This Year’s Global Tea Awards: Who’s Winning What?
From bold black teas to sparkling innovations, the Global Tea Awards are brimming with surprises. Discover this year’s winners, rising stars, and why your next favorite brew might be award-winning.
The Tea Oscars Are In
Move over Hollywood—this red carpet is rolled out in a tea garden. The Global Tea Awards are back, and the judges have been busy slurping, swirling, and scoring the finest leaves from around the globe. So who’s taking home the golden gaiwan this year?
At Clemson Tea Farm, we brewed up a pot of our finest and sat down to watch the results like it was the Super Bowl—only with more oolong and fewer chicken wings.
Top Honors (Drumroll, Please)
Best Black Tea:
A high-elevation Darjeeling second flush that whispers poetry in muscatel tones.
Imagine sipping dusk in a Himalayan orchard—yes, it’s that kind of experience.
Best Green Tea:
A hand-rolled Korean nokcha that tastes like sea breeze and spring peas had a delicate dance.
Crisp, vegetal, and clean like morning dew on tea leaves in May.
Best Oolong:
A Taiwanese Dong Ding with a roast so smooth it might just have its own jazz soundtrack.
If Ella Fitzgerald were a tea, this would be her.
Best Innovation:
A naturally sparkling tea that’s fizzy, fabulous, and somehow still elegant.
Think Champagne meets Camellia sinensis—your picnic just leveled up.
Personal note: We had sparkling white tea for our June 1st Celebration in 2024. What a delicious way to toast!
Best Packaging:
A minimalist Japanese tin so chic you’ll want to display it next to your matcha whisk shrine.
It’s giving Marie Kondo meets tea sommelier vibes.
Rising Stars
New Origin Spotlight:
Smallholder teas from Malawi and Colombia wowed the judges, proving that world-class tea doesn’t need a passport from China or Japan.
Farmers from unexpected regions are brewing a revolution—literally.
Sustainability Award:
A Sri Lankan estate won big for its solar dryers, rainwater harvesting, and zero-waste packaging.
Sip with a clean conscience—eco tea is the new black.
Why It Matters
These awards aren’t just for bragging rights—they shine a spotlight on:
Craftsmanship worth celebrating
Emerging terroirs challenging tradition
Ethical innovation pushing the industry forward
And let’s be honest—it also gives us the perfect excuse to try just one more cup for “educational purposes.”
From the farm: We’ve added a few of these winners to our wishlist for next month’s tasting circle by the compost bins. It’s fancy farm chic, y’all.
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