I don’t like the term “blog”. It sounds like a gurgled choke. Or an onomatopoeic comment on the quality of my writing. Can’t we come up with a more sophisticated term for what we do?

When I started my tea sommelier business 3 years ago I wanted my “blog” to be a vehicle to prove that I had something to say, that I could build on my past career and fuse it into the new. I also hoped that I would earn the respect of my tea colleagues. I’m still not sure who my audience is or what they most like to read about – social history of tea, travel, tea profiles, recipes? So I cast a wide net hoping to draw in a variety of tea dabblers and professionals. I often feel that the boat is floundering, the fish swimming through the net and onto the site they were really looking for.

The spark that drives me to continue is the quest for new discoveries in the world of tea and new ways to share them.  Loose leaf tea is still so strange in the North American world that we have yet to form our own culture around it. Id like to help with that and that’s what keeps me on the hunt.

Diarist Samuel Pepys was the first to mention tea in his diary, 1660

Samuel Pepys was the first diarist to mention tea in 1660′s London. While he wouldn’t have wanted his daily musings and intimate details to be made public while he was living, he surely knew and probably drew a secret pleasure from the understanding that they would someday be read and probably published and shared.  He went to great lengths to keep the volumes safe from the fire of London in 1666.

In a sense the weblog is our diary, albeit an instantly public one. Whether or not you embrace social media or keep track of your analytics, if you work in the tea industry or have a retail tea business, you likely have a perspective that is unique to you. You may be surprised that others would like to hear about your life with the leaf.

On Sunday, June 9th, 8am, at World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, I will be part of a panel of established tea bloggers who will look at how tea blogging is good for business. If you are planning to attend 2013′s World Tea Expo, please sign up toute de suite! Prices for sessions are 20% off until April 25th.

Section from the rice paper lantern in the hotel's tea room

 Xiangji Yard Boutique Hotel

Booking a hotel room online can be a stressful experience particularly when you only have one week ’til lift off. I knew there was a chance that I might be disappointed by my hasty selection, but really I had given up on expectations the closer I came to departure.

The impressive entrance to Xiangji Yard Boutique Hotel in Hangzhou

Several hotels were candidates for my short stay in Hangzhou, the capital city of China’s prosperous Zhejiang province. On the short list was a boutique hotel which was new (generally a good thing in China), seemed to have a Zen-like and peaceful decor, was affordable and appeared to be in a decent part of town. That was all I knew when I arrived in the city. It was clear however, when I walked through the large main doors of Xiangji Yard Boutique Hotel 香积, that I had stumbled upon something quite extraordinary.

The building was 6 months old in August, 2012, but it had an ancient charm. Built as a quasi-reproduction of a traditional inn, there are 28 rooms on only 2 floors with no elevator. It is named for Xiangji Temple located a few feet away. Each guest room has a tea station with fresh whole leaf tea (Hangzhou is the centre of Longjing /Dragonwell tea after all), tasting cups, gaiwan and kettle. It’s located one block from the historic Bejing – Suzhou Grand Canal – over 2000 years old and restored with picturesque walkways and pagodas in the area near the hotel. More on that in another post.

Tea was front and centre at this lovely hotel. This tea station was next to my hotel room on the second floor

There were tea rooms located in areas throughout the hotel, in courtyards on the main floor and several on the second floor where I was staying.  One was right next door to my room. The shelves were stocked with porcelain jars of tea. I’m not able to read Chinese, but when I looked inside the jars I was able to identify each of the dozen or so teas – Tie Guan Yin, Longjing, Keemun, Jasmine green, Mao Jian, Anji Bai Cha etc. – the usual favourites. I’m sure if I had asked at the front desk they would have provided me with a tea girl to prepare a lovely cup for me, but I was usually “tea-ed out” by the time I returned to the hotel.

Cotton slippers in a basket-weave pattern sitting in the tea room

Jars of fresh tea and gaiwan set in the tea room on my floor

My room was beautifully appointed with muted natural hues, ceramic sinks, a stone bath tub and white linen. It was a calm place of solitude to reflect on the events of the day and organize myself for tomorrow’s excursions.

The calm decor of my room with tea station at the ready

A simple sofa in the spacious room

Throughout the hotel there are courtyards – some open to the air and catching rain in small ponds as it falls.

Looking down from a second floor balcony on the courtyard that filled with the soothing sound of rain

Evening view from another 2nd floor balcony. Looking down on a pebble and rock landscape

There was a carved lotus flower stone tile inlaid at the doorway of my room.

