Tea Blog

Awards are great… sometimes. And other times, they serve different purposes. That’s true just about everywhere—including in the world of tea.

So here are a few personal thoughts on tea awards—and feel free to share your own.

What Do Tea Awards Really Mean?

An award suggests that someone believes a particular tea—and the effort behind it—deserves recognition. However, there’s no guarantee that you will enjoy that tea.

For one thing, not all awards are based on flavor. Some recognize package design or marketing. Even when awards focus on taste—such as “best in category”—the results can still be subjective.

How Tea Is Judged

Professional tea judging is quite different from everyday tea drinking.

Judges typically:

• Slurp tea to aerate it
• Swish it around to evaluate flavor
• Spit it out rather than drink it

Most of us don’t experience tea this way at home.

Additionally, taste preferences vary widely. Factors such as personal health, cultural exposure, and individual palate all influence how a tea is perceived.

Access and Fairness

Another consideration is access.

Not all tea producers or vendors can afford to enter competitions or attend award events. This means that some excellent teas—often from smaller or lesser-known producers—may never be considered.

In fact, many of these “unknown” teas can rival or even surpass award winners in everyday drinking situations.

Why Awards Still Matter

Despite their limitations, awards continue to capture our attention.

Much like film awards or music competitions, they appeal to our interest in comparison and achievement. We enjoy seeing different offerings evaluated and ranked—even if we don’t always agree with the results.

Final Thoughts

If an award inspires you to try a new tea, that’s a good thing.

But keep in mind that awards reflect specific judging conditions, methods, and preferences—not necessarily your own.

In the end, the best tea is the one you enjoy most—award-winning or not.

See more of A.C. Cargill’s articles here.

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