The Tea! Chai! Thé! event kicked off at the Harbourfront August 9-11 featuring tea dyeing sessions, tea pairings with chocolate and tea mocktails. “It was exciting to see my old tea sommelier classmates again,” says Lynda Budd, our very own teAlchemist who served as a volunteer with the Tea Guild of Canada alongside 8 other tea enthusiasts to brew, serve and talk tea. Festival goers sampled 6 different teas along with a decadent chocolate or cheese and chutney crêpe for $2.
Entertainment for the night included Chinese electronic pop band White Jade, and native and contemporary tea dances from Sri Lanka, two countries which have a rich history and relationship with tea.
Pu’erh (Lynda’s personal favourite) and the Green Genmaicha Rice Tea were a huge hit at the weekend’s festival. Both of these crowd favourites are available at teAlchemy.
The event also featured tea guru James Norwood Pratt, the author of Reading Tea Leaves. Keep your eyes peeled on our blog for an upcoming interview with Pratt as he shares his tea lore and stories with us!
