The Roots Of Tea

Tea’s journey spans millennia, and its roots remain deeply embedded in the land, the people, and the traditions that shaped it long before colonial histories distorted its narrative. The Roots Of Tea is an invitation to return to these roots - to unlearn, rediscover and reclaim an approach to tea that considers the tea plant a living being, ancient medicine and a way of guiding us to relate to nature and live in harmony with nature.

The decolonisation of tea starts here. 

Unlike conventional courses that focus on commercial classifications and standardised industry specifications, this Course takes us to the pristine forests where wild tea trees have thrived for millennia, to the hands of those who have preserved its craft, and to the stories and wisdom that have guided humanity and our evolution in close context of nature. 

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Grass People Tree

The Roots Of Tea

£135.00
£135.00
Tax included. Shipping calculated at checkout.

Why is this Course unique?

  • Ancestral Wisdom, Directly from the Masters

In a world where ancient knowledge is increasingly erased, misrepresented, or appropriated for personal and commercial gain, this Course is created to honour authenticity and integrity. It is based on the direct transmissions of tea masters and indigenous wisdom, carefully translated and recorded to preserve their essence as guiding principles.

  • Tea Beyond the Commodity Mindset & Trends

This Course is not about comparing tasting notes like coffee or wine or treating tea processing as a standard process. Instead, we return to tea’s ancient definitions and explore its deeper meanings - as a philosophy, a guiding principle, and a practice for cultivating our inner qualities.

  • Not Just Learning - Living Tea

As our teacher says, “Knowledge is a rumour until it is in the muscle.” Understanding tea is not just an intellectual pursuit. It must be integrated into the body through practice, cultivation, and reflection. This Course dives into tea as a way of being and relating, fostering connection, awareness and harmony.

  • Essential Learning for Tea Lovers & Professionals

The way tea is taught today urgently needs elevation, expansion, and unlearning. Whether you are a tea lover, a sommelier, or a holistic well-being practitioner, this course provides foundational knowledge missing from formal certifications. We can only begin to reshape tea’s narratives by reconnecting deeply with nature.

What You’ll Learn

  • A time-honoured framework of education where intellectual understanding is integrated through practice, discussion, and contemplation—emphasising the cultivation of inner qualities as essential learning.
  • Tea’s modern history and its repercussions on erasure, appropriation, and misrepresentation.
  • The origins of tea, its ancient narratives: 茶 /chá/, and why harmony is a guiding principle at the heart of tea.
  • The ancestors of all teas - wild, ancient, and Indigenous teas - and their philosophy and practice: 活茶 /huó chá/, Tea That Is Alive.
  • Tea as ancient medicine—how to fully access the benefits of the tea plant.
  • The foundational brewing methods in Chinese culture for both personal and shared experiences.
  • How to identify quality tea and develop a discerning mindset that transcends industry grading, marketing jargon, and imposed perceptions of self-lack.
  • How to take ownership as a custodian of tea and our shared cultural heritage.

What You’ll Receive

  • Complete Course Recording – Full access to all five chapters, carefully structured to guide you through tea’s origins, philosophy, and practice.
  • Lifetime Access – Revisit the teachings at your own pace, allowing your understanding to deepen over time.
  • Guided Homework & Integration Exercises – Reflect, embody and apply the teachings beyond intellectual understanding as part of the integration of knowledge.
  • Weekly Online Community Meet-Ups – A safe, supportive space to discuss, ask questions, and share your journey with like-minded learners, facilitated by Rui.
  • Weekly Online Practices – Dedicated sessions to cultivate inner qualities such as the development of stillness, peace, generosity, kindness, and rest as part of the integration of knowledge.
  • Direct Transmission of Ancestral Knowledge – Learn from the words of tea masters and indigenous wisdom keepers, carefully translated to preserve their authenticity and essence.
  • A Framework Beyond Industry Standards: Develop a discerning mindset that transcends commercial classifications, marketing jargon, and imposed perceptions of value.
  • Practical Training in Traditional Brewing Methods – Master the foundations of brewing, its cultural nuances, and guidance in cultivating inner qualities. 
  • The Philosophy and Practice of Serving Tea – Your practice ground for cultivating presence, generosity and attentiveness in preparation and sharing.
  • A Deep Connection to the Land & the People of Tea – Develop a heartfelt understanding of nature, cultural heritage, and tea as a living tradition.
  • Become a Warrior for Tea’s Ancient Wisdom – Honour, protect, embody, and share tea’s true story in a way that sustains its traditions and uplifts the world.
What's Included

• Lifetime access to the recorded course.
• Weekly online tea session with Rui and special guests from Master's Tea House, supporting your journey throughout.
• Detailed course PDF for all five chapters.
• Promoted exercises and contemplation to deepen your learning.
• Early access and discount for in-person teaching and retreat.
• Priority access to in-field training in Guizhou with the tea masters and wisdom holders.
• Level 1 certificate for those participating in Warriorship Training or Rui's Mentorship programme.
• Blessings and well-wishes from our teachers and homeland.

    Customer Reviews

    Based on 3 reviews
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    infinity 古
    Infused with Heart

    This course is infused with so much heart and care.

    I've been looking for a 茶 teacher to learn from and thus feel blessed to have found Rui and this course. She holds tea and teachings with integrity towards the indigenous people who tend the trees and craft the tea, as well as towards the tea itself.

    The aesthetics of this course are also so beautiful!

    E
    Eyal Eizenberg
    An exquisite experience

    Though I drink tea for many years, this course provided me with a lot of new insights and surprising experiences.
    Rui is both a professional and a generous teacher. She also shares her in depth knowledge on the live broadcasts and for me it's a joy to learn and to have the opportunity to ask questions and receive an immediate answer.
    Now I understand better what Living Tea is and feel a closer connection to this special art of handmade indigenous tea.
    If you're a tea enthusiast or if you are in the beginning of your tea journey, just take the course. You won't regret it.

    S
    Shane Fike
    Embracing Simplicity and Tranquility

    Whether you are a newcomer to Grass People Tree or are a long time companion, the Roots of Tea course is for you.
    Before you even begin learning the history or practice of tea, there is the undeniable benefit of simply sitting in presence with tea and Rui. As you listen to her speak, you may find yourself laughing or even crying at times, her warmth and reverence for the wisdom she is sharing with us is soothing and heartfelt throughout the entirety of the course.
    In the learning of the history of Chinese tea we are released from the binds of illusion placed upon us over centuries past. And the importance of understanding the difference between cultural appropriation versus appreciation may begin to take root, if it hasn't already.
    For myself, the greatest benefit I received from the course came in the experience of implementing the practice of returning to the root, or returning to the source. Through this practice I felt and experienced the harmony between people and plant going all the way back to the first time people and tea came together, and then like roots, spreading out to all those between then and this moment now.
    With each brew, we connect to that source, to those roots of all those that came before, those here now, and those yet to emerge into this immortal now.
    Rui once told me there is nothing to learn. I think she has it just right. There is nothing to learn, there is only remembering. And I've found, at the heart of the Roots of Tea, is a remembrance of how to simply be.