Tea Gatherings
The subject of tea is as vast as the planet it grows on. It can be a daunting task to try to cover all the aspects in a short amount of time.
These are some ideas to help structure our tea session in an area you may want to start or explore further.
A structure for the session is by no means necessary, we believe having tea to just have tea is perfectly acceptable.
A couple of things to consider when we're planning our time together:
~ Sessions typically last an hour.
~ One to four guests is preferred.
~ Most settings involve sitting on the floor, cushions or stools. If you require other seating, no problem we'll find something comfortable for you.
~ Most gatherings will be held inside, on occasion we may host outside when the weather is nice.
~ Tea is seasonal and as there is no charge for gatherings, tea availability varies.
Tea for the sake of tea
Structured sessions are a great way to dig deep into a specific area of tea, then again, some times it's great to just sit and have tea.
Any time is the perfect time to do that, enjoy tea and conversation.
If you're new to traditional loose leaf teas and are unsure of where to start, then let's start with the most important thing about tea, finding what you enjoy.
We'll sample several different types of tea, discuss simple brewing techniques and see where the leaf takes us.
If you're a seasoned tea drinker, then I look forward to sharing leaf and stories, even if they're not about tea.
Tea's Cultures
Let's take a look at the history of cultures that codified Camellia Sinensis to what it is today.
This is a good focus if you're interested in diving into the more long standing growing regions like China, Japan, India, Taiwan, or are thinking about experiencing some more unknowns like Africa or Europe.
We'll enjoy a selection of teas from a specific growing region or culture to explore how tea and humanity influence one another.
Tea's Many Colors
Six primary types have been developed to categorize the many thousands of ways to process Camellia Sinensis. They are less a definitive classification and more a starting reference.
With a type in mind, we'll taste some more and less common varieties.
This is also a great focus to mix with regional variants. Exploring the qualities of the same tea type made in different countries.
Six Primary Tea Types:
~ Green ~ Wulong
~ White ~ Red/Black
~ Yellow ~ Dark (puer)
Mindfulness Practice
Tea has been utilized by mindfulness and spiritual practitioners for centuries. Extensively elaborate processes have been developed to achieve new mental and spiritual heights.
Those procedures and practices are amazing subcultures to dive into in other focused sessions.
This is about brewing tea in the simplest way to allow for contemplation and focus.
With minimal guidance or in silence we'll appreciate the tea and its ability to help us bring focus to the moment.