Was it completely and utterly as calm and beautiful as it looks? Well… the first night I slept with my head under the sheets because the room had a moldy smell. I asked to be moved and they accommodated me when I returned from my day’s activities. The new room is the one you see in the pics – larger with similar arrangement and no odour. A fruit platter was brought to my room that evening – classy. The front desk had no English. I’m not one of those tourists who gets huffy when there are no English speakers on staff because I can usually get my point across, but I was happy that the manager had some English. The stone tub was beautiful but took a long time to warm up. Much like a heavy teapot, the heat from the hot water went straight into the thick stone. But these are mere specks in an otherwise impeccable experience.

As I was packing to leave, I wished that I had planned to stay longer in Hangzhou. Several weeks would have been a generous amount of time to visit more outlying tea gardens and explore this prosperous city and the many treasures that the historic district might reveal.

See tripadvisor for details

 A Unique Afternoon Tea

As part of this event, I will be giving a talk on the History of Teaware: Form, Function and Style. If you are in the Toronto area, please consider attending. See details on the poster below.

Scarborough's Harvey Lin is the 2012 Hong Kong-style Milk Tea King

My visit to Hong Kong this August opportunely coincided with the Hong Kong International Tea Fair. It is one of dozens of trade events produced every year by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. I was only available to attend on Sunday which was open to the public, so it was crowded. As luck would have it though, it was also the day of the 4th Annual International Hong Kong-style Milk Tea Championship. I thought this would be a small sideline, but it turned out to be the centrepiece of Sunday’s events. A pavilion inside the entrance was serving samples of Milk Tea to a long queue.

Hong Kong-style milk tea Pavilion front and centre at the entrance to the Tea Fair

There was a long queue waiting for a samples of HK style milk tea

Hong Kong-style Milk Tea or “Kam Cha” became popular in the 1950′s, influenced heavily by British Colonial traditions. Made from a mixture of black tea leaves, warmed evaporated milk and sugar, it has become entrenched in daily HK life. They consume 900 million cups annually. If you have a Cantonese Chinatown in your city, chances are they will know how to prepare it. It’s not to everyone’s taste, particularly if you don’t like milk in your tea and even more so if you don’t like evaporated milk. I tasted something familiar in its creaminess – perhaps memories of using evaporated milk on camping trips? Hong Kong residents prefer a strong component of tea in their cup.

Dignitaries, Jury and Sponsors. Simon Wong, Chairman of the Assn. of Coffee and Tea of Hong Kong, second from left of cup and saucer

The Championship took place on the stage at the back of the Conference Hall. For almost an hour, the crowded audience sat through the pomp and speeches of celebrities, dignitaries and sponsors, before the 6 contestants were paraded onto the stage and made their way to the prep stations. Just as I had decided to move away from the area to explore the trade show, I heard the announcer say, “Harvey Lin of Toronto Canada” – what? I decided to watch the event play out though I admit I did take a little wander to nearby booths during the lengthy show. Each time I returned Harvey was holding his own and seemed to be intent on his technique. Holding pots of hot liquid high in the air, pouring and mixing like a mad chemist. See more pictures on The Association of Coffee and Tea of HK website, as they were major sponsors of the event.

From top: Harvey Lin pouring his blend through a cloth filter; Duty weighs heavily on the jury; Harvey Lin - the new International Milk Tea King!

When the winner was announced and it was Harvey, I thought, cool!  I’ll interview him! But I couldn’t get anywhere near him. He was now the crowned Milk Tea King! – an International honour that would follow him for months – maybe years. When he returned to Canada he caused a sensation in the Scarborough/Toronto community and beyond. I managed to snap some photos of him at the Fair giving a shout out to his home town, but it wasn’t until 6 months later that I got that interview.

It turns out that in the months following the contest, Taiwan-born Harvey Lin, age 32, of Marathon Donuts in the Scarborough area of Toronto, has become a celebrity, attracting visitors from the US and Vancouver. They want to see his trophy and try his famous Hong Kong-style Milk Tea. He and his establishment have been so popular, that in November, he was able to open a second location in Richmond Hill – Marathon Café.

What was his secret to winning? He says he was well-trained in Milk Tea preparation 5 years ago by Marathon’s former owner. Harvey progressed to the point where he was able improve on the method by adding his own signature to the beverage. He mixes a ‘classified’ blend of tea leaves and applies a scientific approach to prep with exact calculations and timing. In Hong Kong, he had 3 days to practice on site with the equipment provided.

