May King Tsang, owner of MayKing Tea, a company dedicated to delivering education about the finest quality loose leaf teas and organic herbal infusions from around the world, recently became the UK’s first Certified Tea Specialist after graduating from the Specialty Tea Institute’s tea certification programme.
The Specialty Tea Institute is a division of the Tea Association of the USA, a non-profit organisation which promotes the awareness and consumption of premium tea by providing an education forum, resources and education about quality tea for members, the trade, the media and consumers.
To become a Certified Tea Specialist, May King travelled to the US on four occasions to complete her tea training, which included a scientific and sensory education into the 5 basic tea types: white, green, oolong, black and pu-erh. May King was awarded the title of Certified Tea Specialist after completing the final stage of the certification programme at the end of January in San Francisco.
May King is the first person from the UK to complete the Specialty Tea Institute programme, and joins a small group of just 50 Certified Tea Speakers internationally.
Until recently May King worked as the Training Manager for an international software company; however she was made redundant late last year. Although she had already completed the first three stages of the tea certification for pleasure whilst in full time employment, this change in circumstance allowed her to complete the course and pursue her passion for tea full time with the launch of MayKing Tea.
“I have a long-standing love affair with tea” says May King. “I initially enrolled on the tea certification programme so that I could enrich my own tea-drinking experience and knowledge. As a former training manager, education is another one of my passions; forming MayKing Tea was therefore the obvious career choice for me”.
May King shares her tea expertise in a two hour tea tasting experience. Offered to individuals or groups of friends or colleagues in the home or in the office, “Around the World in Eight Tea Cups” is a fun and informative way to learn all about tea and importantly teaches clients how to make the perfect cup of tea. Michelle Morrison from Hertfordshire recently attended a MayKing Tea experience. She said “The tea tasting experience was a great adult social interaction, and a fun and good idea for a party! I would like to see a return to tea in café society - this could be the way.”
To find out more about MayKing Tea and the “Around the World in Eight Tea Cups” tasting experience, visit http://www.maykingtea.com
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Notes to Editor:
About MayKing Tea: MayKing Tea was founded by May King Tsang in 2009. Based in London, MayKing Tea is dedicated to offering a varied selection of the finest quality loose leaf teas, organic herbal infusions and quality teaware from around the world. http://www.maykingtea.com
About “Around the World in Eight Cups”. This is a 2 hour tea tasting experience, which takes place at a client home or place of work. It covers: What is tea; The health benefits of tea; White, Green, Blue, Red, Black and Pu'erh tea explained; MayKing the perfect cup of tea; Where teas are produced; Loose leaf tea versus tea bags; Tea tasting - a sensory experience
About The Tea Association of the USA: The Tea Association of the USA speaks as the official voice for its members who represent the majority of importer, wholesaler, domestic retail, food service and specialty tea companies. All issues related to tea directly involve this group: legislative, regulatory, education, social welfare, sustainability, consumption and health. The Tea Association, with its expertise in all facets of tea in this country is the natural and most critical resource sought out for its expertise and participation. A staff of dedicated individuals works to achieve excellence in influencing industry direction and decisions. http://www.teausa.com
