Submit Your Tea
Share your tea for evaluation
We invite tea producers in the US to submit their teas for evaluation through a structured, fair, and confidential process designed for the developing American tea community.
Our goal is not only to recognize quality, but also to help build a transparent and credible tea culture for tea grown in the United States.
How the submission process works
1. Complete the submission form
Begin by filling out the tea submission form with basic information about your tea, including tea type, harvest season, processing style, and any relevant production notes.
2. Receive a prepaid shipping label
After your submission is accepted, you will receive a prepaid shipping label for sending your tea to the central intake location.
This step helps standardize the intake process and protects the confidentiality of growers by keeping ship-from information hidden from evaluation hubs.
3. Ship your tea to the central intake point
All teas are first sent to one receiving location. From there, the samples are checked, relabeled if needed, and distributed to the evaluation hubs.
This centralized system allows us to:
- protect the anonymity of the grower when appropriate
- maintain a more uniform submission process
- ensure each hub receives a consistent sample amount
- reduce bias related to origin, packaging, or shipping details
4. Samples are distributed to evaluation hubs
After arrival at the central intake point, the tea is divided and sent to the appropriate evaluation hubs.
Each evaluation hub will receive at least 1 ounce / 30 grams of sample for review.
Because multiple hubs may be involved, the total amount requested from the producer is larger than a single judging sample.
5. Tea is evaluated through a structured review process
Samples are reviewed according to the standards and evaluation criteria established for the program. Depending on the category, evaluation may consider appearance, aroma, liquor, leaf integrity, processing quality, and overall expression of the tea.
Submission quantity
To support redistribution across evaluation hubs, growers should prepare to submit a total of approximately:
150 to 300 grams per tea entry
The exact amount depends on the number of hubs participating and the needs of the evaluation category.
In general:
- minimum total submission: about 150 g
- larger or more widely distributed entries: up to 300 g
- minimum sample per hub: 1 oz / 30 g
This model ensures that each evaluation hub has enough tea to examine the sample properly while keeping the process manageable for producers.
Why teas are sent to one central location first
Benefits of a single intake point:
- Confidentiality: evaluation hubs do not need to see the original ship-from address
- Consistency: all teas are repacked or verified through one common process
- Efficiency: growers only ship once, rather than sending separate packages to multiple reviewers
- Quality control: intake staff can confirm that sufficient sample volume has been received before redistribution
This is especially important as the tea evaluation system grows and becomes more organized across regions.
What kinds of tea may be submitted
Eligible teas may include tea grown and processed in the United States, depending on the category and seasonal call for submissions.
Examples may include:
- green tea
- black tea
- oolong tea
Specific submission windows and categories may vary by season or event.
What information may be asked to provide
The submission form may request information such as:
- grower or farm name
- tea name
- tea type
- harvest date or season
- cultivar, if known
- production region
- processing notes
- whether the tea is intended for a specific category
- contact information for shipping coordination
Some of this information may be used for administration only and may not be shared directly with evaluators during blind review.
Packaging guidance
To help protect sample quality during transit, please package your tea carefully.
Recommended practices:
- use clean, food-safe packaging
- seal the tea well to prevent moisture or odor contamination
- clearly label the tea according to the submission instructions
- avoid overly large retail packaging when a compact submission pouch will do
- do not include promotional materials unless requested
Further packing instructions may be sent with your shipping label.
Important note on confidentiality
Because teas are first shipped to a central intake address and then redistributed, this process helps reduce unnecessary identifying information during evaluation.
While full anonymity cannot always be guaranteed in a small and emerging tea community, this model is intended to make the evaluation process as neutral and fair as possible.
Timeline
Submission timelines will be announced with each seasonal or special evaluation cycle.
Please pay attention to:
- submission opening date
- final date to complete the form
- shipping deadline
- sample receipt deadline
- evaluation period
- announcement of results or feedback
Before you submit
Please review the following before sending your tea:
- your tea is ready and representative of the lot you wish to submit
- you can provide the requested total sample amount
- you are willing to ship to the central intake location using the prepaid label provided
- your sample can be divided across multiple evaluation hubs
- you have completed the required form accurately
Submit your tea
When submissions are open, use the form below to begin.
Step 1: Complete the tea entry form
Step 2: Receive your prepaid shipping label
Step 3: Ship your tea to the central intake location
Step 4: We distribute your tea to the evaluation hubs
Questions?
If you have questions about eligibility, sample size, shipping, or evaluation categories, please contact us before sending your tea.
We are building this system to serve growers with fairness, clarity, and respect, and we welcome thoughtful participation from tea producers across the United States.