Lin's first location, Marathon Donuts in Scarborough, Greater Toronto Area

Will he be returning to Hong Kong in August 2013 to defend his title? He says not. He’s too busy with the new location. I’m sure with his skills he’ll be riding on his laurels for years to come. If you’re in the Toronto area and would like to try his Hong Kong-style Milk Tea, you can visit Marathon Donuts in Scarborough (this is where the trophy lives) or Richmond Hill. Call first though if you want to be sure the champ is there to make it for you in person!

 Hwagae Market, Hadong County, South Korea

Colourful umbrellas protect sellers and their artisan goods from the heat in Hwagae Market, S. Korea. Most of the items for sale are made from herbs or bamboo found on Jirisan (mountain) seen in background

Hwagae Village is located in the heart of the Hadong County tea growing region of Gyeongsangnam do (nam means south, do means province) at the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. Most of the tea is wild-grown on Jiri Mountain surrounded by bamboo groves. In the centre of this village is Hwagae Market, a colourful bazaar of produce, plants, household goods and most importantly for me, locally-crafted tea ware.

I’m a relaxed shopper. I’m used to dawdling. I like to compare prices and look thoughtfully at the way a product is made. Sometimes I’m just happy to examine closely, anything that is unfamiliar and alluring. On this hot August day (it was 44°C or 111°F) my experience would be abbreviated. This should have been a languid stroll through Hwagae Market, but it was my last hour in town. We would be leaving soon to catch the bus to Boseong. Having spent 5 days surrounded by tea hills and immersed in Korean tea culture, I was determined to buy some local tea ware to use with the lovely Korean tea that I had acquired. This buying spree would have to be quick and focussed. Along the way though, I managed to take a few pictures.

Rich red Amaryllis bulbs

Market sellers of all ages peddle herbs, fungi, concoctions and wares, most harvested or crafted from raw materials provided by the mountain range.

Local women selling fungi and sea weed in various preparations. It is unusual in S. Korea for women (and men for that matter) to allow their hair to turn grey. Sticky corn for sale on the right.

I was fascinated by this shape. It looks a bit like fungus, but actually it is a succulent, Orostachys japonicus also known as Rock Pine. It is used in herbal medicine

Our friend Cho, Yun Seok of Jukro Tea was guiding us through the market.. He knew the area well, having grown up in the village, so thankfully he could steer me directly to the tea ware I so longed to purchase. I resisted my normal ambling style and followed him on the hunt.

Cho, Yun Seok on right, entering the tea ware shop. I was close behind.

The motherlode! Oh to have unlimited time... Almost everything was made locally - wooden saucers, bamboo scoops and strainers, brushes and mats

My purchases. Everything is made of bamboo except for the saucers. Their grain resembles landscapes

1.Wooden saucers 2.Matcha whisk 3.Bamboo tool jar 4.Matcha spoon 5.Bamboo and rice tea strainer 6.Bamboo tea scoop 7.Bamboo tea pick

1,000 Korean Won was worth a little over 90 cents US when I was there in August and is holding the same value now. Most items were reasonably priced considering that they were hand made. I found saucers, a bamboo tea implement holder made by the shop owner’s husband, matcha spoon and whisk, tea scoop, strainer and tea pick. I bought a place mat woven with rice fibre, but when we got it back to the apartment in Bucheon we discovered that it was crawling with little mites. Knowing they wouldn’t enhance my tea experience in any way, I chose to leave them and the mat behind.

Part II – my quest for a rustic, folk-inspired Korean ceramic tea set.

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I know you can do it! However, if you get really frustrated, here’s the solution

                         © The Tea Stylist

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Mochi Fusion

Ready to eat silken Korean Chapssalddeok, also known as Sweet Mochi

A favourite treat around my household is a sweet rice cake known as Korean Chapssalddeok or Japanese Mochi. It’s texture is soft, silken and slightly gooey (in a good sort of way).  Traditionally it would have taken many hours to make as it required steaming and pounding of rice, cooking and mashing of red beans or lotus root.  In today’s kitchen it can be prepared in under an hour. All you need is some fine sweet rice flour and a microwave. These tender morsels are vegan and gluten-free. The rice flour is sometimes called glutinous, but that only refers to its stickiness. It does not contain gluten.

The little round cakes have steamed rice dough on the outside and usually a sweet bean paste in the interior. Because we are in the throws of winter in this hemisphere, I’ve decided to use Masala Chai tea (without milk) in place of the water to give a gentle spice flavour to the dough. The filling is marzipan, a sweetened almond paste.

