Meet the Founder

Susmita Das Gupta

Tea Artist™ | Founder, Indian School of Tea

Building India’s first global tea school with a vision to transform tea through education, innovation and global collaboration.

A Vision Beyond the Cup

India is home to some of the world’s finest teas, yet professional tea education has remained largely fragmented. While the country has excelled in tea cultivation, production and trade, there has been no institution dedicated to preparing professionals for the evolving global tea landscape.

Recognising this gap, Susmita Das Gupta founded the Indian School of Tea with a clear vision—to establish India’s first global tea school and create a platform where tea is understood not merely as a product, but as a discipline, a profession and a catalyst for careers, entrepreneurship and hospitality.

Her mission is to elevate tea through education and position India as a global leader in tea knowledge, innovation and excellence.

Years Experience

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About Susmita

Susmita Das Gupta is India’s first globally recognised Tea Artist™, a distinctive professional identity that reflects her multidisciplinary approach to tea through sensory appreciation, tea etiquette, tea and food pairing, storytelling and immersive tea experiences.

Her journey into tea began with a marketing assignment for a London-based tea brand, which rekindled a lifelong connection with Darjeeling tea. What started as curiosity evolved into years of study, travel and hands-on learning across India’s tea-growing regions, leading her to pursue specialised education in sensory tea appreciation and blending in Paris.

In 2019, she founded Tea With Susmita, a platform dedicated to promoting Indian specialty tea through education and experiences. Five years later, she established the Indian School of Tea, creating a structured, globally relevant institution that prepares future tea professionals, educators, entrepreneurs and hospitality leaders.

Leadership & Industry Contributions

Susmita’s work extends beyond education into shaping the future of tea in India.

She is the Curriculum Creator and Faculty for the upcoming Tea Certification Programmes developed by Tea Board India, under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, contributing to India’s first structured national framework for professional tea education.

She was appointed the Official Tea Sommelier by the Government of Assam and the Consulate General of India for the 200 Years of Assam Tea celebrations at the Fancy Food Festival in New York. She has also been invited to teach the History of Indian Tea at Jeju Provincial University, South Korea, becoming the first Indian to do so.

Having delivered over 100 programmes for global corporations, leading hospitality brands, educational institutions, and two of the Big Four consulting firms, Susmita continues to champion tea as far more than a beverage—it is a powerful medium for education, culture, hospitality, business and human connection.

Education & Professional Qualifications

Certification in Sensory Tea Appreciation & Tea Blending — La Quintessence, Paris, France

MBA in Marketing & Finance — Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

Certification in Personal Innovation, Creativity & Decision Making — Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIM Kozhikode)

Certification in The Science of Well-Being — Yale University

Founder's Message

"The future of tea will not be shaped only in tea gardens or factories. It will be shaped in classrooms, boardrooms, hospitality spaces and entrepreneurial ventures—by people who understand tea deeply and have the confidence to create value through it. Through the Indian School of Tea, my vision is to build an institution that inspires curiosity, nurtures excellence and positions India as a global leader in tea education."