The Tea Exporters' Association at the Annual General Meeting held on 4 September 2026 at the Grand Marquee, Taj Samudra recognised the outstanding Tea Producers from the different growing regions carefully evaluated by an experienced panel of tea tasters headed by Mr. Avindra de Silva, Former Managing Director of Unilever Lipton.

The Association for the 4th consecutive year held its Excellence in Tea Tasting competition to identify and recognise outstanding tea tasters under the age of 40 and the winner and runner up were chosen following a close evaluation of industry knowledge and tasting skills. Notably, this year's competition marks a historic milestone, with a female contestant securing first place for the first time.