I like to heat the dry mixture of Masala Chai in a pot on medium heat to coax out the flavours of the spices

Basic Recipe

• Makes about 14 (if 1 inch round)
• 1 C sweet rice flour – sometimes called Mochiko powder or glutinous (non-gluten)  rice flour
• 1 Tbs sugar
• ¾C water or infused tea

Sweet rice flour, chai infusion and marzipan

Place the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, leaving an opening slit of ½ inch on edge. Put the bowl in the microwave for 2  – 2½ minutes on high, depending on the strength of your microwave (it’s possible that you will need another ½ minute). The steamed dough should be gooey and have some resistance but shouldn’t be really hard to stir. Remove the bowl from the microwave, being careful of the steam.

The Hardest Part

Stir (actually it’s more like stretching) the mixture 100 times. That’s right – 100 times! This works the dough to bring out the springy, silky texture characteristic of rice cakes.  (Hint – I think you could cut the stirring in half).  After the stirring is finished turn the dough from the bowl onto a rice flour covered surface. Turning the dough onto the counter is the hardest part of the process. You need to use considerable force to coax it out of the bowl. Remember I mentioned it’s gooey!

Pat or roll the rice mixture to about ¾ inch thick. Divide it into approximately 14 pieces depending on the size of mochi you prefer. I like mine to be about 1 inch in diameter.  Shape the marzipan into ½ inch rounds.  Spread a piece of the rice dough around each marzipan ball. Shape and seal the edges. The dough is malleable enough that you can do this easily. Roll the cakes in rice flour.

Shape the rice dough around the marzipan making 1 inch spheres

mmmmmmochi!

They are best eaten right away while they still have a slight warmth. They will keep for a day or so in the fridge if they are tightly covered in some sort of wrap, but they will become more solid and  less silken. This batch was delicious. The Masala Chai flavour really came through and the marzipan centres added an almondy sweetness that complimented the Chai.

Tips:

• Here’s an amusing and informative video from Maangchi  (I left out the salt)
• I like to warm the dry Masala Chai mixture in a cooking pot on medium heat to activate the spices.
• Use a paddle similar to the one in the video if you can find it because it will make scraping of the bowl easier.
• Keep your hands wet when handling the dough
• Clean up is messy. You may need to soak the prep bowl overnight.
• Try other infusions, like Earl Grey, Ginger Green, etc.  Matcha sweet mochi is traditional.
• Practice, practice, practice! It gets easier each time you make it.

Please share your favourite sweet mochi recipes!

Artist's Depiction of the refined art of tea preparation

Our arrival in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province was held up with delays on the tarmac, delays on the bus and delays finding a cab. Demand for cabs in this bustling city is so great during rush hour that some people have taken to accepting fares on the backs of their electric bikes. With all these back ups, I was becoming impatient and worried that our lateness might be insulting our host, Chris West of Min River Tea Farm. I discovered though, that in China, people are used to waiting and they find a way to work with that. He was relaxed and not at all surprised that we had so many delays. “You settle in”, he said “and then we’ll head over to Mrs. Li.” It was a relief that Chris is a Mandarin speaker. He is from the UK, but has been in China long enough to become fluent in the Fuzhou dialect.

The elegant Mrs. Li in her Qipao

Capital Training College

We arrived at Capital Training College, the vocational school where Mrs. Li teaches young women the refinements of tea culture. Mrs. Li, her little daughter, several pupils past and present, and I think, her husband, had been waiting  for us for hours in the sparsely appointed classroom in sweltering heat. They were welcoming and cheerful and eager to share info about the school. For some reason, I had conjured Mrs. Li to be an older, slightly cranky woman (maybe that better describes my state at the time). She is quite the opposite – in her early 30′s – a lovely woman with a contemporary attitude toward tea even if she was wearing the traditional Qipao  旗袍. (Check out this Shanghai design site, My Qipao)

Mrs. Li, her husband, me and Chris West of Min River Tea

Mrs. Li and her daughter in the classroom used for tea education

Chris knew that I would be interested in seeing her classroom and learning about her curriculum as I am a Tea Sommelier graduate from a course offered at George Brown College in Toronto. Chris told me that there are over 20,000 tea rooms in Fuzhou, some apparently fronts for less legitimate activities such as gambling, but most are beautifully appointed rooms where business is conducted or special guests are honoured in the presence of tea. Mrs. Li’s students are all young women who are trained in the artful techniques of tea preparation. At this school, the hand choreography is equally as important as understanding the story behind all types of Camellia Sinensis tea, their origin (terroir) and their method of preparation. They learn Gongfu preparation, but this is not the emphasis.

