Announcing: Tea Apprentice Training

The founder of Canadian Tea Masters has sprouted a new concept that is just superb.
Trainer and director of the organisation, Sylvanna Levesque, has designed a Certified Tea Apprentice course.
The course is designed for anyone keen on developing their tea skills and practice, but who feel they are not yet at the 'mastery' level of training.
It is a great, hands-on, practical course that sets aspiring tea masters in good stead for a  tea-inspired life.
The course consists of two parts:
The first is a three-day in-person comprehensive tea course, which gives apprentices students core skills, structures, taste-testing protocols, and a tea philosophy grounding.
Part two is an apprenticeship at a tea establishment. Here, students will be immersed in what it is like to run a tea business and serve tea professionally.
Each apprentice will spend no less than 24 accumulative hours with the business in supported learning situations.
This structure of course gives tea enthusiasts a unique opportunity to take the next step in their tea journey.
Once all course requirements have been met, each student will be awarded the title of Certified Tea Apprentice.
Tuition for this course costs US$995 and you can learn more about it at www.teamasters.org

Modern Take: The Urban Billy

We recently stumbled across an amazingly brilliant and beautifully handcrafted piece of tea ware to set your tea-loving heart on fire.
The custom-made Urban Billy is designed to enhance the experience of sharing a cup of tea.
It is designed by Elliat Rich, an inventor, designer and part-time explorer based in Alice Springs, Australia.
Elliat takes an approach to design that she calls "slow-motion-seeing", identifying small things in everyday moments that either deserve contemplation or help facilitate it.
Her Urban Billy grew from an awareness of the way people use the offer and acceptance of a cup of tea as a way to spend time together.
Wanting to enhance this everyday ritual, Elliat brought transparency to the relationship between the water and the flame.
The glass vessel is made is Sydney, Australia, with five pieces of hand-formed glass as well as turned and bent mountain ash wood for the sleeves and lids.
This kind of goodness does come at a cost: the Urban Billy will set you back $1290.
But people, this is not your average tea infuser; it is a piece of art.
Visit www.elliatrich.com for more information.

Australian Tea Masters Hits The Airwaves!

Our founder Sharyn Johnston spoke on ABC Adelaide today about what it is that makes a perfect cup of tea.
For anyone who missed it, the radio show was Afternoons with Sonya Feldhoff and we will post a link to the podcast as soon as it becomes available.
On the show we discussed how water temperature, heating the pot, and using clean water and high quality tea can all contribute to the brew.
Heaps of people called in to offer their top tips on 'the perfect cup' and it was a great thing to be part of.
We look forward to sharing the audio with you. In the meantime, let's continue the discussion about what makes a perfect cup...What are your thoughts?