{"id":187,"date":"2019-10-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.ctma.com.cn\/index.php\/2019\/10\/01\/canadian-tea-masters-cup-winners-advance-to-the-international-competition\/"},"modified":"2020-01-08T05:11:19","modified_gmt":"2020-01-08T05:11:19","slug":"canadian-tea-masters-cup-winners-advance-to-the-international-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.ctma.com.cn\/index.php\/2019\/10\/01\/canadian-tea-masters-cup-winners-advance-to-the-international-competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Tea Masters Cup Winners Advance to the International Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Photo courtesy of THAC) <\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s first Tea Masters Cup, an international competition that tests tasting, pairing, preparation and tea mixology skills, took place Sept. 22-23 at the Canadian Coffee & Tea Show in Toronto. Tea professionals Kate Kendall and Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Desaulniers emerged victors.<\/p>\n

The inaugural event was organized by the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada (THAC). Eight contestants prepared tea and blended multi-ingredient beverages featuring tea. Judges included Frank Weber, Pedro Villalon, Tao Wu, Shabnam Weber and Gail Gastelu. Kevin Gascoyne provided commentary as the master of ceremonies.<\/p>\n

Kendall, who works at Camellia Sinensis in Montreal, told World Tea News<\/em> \u201cI\u2019m really excited (and shocked at the same time!) I take this honor very seriously and I\u2019ll do my best representing Canada in Tea Preparation for the first time in the country\u2019s history! (Wow\u2026!)\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cI didn\u2019t think I would compete because I didn\u2019t see myself as a \u201ctea master\u201d. I still don\u2019t see myself as such, of course. I went to the first Tea Master\u2019s Cup Canada with the idea of having fun drinking and preparing tea with a bunch of tea passionates. I was really impressed when I saw the contestants and I told myself: \u201cwow, everybody is so serious about this! And good! And\u2026 Whoa\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jean Francois Desaulniers, Canada Masters Cup Winner Tea Preparation (Photo credit: THAC) <\/p>\n

She adds that in her view, \u201cTea is so good by itself that it\u2019s mainly its own master. And teacher. What I love about tea is the intimate contact you have with it while brewing it. If you know you can trust a good quality tea, you can do whatever you want to experiment with it and it\u2019s going to be interesting. I don\u2019t like rules. I don\u2019t like the \u2018if-you-don\u2019t-brew-your-tea-at-exacty-that-temperature-the-tea-is-ruined,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She acknowledged having occasionally ruined good tea and added that there are boundaries, \u201cSometimes it\u2019s not great and then you drink it and play some more,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Desaulniers, 34, attended a Tea Masters Cup in Melbourne, Australia but this is his first time as a competitor. His winning entry was Bitter Love, a red cocktail he described as \u201csuper flashy, super aromatic with slight bitterness.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he will now begin intensive training for the international event. \u201cI\u2019m really happy and grateful for having the opportunity to represent Canada in the TMC finals,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was such a great experience to compete not against but side-by-side with people who are friends and colleagues in our great tea industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil the finals, my objective is to train for a level of competition, that I assume, will be pretty high. Always with the objective of bringing something more to the world of tea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kate Kendall Canada Masters Cup Winner Tea Preparation (Photo credit: THAC) <\/p>\n

Tea Masters Cup (TMC) was started by the Russian Tea and Coffee Association in 2013 and has quickly expanded to 25 countries around the world. The competition attracts young, dynamic tea drinkers and this year\u2019s competition in Canada was no exception, according to THAC President Shabnam Weber.<\/p>\n

Weber explained the categories consist of two parts: the Masters portion and the Organizer\u2019s portion.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Masters portion, competitors bring their own equipment and product to prepare for the judges. Competitors are provided with equipment and product by the judges one hour prior to judging,\u201d said Weber. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe results were outstanding, and the judges were all blown away with the passion and creativity presented,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Winners will be sent to the International Tea Masters Cup competition. The 2018 finals took place Nov. 23-25, 2018 in Hue, Vietnam; the 2019 venue is still to be announced.<\/p>\n

Source: Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, , <\/p>\n

MASTERS CUP RULES<\/p>\n

Tea Preparation \u2013 Winner Kate Kendall
A Master competing in this category must demonstrate the skill of tea preparation by brewing and presenting to each member of the judging panel two beverages.<\/p>\n