Faculty - James Labe

James Labe, the nation’s first Tea Sommelier, is world renowned as a master of tea tasting and preparation. He has been celebrated as “one of America’s best known tea men,” who “brews New York city’s best pot.” Cheers Magazine awarded James "Best Non-alcoholic Beverage Program," a first for a tea service, for his integration of fine tea and fine dining with daily prepared tea sales topping $1,000.

His love of tea began in childhood, when he would buy unusual teas from Philadelphia’s Chinatown grocers to drink and compare at home. His eclectic past includes work as an illustrator, cook, beekeeper, lyricist and poet. In 1991 James moved to Seattle and managed a teahouse which he eventually acquired and operated until 2006. In 1998 he moved to New York and developed tea service for the opening of the flagship W Hotel, importing tea directly to the hotel.

James became famous for tableside visits, engaging diners in conversation about the varieties of exotic teas on the menu. His commitment to quality led him to personally hand-fill fabric teabags with fine tea for the 700 rooms in the hotel. When Ruth Reichl of the New York Times reviewed the W Hotel's restaurant, the review began and ended praising James and his tea service.

He has consulted for numerous hospitality and fine dining establishments, as well as some of the world's largest tea concerns. His original tea blends have been featured at W Hotels and India’s Taj Hotels. Events include banquets and tea tasting dinners for His Holiness, The Dalai Lama and the East West Center in Honolulu, and lectures and tastings at the James Beard Foundation and French Culinary Institute. James has personally prepared over 100,000 pots of tea for his guests.

As instructor, lecturer, taster, and sommelier, he has been the subject of hundreds of print, radio and television pieces around the world, including: MSNBC, NHK, Television Food Network, Today Show, NPR’s The Splendid Table, New York Times, Time, Saveur, Food Arts, Travel and Leisure, Condé Nast Traveller, Bon Apétit, Forbes, Elle, The Hindu, Upper Crust, House Beautiful, and Yomiuri Shimbun.

Return to
Certification - Faculty