Liu Shenyang
Chief examiner — provenance, authentication, storage programmes
Liu Shenyang is the chief examiner for provenance, authentication and storage programmes at tea.academy, where he oversees the rigorous certification of tea professionals in critical areas of Chinese tea expertise. Trained at the Tea Science Department of Yunnan Agricultural University and later under the tutelage of veteran tea master Zhou Hongjie at the Menghai Tea Research Institute in 2005, Liu spent over a decade working directly with *Pǔ'ěr* (普洱) producers, warehouse managers and quality-control laboratories. His field work includes extensive collaboration with the Kunming Tea Quality Inspection Centre, where he contributed to the interpretation of GB/T 22111-2008, the national standard for geographical indication of *Pǔ'ěr* tea, and related documentation on aged-tea authenticity. As a tea master, Liu Shenyang now brings that operational depth to the examination board. He chairs two flagship certifications: the Provenance & authentication certification, which tests a candidate’s ability to identify tea origin, cultivar and production year through sensory and documentary evidence, and the Storage & aging specialist certification, which covers warehouse design, micro-climate control, *Wò Duī* (渥堆) monitoring and *Chénhuà* (陈化) progression. Both exams reference national protocols and demand that holders demonstrate not only tasting acuity but also a forensic grasp of supply-chain data. Liu’s approach to credentialing is deliberately formal — he insists that every examination question be anchored to a verifiable standard, whether a GB/T code, a published research study or a documented trade record. His own thesis, completed as part of the tea master credential, analysed batch variation in *Shēng Pǔ'ěr* (生普洱) aged under three different Yunnan warehouse conditions over a ten-year window, and it now serves as supplementary reading for advanced candidates. Beyond the examination hall, Liu Shenyang contributes to the wider Teamotea ecosystem. Professionals preparing for his certifications often use learning pathways on tea.school to build foundational knowledge, while authentication tools on puerh.app offer practical verification exercises. Each year, Liu presents updated case studies at tea.events, ensuring that the academy’s syllabi remain aligned with industry practice. His work confirms that a tea.academy credential represents not just a qualification but a guarantee of disciplined, evidence-based expertise.
Specialties
- *Shēng Pǔ'ěr* (生普洱) ageing and authentication
- *Wò Duī* (渥堆) process control
- *Chénhuà* (陈化) storage condition management
- *Niánfèn* (年份) vintage verification
Liu Shenyang is the chief examiner for provenance, authentication and storage programmes at tea.academy, where he oversees the rigorous certification of tea professionals in critical areas of Chinese tea expertise. Trained at the Tea Science Department of Yunnan Agricultural University and later under the tutelage of veteran tea master Zhou Hongjie at the Menghai Tea Research Institute in 2005, Liu spent over a decade working directly with Pǔ’ěr (普洱) producers, warehouse managers and quality-control laboratories. His field work includes extensive collaboration with the Kunming Tea Quality Inspection Centre, where he contributed to the interpretation of GB/T 22111-2008, the national standard for geographical indication of Pǔ’ěr tea, and related documentation on aged-tea authenticity.
As a tea master, Liu Shenyang now brings that operational depth to the examination board. He chairs two flagship certifications: the Provenance & authentication certification, which tests a candidate’s ability to identify tea origin, cultivar and production year through sensory and documentary evidence, and the Storage & aging specialist certification, which covers warehouse design, micro-climate control, Wò Duī (渥堆) monitoring and Chénhuà (陈化) progression. Both exams reference national protocols and demand that holders demonstrate not only tasting acuity but also a forensic grasp of supply-chain data.
Liu’s approach to credentialing is deliberately formal — he insists that every examination question be anchored to a verifiable standard, whether a GB/T code, a published research study or a documented trade record. His own thesis, completed as part of the tea master credential, analysed batch variation in Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱) aged under three different Yunnan warehouse conditions over a ten-year window, and it now serves as supplementary reading for advanced candidates.
Beyond the examination hall, Liu Shenyang contributes to the wider Teamotea ecosystem. Professionals preparing for his certifications often use learning pathways on tea.school to build foundational knowledge, while authentication tools on puerh.app offer practical verification exercises. Each year, Liu presents updated case studies at tea.events, ensuring that the academy’s syllabi remain aligned with industry practice. His work confirms that a tea.academy credential represents not just a qualification but a guarantee of disciplined, evidence-based expertise.