Tea Fundamentals: Six Major types of Tea

Delve into the depth and complexity of the world of tea. This foundational class is designed to equip you with the essential knowledge to confidently explore tea on your own and get the most out of our other tasting sessions.

What you will learn:
- The Six Major Types: Understand white, green, yellow, oolong, black, and dark teas, including their unique production processes.
- History & Culture: Explore the rich background and global heritage surrounding tea.
- Steeping Techniques: Learn proper brewing methods for home enjoyment.
- Tasting Basics: Master the fundamentals of tea tasting to recognize and distinguish different flavor profiles and aromas.

Each session includes a guided tasting of at least 5 types of tea. We highly encourage joining this class before attending our regular tea sessions.

Note that this class is taught in English and the tea provided during this class contains caffeine.

About Your Tea Sommelier

Diana brings a uniquely global, analytical, and accessible perspective to East Asian tea culture.

Having lived and studied in Canada for high school and the United States for university (UC Berkeley), combined with a career background as a Google software engineer, Diana understands how to translate nuanced Eastern traditions into clear, logical, and engaging concepts for a Western audience. Her classes go beyond simple steeping instructions - she breaks down tea culture, flavour profiles, terroir, and processing methods using an approachable, structured framework (complemented by her WSET Level 1 Wine certification in sensory evaluation).

Her deep expertise is backed by rigorous international training: she studied traditional Korean tea ceremony, history, and processing under Master Rim Lee through the Korean Tea Culture Association. She holds an Advanced Tea Sommelier certification from the Korea Tea Sommelier Institute and the Tea Association of Korea, as well as a Level 1 Tea Sommelier certification recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan.

Whether you are a total beginner or a seasoned tea enthusiast, Diana’s sessions are designed to be informative, interactive, relaxed, and fun!