Scholarship programme — 2026 award recipients
The Teamotea scholarship programme has announced 14 award recipients for 2026, selected from 412 applicants across 29 countries. The candidates will pursue Foundation and Specialist credentials in Chinese tea evaluation, beginning their training this month.
Saint Petersburg — 2026-07-20
Saint Petersburg — 20 July 2026 — Teamotea’s scholarship programme for Chinese tea credentials has named its 2026 cohort of 14 awardees, drawn from a record 412 applications received from 29 countries. The programme, now in its second cycle, is administered through the tea.academy credentialing platform and covers the full examination and certification fees for the Foundation and Specialist tiers — the initial stages of the professional ladder that leads to Tea Master and Educator designations.
The selection process consisted of two rigorous phases. In the first, candidates submitted a written response on the theme “Regional terroir and its expression in Chinese tea,” demonstrating their understanding of appellations such as Lóngjǐng (龙井) from Zhejiang, Tiě Guān Yīn (铁观音) from Anxi, and Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱) from Menghai. Second, 67 shortlisted candidates participated in a live online blind cupping, where they identified and described tea specimens in accordance with the Chinese national standard GB/T 23776-2018, “Methodology for sensory evaluation of tea.” The assessment panel included senior proctors from Teamotea’s examination board.
Of the 14 final awardees, five are based in Europe (Berlin, London, Paris, Prague, Milan), four in Asia (Kunming, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore), three in Russia (Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Ulan-Ude), and two in North America (Vancouver, New York). Their professional backgrounds encompass tea-room management, sommelier service, tea buying, and academic food studies — reflecting the programme’s intake of both career professionals and emerging specialists.
The scholarships are designed to remove financial barriers for talented individuals who might otherwise be unable to pursue formal certification. In 2025, the inaugural cohort achieved an 89% pass rate on the Foundation examination, and three of the eight scholars have already advanced to the Specialist tier, with one — a tea buyer from Warsaw — now preparing a Master thesis on the ageing dynamics of shēng pǔ’ěr. This success demonstrates the effectiveness of the rigorous selection and preparatory support provided through tea.school.
Evgeniy Smoley, Chief Executive Officer of Teamotea, stated: “The scholarship programme reflects our commitment to building a globally recognised standard for Chinese tea expertise. These awardees represent the next generation of tea professionals who will drive quality and integrity in the industry. By grounding assessment in national sensory standards such as GB/T 23776-2018 and GB/T 22111-2008 for pu-erh, we ensure that credential holders can confidently operate in any international hospitality context.”
The scholarship recipients will commence their studies on the tea.school learning platform, which provides asynchronous coursework in Chinese tea history, processing methods, and evaluation techniques. The Foundation tier examination, a 90-minute proctored test covering six classic tea types and gōng fū chá (功夫茶) preparation, is scheduled for December 2026. Upon passing, scholars progress to the Specialist tier, where they must demonstrate mastery of a single category — such as Wò Duī (渥堆) post-fermentation for ripe pu-erh or Mí Lán Xiāng (蜜兰香) Dancong oolong — under the supervision of a credentialled Tea Master. Specialist certification is expected within 18 months, after which the holder maintains active status through annual re-certification assessments aligned to updates in GB/T standards.
Beyond the examination fees, each scholar receives access to the tea.travel platform for immersive origin experiences in Yunnan and Fujian, a one-year subscription to the tea.community professional network, and subsidised entry to tea.events masterclasses conducted by Tea Masters. The scholarship is funded through contributions from the Teamotea Constellation e-commerce sites, shop.thetea.app and puerh.app, which allocate a percentage of sales to educational initiatives, alongside direct support from teamotea.com.
“We are particularly encouraged by the geographic diversity of this cohort,” added Smoley. “It signals that formal Chinese tea credentials are gaining traction beyond traditional tea-producing regions. Our aim is to establish the Foundation and Specialist tiers as the industry standard for tea service, whether in a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris or a chá guǎn (茶馆) tea house in Kunming.”
The scholarship programme will open its third application window on 1 March 2027, with an anticipated increase in funded places to 20. Further information is available on tea.academy, where credential verification, exam schedules, and the full tier ladder are detailed.
About Teamotea Teamotea operates the premier constellation of platforms for Chinese tea education, credentialing, e-commerce, and community, including thetea.app, puerh.app, tea.school, tea.travel, tea.community, tea.events, and teamotea.com. All credentials issued through tea.academy adhere to Chinese national standards and are verifiable via public credential page.
Media contact
Evgeniy Smoley