Tea professionals from across the globe congregated in London last Wednesday to celebrate the first-ever International Tea Academy Awards, The Leafies 2022.
Twelve “Gold” and 28 “Highly Commended” awards were presented during the recent ceremony in London at Fortnum & Mason, followed by a quintessential Fortnum-style afternoon tea reception. Guests enjoyed a taste of the winning teas and some exciting tea-infused cocktails.
The Leafies, launched earlier this year by The UK Tea Academy in partnership with Fortnum & Mason, aims to celebrate the world’s finest loose leaf teas. A panel of expert judges from every major tea producing region in the world engaged in a scrupulous week of judging the week prior to the ceremony, in which nearly 300 teas across 33 categories were tasted and assessed.
Teas were judged against strict criteria, considering the wet leaf, dry leaf, liquor, brightness, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel and aftertaste of the tea. The highly experienced brewing team received special commendation at the ceremony for brewing every tea to the entrant’s exact instructions.
“Gold” winners included the Lumbini Valley English Breakfast Blend, a trio of family-run Taiwanese tea gardens (Yung Hao, Chang San Wo and Wang Family Tea), for their exquisite array of oolongs and black tea, and a representative from an unlikely emerging tea region, El Salvador, which scooped Gold for her floral oolong wellness blend.
Japanese tea farmers also enjoyed a successful evening, receiving Gold awards in three green tea categories, matcha and the overall “Best in Show” special award for Ocha-no-Kajihara’s Benifuki 2022 2nd Flush, as well as many “Highly Commended” throughout. The celebration of so many small-scale farmers across the evening – most of whom had their applications translated by retail partners – serves as great encouragement to those in the industry who do not have widespread exposure in the tea market.
Fortnum & Mason’s Tea Buyer and Judge for The Leafies, Ottilie Cunningham, will now select some of the winners to be sold across Fortnum’s Rare Tea Counter.
Other special award winners included the “Gaia” award for Eva Lee of Tea Hawaii for the farm’s outstanding environmental stewardship, the “Pioneer” award to Lucy George of Peterston Teas, a true one-woman powerhouse bringing Welsh teas to a global stage, and community awards “Tea For Life” and “Lifetime Achievement” for Indi Khanna of Tea Studio, India, and PhYu PhYu Thwe of Mogok Tea in Myanmar, who expressed her joy in a moving and heartfelt speech.
Master of Ceremonies and Director of Studies at The UK Tea Academy, Jane Pettigrew, congratulated all of the winners from across the world. “We thank you for giving us so many beautiful and interesting teas to taste,” she said. “Put a date in your diary for next year because The Leafies will be back, bigger and better, with more categories, more winners and more teas to celebrate.”
(Photo: Courtesy of International Tea Academy Awards - The Leafies)
WINNERS
Honorees at The Leafies 2022 include...
Highly Commended Winners:
- Matsushita Tea Garden – Organic Nukumori Sencha
- Mogok Tea Company – Tiny Green Temple
- Het Zuyderblad – Green Tea Season
- Wild Orchard Tea Company – Early Spring
- Wild Orchard Tea Company – Sunday Brunch
- Furukawa Seicha Inc. – Asahi & Ujihikari
- Tschanara-Teagarden – Highland Select Yellow
- Fourfire International/Tea Project UK – High Mountain Oolong
- Satemwa Tea Estates – #316 Dr. Hastings Whim
- Wang Family Tea – Black Tea
- Sakuranoen – Sizensaibai Akane Benifuki
- Iwanaga Tea Garden – Iwanaga Ichigo 2022 – Domestic Variety
- Kagoshima Horiguchi Seicha / Wakohen – KAKUHORI (Benifuuki Black Tea)
- Kaneroku Matsumoto En – Kaneroku Sakura smoked tea
- Wanokatea – Heroine
- Robert Wilson’s Ceylon Tea – New Vithanakande BOP 1
- Kahawatte plantations PLC – FBOP (Houpe)
- Lumbini Valley – SINHARAJA WIRY TIPS
- Browns Plantations – Liddesdale Needle Tea
- Tea Hawaii & Company – Volcano Black Tea
- Fleur De Lis Tea Company LLC – Big Easy Black Tea for The Soul
- Flavours of Tea – 2020 Clouds Shu/Cooked Pu’er
- Bloom & Brew – Classic Ripe Puerh Ltc.
- Flavours of Tea – 2022 YiWu Ancient Tree Sheng/Raw Pu’er
- East Forged – Australian Black Tea & Yuzu Cold Brew Nitro Tea
- East Forged – White Tea & Calamansi Cold Brew Nitro Tea
- Wild Orchard Tea Company – Sunday Brunch
- Araksa Chiangmai Co. Ltd. – THAI TEA
Gold Winners:
- Atelier Sueyoshi seicha, LLC – Furusatonohana Saemidori
- Kai Seichaen – Yabukita 2022
- Marukyu Koyamaen Co., Ltd. – Kiwami Choan
- Wang Family Tea – Dong fang Mei ren Cha
- Yung Hao Tea Garden – Spring Jade Oolong
- Ocha-no-Kajihara – Benifuki 2022 2nd Flush
- Chang San Wo – Highland Four Seasons Black Tea
- Gokase Midori Seicha – Hassaku-no-Hana Koucha Hanaemi
- PMD Ceylon Tea Merchants Ltd – Mattakelle special Golden Curl
- Mogok Tea Company – Black Ruby
- LUMBINI VALLEY – Golden Breakfast Tea
- Lafiroa – ¡Hola Amor!
Special Award Winners:
- Gaia award – Eva Lee, Tea Hawaii
- Maverick award – Iwanaga Seicha, Iwanaga Tea Garden
- Pioneer award – Lucy George, Peterston Tea
- Tea for Life award – PhYu PhYu Thwe, Mogok Tea Company
- Best In Show – Ocha-no-Kajihara, Benifuki 2022 2nd Flush
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Indi Khanna, Tea Studio
The list of winners can also be found on The Leafies webpage. In addition, you can watch The Leafies judging process and a livestream recording of the ceremony on The UK Tea Academy’s YouTube channel.
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