The GuZheng, a zither-like ancient stringed instrument held pride of place in the classroom

One of the students entertained us on the GuZheng in her first public performance

Tea practitioners from Fuzhou and Ningde area, all gainfully employed. On the far right - a graduate of Mrs. Li's school, who has recently opened her own tea house

One might refer to Mrs. Li’s tea students as tea “hostesses” but this term doesn’t encompass the full range of skills that they learn, such as musical artistry and poetry. Mrs. Li and one of her students demonstrated their skills on the GuZheng 古箏, a zither-like instrument. An accomplished tea presenter will also have knowledge of interesting topics to discuss in case her client’s conversation lags.

Occupational Qualification Certificate

The graduates receive official certificates and seem to have no trouble finding work. Some have even opened their own tea houses. It is remarkable to me that the cultural environment of China is such, and tea is valued so highly, that a study of the fine art of tea preparation can be economically feasible. In Canada we have Colleges producing Tea Sommelier graduates by the dozens every year, but without the culture to support them professionally. It is a constant source of frustration for me that here in North America, premium loose leaf tea and all the stories that enhance it are lost on most people.

I wouldn’t want to live their lives, but I do envy these graduates of Capital Training College the ease with which they are able to purvey their nation’s treasured beverage.

Several times a year my husband agrees to read my tea leaves. He learned the art as a young boy from his lovely eccentric aunt. I don’t know how much credence anyone gave this rather pagan pastime when he was a boy in England, but it provided hours of entertainment and a slight shiver of excitement if only a few statements came to reality. The key was to keep the predictions vague, general and open to interpretation. Teomancy, Tasseomancy, or Tasseography has been around since ancient times. There are playbooks of prescribed symbols found in the leaves that signify particular outcomes. My husband however, prefers to use intuitive methods to read the leaves and offers rather curious predictions. He remembers very little of what he has produced in a sort of stream of consciousness revelation.

To begin, I prepared a pot of tea using a blend of whole and broken leaves. I chose Thé Des Poètes Solitaires from Marriage Frères as it provided a good variety of leaf shapes and is a lovely tasting black tea blend. The tea was poured unstrained into a plain white cup with rounded sides. We enjoyed the tea and had some snacks. I then asked the question (to myself), “What would 2013 hold for the world of tea?” You will notice that the answers seem to relate more to my world of tea, rather than the tea world in general. Actually, they may have nothing to do with tea at all, but since tea has become such a centrepost of my life, I’m sure there is some relevance. After I had almost finished the cup, I swirled the remaining tea and leaves three times in a counter-clockwise motion and turned the cup downwards on the saucer. I handed the set over so the divination could begin!

The tea leaves in my cup revealed some sweeping predictions

The Oracle

• Something extraordinary is going to happen that is going to cause a lot of commotion – lots of people involved! It could be a movement of people aligned on policy. There is opposition because some others want to pull a blanket over the the whole thing, so whether it should be out in the open or kept under a blanket are the 2 options. But it can’t be entirely under the blanket because some stuff has leaked out. There’s a document written by someone quite “snarky” making stinging remarks. Some factions see things where there is nothing to see.
• Someone is looking at this whole thing as if it is cosmic or as if there are principles involved. Somebody like a  shaman with arms outstretched. Person who thinks they have a lot of influence.
• A fashionable but old fashioned woman is standing in the sidelines waiting for a resolution, but the outcome will have no impact on her. She can get in her boat and sail off into the distance and everything will be just fine.
• A bird with a long beak sitting on a branch. It looks like a stork and is sitting with its wings huddled up to its shoulders.
• I’m going to get some ‘smoke signals from far away. Acknowledgement from an enormous distance. It appears to be florid or decorative or poetic.
• Imagine you are on a track or course, but document mentioned above coming from a distance will cause to change plans and head off in another direction
• Woman (maybe the same as above) in an opera cloak? Might be member of aristocracy but doesn’t proclaim herself as such, could be an ally – quite a supporter.
• Kerfuffle mentioned at the beginning is happening in opposition to what’s seen as a potentially remarkable or disturbing situation

I will have to revisit these predictions in a few months to see if they have started to make sense.  Do you read tea leaves or have you been a recipient of a reading? Were the forecasts astounding?

