calendar. Candidate support inquiries should be directed to credentials@tea.academy.
Media contact
Evgeniy Smoley