Sip • Sense

Tea Tasting Workshop – UWU Expo 2025

Role: Main Project Coordinator

I served as the Main Project Coordinator for the Tea Tasting Session at UWU Expo 2025, held in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Uva Wellassa University. The tea tasting workshop was conducted over four consecutive days and became one of the top three most visited stalls at the expo.

My Role & Responsibilities

As the main coordinator, I was responsible for the overall planning, coordination, and execution of the tea tasting workshop. I actively communicated with several nearby tea factories, including Wewassa Tea Estate and Thelbadda Tea Estate, and coordinated with their management to collect pure orthodox tea samples. In addition, I sourced CTC tea samples from Theresa Tea and obtained premium tea samples from Lipton Teas, ensuring a diverse and high-quality tasting experience.

Purpose of the Workshop

The main objective of this workshop was to educate tea lovers about the “field to cup” journey. While many people brew and consume tea daily, they often lack awareness of the tea processing stages and quality differences. Through this workshop, we aimed to share knowledge about tea production, processing, grading, and tasting techniques.

Audience & Tea Tasting Experience

The tea tasting sessions successfully engaged a wide audience, including adults and school students, providing them with hands-on exposure to tea tasting and processing knowledge.
Participants evaluated 10 different black tea grades, including OP, OP1, Pekoe, Pekoe 1, BOPF, FBOP, FF1, FF1 Special, Dust 1, Dust 2, along with Silver Tips, flavoured teas, and iced tea. This setup allowed visitors to compare aromas, liquor color, and taste profiles across grades.

Challenges Faced

One of the main challenges was the limited prior experience in professional tea tasting within our team. Additionally, sourcing a wide range of tea samples and managing large visitor crowds during peak hours proved difficult, especially as the stall attracted a very high number of visitors throughout the expo.

Overcoming Challenges & Support

These challenges were successfully overcome with the support of industry experts and academic leaders.
Mr. Kumara Siri Perera, Procurement Manager at Lipton Teas, conducted a series of tea tasting training sessions, sharing his professional expertise and guiding us on proper tea tasting methods.
Mr. Prasad Chinthaka Navarathna, Senior Manager at Senhora Tea Company (Pvt) Ltd, generously provided tea samples, equipment, and valuable industry knowledge.
We also received strong academic guidance and support from Dr. Lalith Amarathunga, Head of the Department of Export Agriculture, and Dr. Prasansani De Silva, whose involvement played a key role in the successful management and execution of the workshop.

Key Learnings & Impact

This project enhanced my skills in event coordination, industry communication, teamwork, leadership, and tea presentation, while providing valuable real-world exposure to the tea industry. The experience strengthened my ability to manage large-scale educational events and reinforced my passion for promoting Sri Lankan Ceylon tea culture through knowledge sharing.