Celebrate National Tea Day By Delving Into The Art Of Tea

Tea isn't just a drink — it's an experience. While coffee fuels the hustle and bustle of daily life, tea invites you to pause, reflect, and savor the moment. Whether it's a morning ritual, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a cozy evening tradition, tea has woven itself into cultures and routines around the world.

In the U.S., tea's popularity continues to rise, with over 159 million Americans drinking tea daily. So, to satisfy the nation's thirst, the U.S. imported $508 million worth of tea last year, around $350 million more than the U.S. imported 30 years ago.

Although tea is extremely popular, it's interesting that many drinkers still don't know much about their beloved beverage. While there are wine sommeliers and coffee Q graders, you may not be aware there are also certified tea experts.

Meet Gabrielle Jammal — also known as “The Tea Lady” — an acclaimed certified tea sommelier and hospitality expert with more than 15 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, working at some of the nation’s premier restaurants and hotels. This includes serving as a tea sommelier at the Baccarat Hotel in New York City, where she created a winelist-like tea menu to inspire people on their tea journey. Gabrielle's love of tea stems from precious childhood moments spent with her grandmother, which greatly influenced her career choice.

Gabrielle's mission is to educate people on the wonders of tea and the process of making the perfect cup. In celebration of National Tea Day on April 21, Gabrielle is encouraging people to learn more about tea by checking out an online master class called "The Art of Tea-Luscious Tea," created in partnership with Tejava: The Unsweetened Tea. Gabrielle is the featured instructor along with an internal tea expert from Tejava, to help anyone go from tea novice to tea expert in a matter of minutes.

Quick question: Have you ever been nervous about using loose tea? Do you feel the pressure of making it right, or are you confused by the vast variety of teas available? Which brand is the right one for your tastebuds and your ethics? And what about bottled teas, and how to find one that meets your needs? If you've ever wondered about these questions, the Tejava master class is perfect for you.

This online class is designed to remove the mystery around tea with an easy, engaging, and entertaining way to learn — brought to you from a brand that brings over 30 years of tea expertise and produces high-quality tea products.

So, what will you learn in The Art of Tea-Luscious Tea master class?

1. Tea leaf growing process: Discovering how the terroitory, altitude, soil composition, and rainfall pattern can affect how the tea plant develops.

2. The origins of tea: From the legend of how drinking tea was discovered to when it became China's national drink under the Tang dynasty and its journey along the Silk Road, to be loved by millions globally today.

3. Proper brewing technique: Learn about different steeping times for different teas, reinfusing tea leaves, and avoiding the common pitfall of over-boiling the tea leaves.

4. The chemistry of tea: Understanding how the amino acids, enzymes, and fiber work together and how the oxidation process affects the tea, bringing out the natural sweetness of the tea leaves.

5. Health benefits: Tea provides a multitude of benefits, from containing antioxidants and being great for focus and energy to helping your digestive system.

“It’s important to learn the history and craft behind tea,” shares Gabrielle. “Tea is made by caring hands, and it should be respected because it travels a long road before it reaches our door — and producing high-quality tea has taken years, even centuries, to master. It’s important to consider things like responsible sourcing and how our care for the planet can impact our ability to access great teas in the future, as tea-growing regions are greatly affected by climate change.”

The Tejava master class aims to build confidence in people with limited tea knowledge, and in the class, you'll also learn about Tejava — the unsweetened tea — a zero-calorie, great-tasting bottled tea with no sugar and no added preservatives. This ready-to-drink tea gets its name from the Indonesian island from which the tea leaves are sourced — the island of Java — thus the name Tejava®.

The tea gets its refreshing and bold ‘true-to-the-tea’ taste by sourcing the best tea leaves in Java and brewing it in small batches. Tejava tea leaves are carefully selected from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms and only picked at the height of the harvest season. The Rainforest Alliance Certified™ seal tells people that the tea used in Tejava is more sustainably grown to benefit farm families, wildlife, and the environment.

Gabrielle continues, "If you're new to tea, my advice is to start with something you know and build from there. As you get familiar with the various flavors and colors available, you gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of what you like and want from your tea. Whether you want to experiment with brewing your own or purchasing a bottled tea like Tejava, the possibilities are endless, and you’ll find there are so many different ways to enjoy tea…that’s why we called our master class ‘The Art of Tea-Luscious Tea.’"

If you'd like to learn all about the history, culture, and preparation of tea, "The Art of Tea-Luscious Tea" with Tejava awaits you.

BDG Media newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.