Ottawa, left to right: Convention Centre, Parliament Buildings, Imperial War Museum

Tea Festivals seem to be popping up everywhere. Most are located on or near the West coast of North America. Los Angeles boasts two: The Tea Lovers Festival and The Los Angeles Tea Festival. The Northwest Tea Festival in Seattle has been around since 2008 and the Grand Dame of them all, The Victoria (Canada) Tea Festival held its first event in February, 2007.

Founder and organizer, Kimi Uriu of Kimicha with her baby boy, Luca. How did she find time to do all this?

The Ottawa Tea Festival was held in Canada’s capital, Ottawa Ontario on Saturday Dec. 1st at the Ottawa Convention Centre. In its second year, OTF was imagined and produced by Kimi Uriu of Kimicha. I was only available to attend the exhibitor event, but on Sunday Dec. 2nd other tasting events took place in the city. Proceeds of the festival went to Asha for Education, providing learning opportunities in tea producing regions of India.

There are probably only half a dozen or so “bricks and mortar” tea shops in Ottawa, but there are a number of online ventures based in the region. Ottawa area tea businesses seemed to be out in full force on Saturday. Judging from the crowd, I estimate that over 1000 thirsty locals attended the Saturday festival even though Ottawa temperatures were a frigid -8ºC (17.6ºF).

Kimicha's tasting table was swarmed throughout the afternoon.

Tao Wu of Tao Tea Leaf, Toronto. His Pu erh and Oolongs were popular

 Nibble and Slurp

While there may not have been a formal festival theme, it was clear that tea and food pairing was the general idea. Perhaps it was the time of the year, but chocolates were everywhere, for sample and for sale. Jen Winter, a stand out chocolatiere, brought her delicious tea-infused Koko chocolates and truffles. Many of her creations are available in the Ottawa area or online in Canada through Foodie Pages. Hopefully the tea-infused truffles will be available online soon.

Jen Winter of Koko Chocolates at her colourful and delicious table

Tea Truffles

Tea-infused truffles up close: Gold leaf - Masalla Chai, Stripe - Moroccan Mint, Swirl - Matcha

Carolina’s Box of Goodness presented an array of brownies including a Matcha-infused delicacy. It was refreshing to see a  menu which paired their treats with specific teas. I see on their website that Carolina Foresti also designs gorgeous cakes, taking the art of fondant manipulation to a new level.

Carolina's Matcha brownies and food pairing menu

It’s a pity that Hearty Bakery’s exquisite and unique chocolate bauble is only available in Ottawa.

Pièce de Resistance - a chocolate bauble from Hearty Bakery in Ottawa

Personal chef, Justin Scott supplied us with tasty morsels infused with tea. My favourites were the Coconut Matcha Energy Bites, but all his experiments were brilliant.

Personal Chef Justin Scott treated us to some tasty tea cuisine

Justin Scott's delicious pastries and menu

Tea World

Several countries proudly promoted their tea and tea products at the festival. The Tea Board of India showcased Orthodox Assam, Nilgiri (my favourite) and Darjeeling. Indonesia featured Bali’s Best Green Tea Candy and spiced layer cake called Lapis Legit, a creamy textured confection made with cinnamon, cardamom, clove, flour and eggs. Dancers from India and Sri Lanka performed on a small presentation floor with adjacent audience seating.

Sri Lankan dancers, Indonesian tea and Indian dance provided a rich cultural experience from these tea producing countries

Lapis Legit - An Indonesian spice layer cake

Kyoko Tsunetomi, a Chado Prctitioner prepared Matcha at a less formal presentation which I believe is referred to as Chakai. She wore a beautiful yellow and red Kimono with a red Obi.

Kyoko Tsunetomi in her beautiful Kimono before her Chakai Matcha presentation

Chakai Matcha preparation

Tea Beauty

Natalie Esau integrates tea into the spa experience at her Upkeep Shoppe in Ottawa by creating and serving custom herbal tisanes for the wellness of her clients. She also sells the Beautea line of skin care products. Made from organic ingredients, they harness the skin enhancing properties of L Theanine.

The Upkeep Shoppe featured Beautea's line of lotions and fragrances. From left Green Oolong room spray and body lotion, Black Ceylon body lotion and room spray

The mood of OTF was one of discovery and enthusiasm. It had a completely different purpose than a B2B trade show.  Consumer Tea Festivals offer vendors direct contact with their customers, give tea lovers the opportunity to learn a little more about their favourite beverage and most importantly help to build a tea community in the region where they are held. I’m looking forward to the Toronto Tea Festival taking place on Saturday, February 2nd, 2013. Are you planning a tea festival in your region?