Epochs

Each of the development stages of the TEA Project are referred to as epochs. Epochs 2 - 10 were on Polkadot's testnet, while Epochs 11 - 13 were on Ethereum's Goerli testnet.
  • Epoch 2 was the first epoch where contestants participated in the TEA mining contest.
  • Epoch 3 introduced the concept of COFFEE as CML coupons were no longer free. A more in-depth post detailing the changes from epoch 2 are available here.
  • Epoch 4 introduced TApps (and their tokens) which could be created by contestants to earn a portion of its revenue.
  • Epoch 5 introduced cloud computing-based mining to the TEA Project's mining contest.
  • Epoch 6 did away with COFFEE as contestants now had to use their own crypto funds to purchase CML contest vouchers. A new type of social networking TApp called TEA Party is also available to create.
  • Epoch 7 introduces weekly redemptions for mainnet CML vouchers as we move beyond USDT rewards.
  • Epoch 8 has the goal of making the block size smaller by reducing tipping frequency and moving more logic from layer-1 to layer-2 as we work to get our layer-1 as streamlined as possible as we look forward to becoming a parachain in the Dotsama ecosystem.
  • Epoch 9 reintroduces COFFEE as a proxy for bridged-USD and improves its price stability to more tangible backing. Epoch 9 also sees an improved release of the TEA Party TApp that includes private messaging. We also have a new guide on how to earn as an investor instead of as a miner.
  • Epoch 10 introduces a new type of mining, the seat maintainer nodes, which are responsible for running TEA's state machine. There's also a new Investments tab in the TApp Store that shows all of the various investment entities available to users.
  • Epoch 11 marks the TEA Project's move to the Ethereum blockchain as our layer-1. In addition, Epoch 11 refines are hosting model such that end-users are responsible for picking the hosting node to run TApps, not the TApp developers.
  • Epoch 12 is the official launch of TEA Project on Ethereum (Epoch 11 was more of a testing stage). Epoch 12 also re-introduces the TEA Fluencer app as the main entry point for new users seeking a faucet to join the contest.

What are the TEA Project Epochs?

The TEA Project will be running on testnets through Epoch 14. The different testing phases are broken up into epochs with Epoch 11 marking our transition to Ethereum's Goerli testnet. Each epoch has its own contest associated with it where end-users compete to gain testnet TEA tokens which can be redeemed for mainnet TEA vouchers (COFFEE).

How long is each testnet epoch, and how does it compare to mainnet?

The testnet epochs are on an accelerated schedule during contests with 10 blocks per minute.
We originally compressed 2 years time into 14 days, using the accelerated shedule of 14 (days) * 24 (hours) * 60 (minutes) * 10 (blocks per minute) during the testnet. But the epochs have evolved to last varying lengths of time as the team will move to a new epoch only once they feel enough progress has been made.

How to Participate in an Epoch

Each of our epochs is open to community members where they can earn testnet TEA and exchange them for COFFEE, which are our mainnet TEA vouchers. To participate in a testnet epoch to earn COFFEE tokens redeemable for mainnet TEA:
  1. 1.
    Set up an Ethereum address using the MetaMask wallet.
  2. 2.
    Use the TEA Fluencer TApp to quote retweet the listed tweet and activate the testnet TEA faucet.
  3. 3.
    Use the Leader Board TApp to register for the current epoch competition. Registering on the Leader Board will ensure that your testnet TEA tokens are counted for distribution of COFFEE rewards and for rollover into the next epoch.
Last modified 7mo ago