by WTN Staff 

The first class of certified tea sommeliers has graduated from a new program offered in the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts at  George Brown College in Toronto.

Although hundreds of students attended seminars offered as part of the program over the last three years, only 12 emerged with certificates in hand (or soon to be, anyway – following a ceremony scheduled Dec. 1).

Offered in conjunction with the Tea Association of Canada, the program began as individual events geared toward tea enthusiasts. It evolved into a formalized program consisting of two parts: four courses covering an introduction to tea, tea regions, and preparation and consumption; and four technical and business-focused courses covering menu, sensory development, service training and tea garden management. (For a complete curriculum, see the program's Web site.) In addition to these 140 hours of course work, graduates had to complete a 20-hour internship.

Bill Kamula, chief instructor at George Brown, and Stephen Field, another professor at the college, taught most of the classes, occasionally calling in outside experts for specific topics. Kamula likened the tea course to the college's wine sommelier course. It is designed to give graduates what they need to start a career in retail, restaurant and hotels, tea tasting and buying. Those who graduated received a Certified Tea Sommelier certificate.

One graduate, researcher and author Nora Gubins, described the classes as "captivating." With a background in the art history of tea ware, she thought taking a class or two would be fun, but she was hooked after the first one.

"Going to a culinary college and looking at tea from a historical, anthropological and cultural viewpoint was extremely fascinating," Gubins said. Although she's unsure exactly how she will use the certification now, Gubins felt the experience was well worth the time and hard work.

"I think a lot of us are wondering if there's a business for sharing the positive message about tea," she said. "My angle is not just on taste, but the wonderful stories around tea. If it leads to a series of articles, possibly a book, I don't know yet."