NYC Michelin sommelier workshop

how the two days unfold

The workshop opens on the morning of 6 November in a private tasting room in Manhattan. Mei Yang begins with a landscape of Chinese tea — not a broad survey, but a precise map of the categories that matter most to a fine-dining beverage director: wū lóng (乌龙), hóng chá (红茶), shēng and shú pǔ’ěr (生/熟普洱), and a narrow set of white and yellow teas. She connects each category to a terroir story, from the honey-orchid perfume of mí lán xiāng (蜜兰香) dān cóng (单丛) grown on Phoenix Mountain to the longan-wood fires that define a traditional zhèng shān xiǎo zhǒng (正山小种). By mid-morning, attendees blind-taste six teas, calibrating their palates against a shared vocabulary of fruit, mineral, smoke, and floral notes.

Lunch is a working break — light Cantonese-style plates designed to demonstrate how a tea list can pair with food without the structure of wine. In the afternoon, the group moves into methodology. Mei presents a pairing framework built on the three primary axes of Chinese tea: aroma persistence, texture (from silky white teas to the brothy weight of aged pǔ’ěr), and the finish’s evolution across temperatures. Participants draft a provisional tea flight for a fictional two-Michelin-starred tasting menu, then present and defend their choices.

Day two shifts from theory to service. The morning is dedicated to gōngfū chá (工夫茶) — not as a ceremony, but as a theatre of concentration. Mei teaches timing, water temperature, vessel selection, and the narrative arc a server can build around a single tea. Each participant brews for the group, receiving real-time feedback on pacing and description. After a midday tasting of lapsang souchong paired with chocolate and cheese, the final session tackles practical programme design: pricing a tea list, training floor staff, sourcing with consistency, and writing menu copy that honours the tea’s origin without exoticism. The workshop wraps with a short Q&A and a preview of the online course on tea.school, where participants can continue the training. Members of tea.community are eligible for a €50 discount — reach out through the community before booking. Every tea sampled over the two days is available in curated sets at shop.thetea.app, and the morning’s mí lán xiāng can be purchased by the kilogram for restaurant programmes.

What you get

• two full days of guided tasting and instruction with Mei Yang

• a curated set of 20 g samples of six Chinese teas, including dān cóng, lapsang, and aged shēng pǔ’ěr

• a porcelain gaiwan and a pair of tasting cups to keep

• the pairing framework workbook — 40 pages of methodology, flavour wheels, and menu templates

• exclusive access to a private breakout session at tea.school for three months after the workshop

• a certificate of completion recognised by tea.school and tea.events

• one-on-one feedback on a draft tea programme for your own restaurant, delivered within two weeks of the event

practical details

• venue — a private tasting room in Manhattan; exact address sent after booking

• dress — smart casual — avoid heavy perfumes or colognes that could interfere with tasting

• food — light tea-paired snacks and a small lunch plate provided each day; vegetarian options available on request

• accessibility — the venue is wheelchair accessible with lift access to the tasting floor

• language — all instruction, materials, and tasting notes in English

• kit included — yes — all teas, the gaiwan, cups, and the workbook are included in the fee

• weather note — November in NYC is cool (5–12°C), with possible rain; a light coat and umbrella are recommended