On January 12 & 13, judging for the 2025 Global Tea Championship (GTC) was completed at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality in the Southern Glazers Wine & Spirits Lab.
A total of 161 entries were evaluated during the judging, with the Black Tea category netting the most nominations. Fifteen origins were submitted from the following tea-growing regions:
- China
- Georgia
- India
- Japan
- Kenya
- Republic of Korea
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Rwanda
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Vietnam
- USA
For the first time, matcha was also included as a category in the GTC. "The inclusion has been long overdue. Matcha is complex in its process and also in it's preparation, which made competitive evaluation challenging given time-sensitive parameters," said Ravi Pillai, director of Quality & Development for DAVIDsTEA, and director of the GTC. "Matcha warrants it's rightful respect and requires justified parameters in preparation. Today, matcha is popular globally and produced in many origins. We want to promote the opportunity for producers and retailers alike to expose this product of repute, and this is only the beginning."
There were four judges for the 2025 GTC:
- Will Battle, Fine Tea Merchants
- Wouter Verelst, Satemwa Tea & Coffee Estates
- Juan Xie, Oriental Tea Co.
- Ravi Pillai, DAVIDsTEA
To judge the competition, Pillai says the judges assessed the "the respective merits independently of the Leaf and the Liquor."
For the Leaf, the judges focused on:
- Visual appearance - the make, shape and style
- Uniformity - the neatness and consistency of leaf style and make
- Color - the color and brightness of the appearance
- Texture- the overall texture of the leaf
For the Liquor, the judges appraised:
- Strength
- Flavor profile
- Taste
"We then will look closely for brightness in the liquor/(cup), while assessing the attributable color of liquor," explains Pillai. "Then we evaluate the tea on its aftertaste and overall finish in the palate. All of these credentials are independently assigned a rating on scale and aggregated to determine the top scores in each offering."
A press release announcing the GTC finalists will be published soon. The 2025 GTC winners will be announced during a ceremony at World Tea Expo on March 25, 2025 at 6:00 pm.
"This competition catered to the interests of its audience, perhaps under different titles over the years," says Pillai. "We have now confined the competition to the core product "Camellia sinensis," enhancing opportunities and gaining favor and hope for producers in all origins to display their efforts."
Here is a full list of companies that participated in the 2025 GTC:
Gorkha Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd.
Makaibari
Gisovu Tea Company (Silverback)
RUGABANO TEA COMPANY PVT LTD
Luxmi
Sorwathe Ltd
Cheng Tea
Wakoen Global
Green Shutter Tea
LegacySips
Osada Seicha
Zealong Tea Estate
Cederberg Tea Company
Wild Orchard Tea Company
Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited, Munnar
NavasTea
Monteaco
PMD Tea
LEAFBERRI
Marathon Ginseng International Inc
Decentea Co.,Ltd.
BHAURAM JODHRAJ
Newby Teas
The Herbal Oracle
Glenburn Tea Direct
Glenworth Estate Limited
PROMETHEUS
Wuyi Star Tea Co.
Tea J Tea & An Tra
Tea J Tea & Teas For Wildlife
towershita Co.,Ltd.
SLAMAW INTERNATIONAL TRADE CO., LTD
Chicago Teahouse
Lumbini Tea Valley Ceylon
Jay Shree Tea & Industries Ltd
Orientaleaf.com
Nepali Tea Traders
Tea Cusp Inc.
Yunnan Chuandai Agricultural Technology Co.,Ltd
Tea Forté
Mountain Rose Herbs
SerendipiTea
Guangdong Lingnan Health Ecological Technology Group
Seven Teahouse
Pin Ye Tea Company LLC
PARRY AGRO INDUSTRIES LIMITED
Qing Feng Tea Company
Fuson Macrobiotics Limited
Soofer Co Inc dba Sadaf Foods
OKAYTI TEA CO LTD
Accord India International P Ltd
Dethlefsen & Balk Inc
TRA VIET JSC.
The Tea Lab
ZOUJI AND YUNNAN TEA CO., LTD
iTeaworld
Japanese Green Tea Co.
Panilkanda Tea Factory
The Great Mississippi Tea Company
Brook37 The Atelier
Leilani Fine Tea
Kazi Yetu Ltd
Nepal Tea Collective
Plan to Attend or Participate in World Tea Expo, March 24-26, 2025
To learn about other key developments, trends, issues, hot topics and products within the global tea community, plan to attend World Tea Expo, March 24-26, 2025 in Las Vegas, co-located with Bar & Restaurant Expo. Visit WorldTeaExpo.com.
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