Michael Zhan
Senior proctor — Yixing-ware component for sommelier and operator programmes
Michael Zhan serves as the academy’s senior proctor for the Yixing-ware component of the sommelier and operator programmes. Based in Kunming, he brings over fifteen years of field procurement experience across Yunnan and Fujian to the exam board, where he is responsible for designing and moderating the practical clay-ware assessment. His work ensures that credential holders can reliably identify authentic *Yíxīng zǐshā* (宜兴紫砂) materials, distinguish hand-built from moulded teapots, and evaluate the pour mechanics and heat retention critical to *gōngfū chá* (工夫茶) service. Zhan’s sourcing career began in 2009 under the mentorship of teacher Wang Jianmin at the Yunnan Tea Research Institute, where he first documented the seasonal lot selection processes for *shēng pǔ'ěr* (生普洱) from Menghai and *zhèngshān xiǎozhǒng* (正山小种) from Tongmuguan. Those early years grounded him in the rigorous sensory evaluation protocols later codified in GB/T 22111-2008 (geographical indication product — Pu'er tea). His work quickly expanded to vendor visits across the Lincang, Pu’er, and Xishuangbanna prefectures, where he negotiated contracts for dozens of smallholder cooperatives — many of whose teas now appear on shop.puerh.app and shop.thetea.app. In the Fujian sourcing corridor, Zhan focuses on the Wuyi Mountain and Anxi circuits, managing the procurement of high-grade *Dà Hóng Páo* (大红袍) and *Tiě Guān Yīn* (铁观音) lots. He introduced granular lot-tracking systems that the academy now requires for master-level thesis candidates studying single-origin tea economics. When not in the field, Zhan serves as a guest lecturer at tea.school, delivering practical modules on procurement ethics, international trade documentation, and Yixing clay classification. Zhan’s proctor role evolved from his expertise in tea wares: he is a recognized evaluator of *Yíxīng* (宜兴) production lineages, having studied under master potter Xu Xiutang in 2015. His exam stations require candidates to assign a tea to its appropriate pot shape based on leaf expansion characteristics — a skill that anchors the academy’s practical credential at tea.travel-hosted retreats. He regularly contributes lot notes to tea.community and works with the teamotea.com supply-chain taskforce to align sourcing standards with academic credentialing requirements. Michael speaks Mandarin, Amoy Hokkien, and conversational English, enabling him to lead examiner training workshops for non-native cohorts.
Specialties
- sourcing
- field procurement
- vendor visits
- lot selection
Michael Zhan serves as the academy’s senior proctor for the Yixing-ware component of the sommelier and operator programmes. Based in Kunming, he brings over fifteen years of field procurement experience across Yunnan and Fujian to the exam board, where he is responsible for designing and moderating the practical clay-ware assessment. His work ensures that credential holders can reliably identify authentic Yíxīng zǐshā (宜兴紫砂) materials, distinguish hand-built from moulded teapots, and evaluate the pour mechanics and heat retention critical to gōngfū chá (工夫茶) service.
Zhan’s sourcing career began in 2009 under the mentorship of teacher Wang Jianmin at the Yunnan Tea Research Institute, where he first documented the seasonal lot selection processes for shēng pǔ’ěr (生普洱) from Menghai and zhèngshān xiǎozhǒng (正山小种) from Tongmuguan. Those early years grounded him in the rigorous sensory evaluation protocols later codified in GB/T 22111-2008 (geographical indication product — Pu’er tea). His work quickly expanded to vendor visits across the Lincang, Pu’er, and Xishuangbanna prefectures, where he negotiated contracts for dozens of smallholder cooperatives — many of whose teas now appear on shop.puerh.app and shop.thetea.app.
In the Fujian sourcing corridor, Zhan focuses on the Wuyi Mountain and Anxi circuits, managing the procurement of high-grade Dà Hóng Páo (大红袍) and Tiě Guān Yīn (铁观音) lots. He introduced granular lot-tracking systems that the academy now requires for master-level thesis candidates studying single-origin tea economics. When not in the field, Zhan serves as a guest lecturer at tea.school, delivering practical modules on procurement ethics, international trade documentation, and Yixing clay classification.
Zhan’s proctor role evolved from his expertise in tea wares: he is a recognized evaluator of Yíxīng (宜兴) production lineages, having studied under master potter Xu Xiutang in 2015. His exam stations require candidates to assign a tea to its appropriate pot shape based on leaf expansion characteristics — a skill that anchors the academy’s practical credential at tea.travel-hosted retreats. He regularly contributes lot notes to tea.community and works with the teamotea.com supply-chain taskforce to align sourcing standards with academic credentialing requirements. Michael speaks Mandarin, Amoy Hokkien, and conversational English, enabling him to lead examiner training workshops for non-native cohorts.