A continuing education program and online community that supports YOUR tea life.
Being Tea is a different kind of learning space for a different kind of learner.
This is continuing education for tea that’s tailored for everyday life. My tea courses are unscripted and naturally paced. I’m doing tea tastings in real time with you, so you can practice along with me at your own pace.
When you take tea courses here, you’re practicing with a real person.
If you’ve ever felt awkward, that you asked “silly questions,” or that you didn’t belong, you’re not alone. But you’re in good hands here, learning from a nationally-recognized, award-winning tea educator with 20 years of experience.
Think of Being Tea like you would a beloved yoga studio, but for tea!
I learned tea, professionally and personally, by experiencing it as a daily part of my life. More like a devoted yoga student than an academic or scholar. Read on to see what this holistic membership program can offer you!
“Any tea lover who isn’t a member already is seriously missing out!”
– Emily, member since Feb 2019
“Your approach is so accessible to all tea connoisseurs, and it was informative for me as a drinker and a tea producer.”
– Alicia, member since Dec 2020
Join Being Tea and bring more tea into your daily life!
Sign up here to get started!
I offer tiered pricing to support accessibility. All of the levels below have the same benefits, so you can simply choose the monthly rate that best matches your financial and tea education needs. Additionally, you can also change your level up or down anytime.
*For price comparison: Typical rates for classes I teach to the public average $10 – $30 per class. Professional classes, including ones that you’ll experience here in the program, would start at a few hundred dollars.
REDUCED RATE
$10 / month
The “community” rate for tea loving folks with limited financial means. This level is offered through Being Tea’s commitment to financially accessible tea education.
STANDARD RATE
$20 / month
My “fair exchange” value rate – what it takes for me to produce this program. If you enjoy even just two live sessions or videos a month, this equals about $10 per class.
SUSTAINING RATE
$30 / month
Pay for yourself while supporting someone else on our Reduced level. This level offsets the cost to run our Reduced rate tier. It equals only $15 per class if you attended just twice a month. Thank you for your generosity!
Your membership with Being Tea includes:
– Opportunities for live, interactive classes all month long.
– Unlimited access to our tea course video libraries, detailed below.
– New recordings are added to the libraries every month, so you never miss anything.
– FREE or discounted tickets to other Being Tea non-member events.
– Priority email access to me for questions and connection.
– Weekly private member newsletter.
What you’ll explore here at Being Tea:
Being Tea membership offers continuing education for tea in a monthly program that is both self-guided and interactive. We launched in 2017 and now have years of courses and experiences for you – over 200 video recordings, and counting. Our tea courses are organized into sections by topic, just like a library.
Subjects in the Being Tea course library include:
Tea Skills series (read more)
classes explore deeper sensory development. Includes functional brewing techniques, professional cupping skills, classical teaware introductions, understanding tea categories, and building tea tasting vocabulary.
Tea Meditation series (read more)
is where we practice mindfulness training with tea. This includes techniques for preparing tea in meditation, seasonal energetics of teas, breathwork (pranayama) with tea, restorative practices for reducing stress, and tea meditation journaling.
Quiet Tea Sundays (read more)
is a weekly restorative space for the practice of guided tea meditation. We work with monthly seasonal themes and incorporate techniques such as pranayama, yoga nidra, journaling, and gongfu cha. This is different from the Tea Meditation series, which is focused on the learning aspect. Quiet Tea Sundays is the practice space, and actually making the time during your week for mindfulness.
Being Tea Connections (read more)
is an ongoing series where we invite special guest teachers into the Being Tea space to highlight the numerous ways tea connects to the world around us. Subjects include sobriety, activism, tea origin relationships, spirituality, and more. Because we’re never “just” studying tea!
Barista Series (read more)
is a tailored selection of classes that focus on tea as a beverage, such as iced tea and lattes. Ideal for folks who work with tea professionally in a service setting. Includes baristas, specialty coffee workers, tea house staff, and anyone who wants to learn about tea from the lens of service and professional engagement.
“Tea with your meditation classes seems to be the one practice that brings me back to the place I need to be.”
– Fiona, Being Tea member since Aug 2020
Our difference: Education as a relationship, not a transaction
Teaching people about tea is my full-time work and truly what I love doing most.
As a tea educator of nearly 20 years, I hear a lot of stories about how hard it is to learn about tea. This actually became the inspiration for creating a program that offers continuing education for tea – Being Tea membership.
Every month here, you’ll explore what tea means in everyday life. In fact, this is how I learned tea myself.
At Being Tea, our tea courses are designed to be self-guided, holistic, inclusive, and financially accessible. This is how I share my philosophy of tea education as a relationship, not a transaction. The depth and accessibility of this program is proof that a formal tea school program is not the only way to get a high quality, meaningful tea education.
“My favorite tea educator is Suzette Hammond.”
– Daniela Titiun, certified tea sommelier, Being Tea member since Aug 2019
Being Tea is like no other tea course program. Here’s why:
1) This program is intentionally NOT a tea certification course or academic school.
Tea means different things to different people. Our self-guided structure invites tea explorers to engage with tea completely on their own terms. That might be creative playtime as a devoted hobby, or a mental health support for well-being, or continuing education for tea industry professionals.
2) All of our classes are trauma-informed and rooted in inclusive, holistic teaching.
We value inclusive and flexible structure over any sort of rigid form. This also means we center the importance of intentional language and body wisdom in this space, too. You are your own guide, after all, for what tea becomes in your life. You are always enough here. Being Tea is also neurodivergent friendly.
3) There are no standardized tests, no quizzes, no “falling behind” here.
Instead of book work or passing quizzes, you’ll develop an enduring, personal relationship with tea that nourishes you as a whole human. This means intellectual as well as emotional, mental and spiritual – areas that are neglected in learning systems that only measure a pass / fail score.
Being Tea’s Community Values
Being Tea asks all participants to commit to supporting and valuing fellow members for their unique differences across race; country of origin; gender and sexual identity; age; body form and/or disability; mental health needs; religious and cultural heritage; and socioeconomic status.
Racism, misogyny, anti-queer or anti-trans, xenophobia, ableism, and other similarly dangerous and non-inclusive views, statements or behavior are not welcome here. Please note also that your program director, Sooz, is an Autistic person, non-binary/queer and sober; their partner is also disabled and immunocompromised. Being Tea’s community values center the vulnerable, fragile, and marginalized.
Far above any tea subject we explore, Being Tea is here to hold inclusive space for a wide range of individuals, including folks from sensitive backgrounds, and their humanity and safety is of paramount importance.
Please consider this when you choose to join this program and be in our communal classes. Thank you!
Ready to join Being Tea? Let’s go!
REDUCED RATE
$10 / month
STANDARD RATE
$20 / month
SUSTAINING RATE
$30 / month
Looking for customized business membership?
I also offer tailored membership levels for businesses, such as corporate benefits, employee wellness programs and staff training. Contact me to learn more!