THE WORLD TEA CHAMPIONSHIP ~

THE WORLD TEA CHAMPIONSHIP ~

Tea competitions are widely practiced and are recorded at least as far back as the Song Dynasty (960-1279).  This is the International Tea Appreciation Society’s contribution to this tradition.The fourth Annual World Tea Championship (C.) is an opportunity for anyone interested in the Gong Fu Cha style of teamaking.  The name translates directly to “Making Tea with Skill” and this competition is an opportunity for contestants to display exactly that. Competitors of all  levels will serve tea to world-renowned tea experts in front of a live audience during the 10th annual Victoria Tea Festival Revival taking place on October 4th 2025.

The World Tea Championship

JUDGES

  • Erick Smithe — Head judge - Founder of Cloudwalker Tea

    As founder of the World tea championship, Erick — longtime trailblazer and enfant terrible of the tea industry.

    " take it as my personal mission to shake the dust off the tea industry and to raise the standards of brewing to a global standard."

    Having studied with several of the top tea Masters in China, H.K and Taiwan, Erick has strong feelings as to what the primary elements —basics — of what makes for Kung fu tea. He also has a great passion for sharing about Classical Chinese Tea Culture as presenter, M.C, salesman, writer, translator and event host.

    Erick is the only Western student personally trained by Master Ho Tsai Ping of Taiwan, whose work Cha-Dao — from Tea to Tao, Erick led the English Translation project on. Erick is the founder of Cloudwalker Tea. He is also the Director of the Tea Expert Association, the T.E.A.

  • Daniel Lui

    Daniel is one of the most highly respected teachers of tea in North America and is teacher to many of those considered to be the top hands of tea in the Vancouver tea scene. He is extremely knowledgeable about tea, tea ware (Yi Xing Tea pots most notably), ancient jade among many other classical disciplines. Daniel’s eminence within the Western/Eastern Tea world makes him the ideal choice of input for what is authentic gong-fu cha.

  • Pedro Villalón

    Founder of O5 Tea in Vancouver, Pedro is a trailblazer in the tea scene of Vancouver. His knowledge of tea is vast and his appreciation for the finer points of tea culture are equally impressive. Pedro is known for getting to the source, the roots, of the Teas he collects and sell. Though always friendly and unassuming, his influence in developing tea communities across North and South America is significant.

  • To Be Announced

    Our fourth judge will be announced soon!

FAQs

How do I apply?

Apply here: https://airtable.com/app282HPxyxtXtAaT/shr0BxDqNZMhx9PRq

What are the rules?

There are no rules in Chinese Cha-Dao. There are only principles which, if applied, can help to produce better results in our Tea soup.

The only rule — if there can be said to be one — is Respect. This applies to respect for your co-competitors, for yourself, and for the Tea itself. This is the essence which all followers of the Way of Tea ultimately realize.

Who can compete?:
Everyone is encouraged to participate! There are 5 spots available, but a wait-list will be maintained in case spaces open up. No previous experience with Gong Fu Cha is required, although those interested in competing are encouraged to reach out to the society at intlteaappreciationsociety@gmail.com for further resources. Previous winners have included individuals with experience ranging from only weeks to multiple decades.

What to expect:

Tea: All competitors are provided with the same tea, which is announced on the day of the competition. Each competitor will get the opportunity to practice making the tea in a neutral tea set an hour before the competition. Competitors will need to decide how much tea they will use. A scale will be provided for those who wish to use it.

Tea-ware: All competitors are provided a range of tea-ware to choose from, with multiple options provided for each implement. The tea-ware will not be shown to the competitors before the competition.

Presentation: The competitors will have 10 minutes to brew and serve the tea. The time will start after tea-ware is selected and the water is brought up to the desired temperature. 

Competitors may serve the judges one steep. They may dump as many steeps as they wish in order to reach what they feel is the best expression of the tea.

What will I be judged on?

Competitors will have 10 minutes to perform before a panel of judges. The judges will score based on the following criteria:

1. Selection of tea-ware /5

2. Arrangement of tea-ware /5

3. Brewing technique /5

4. Resulting tea soup: /20

The Festival will provide the following:

- Tea

- All Brewing Equipment