Even without knowing much about tea, most people can understand the appeal of a tea class for a group of women or kids. Even though my Tea Discovery Classes feature Chinese tools, a common image for tea is a tea party with British style pots, cups, finger foods and dressy clothes. Although there are many women and children who love tea, there are just as many men, teens, and young boys who love tea. And there are audiences for tea classes that stretch beyond what most people would ever think of: how about tea classes for health care providers; tea classes for recovering alcoholics; tea classes for troubled teens; tea classes in prisons.
Most people don’t know that tea is as complex as wine, and being permitted for all ages, lends itself to a much wider audience. Learning about tea (discovering tea), actually takes the participants, whether male, female, young, or old, on a journey of cultural connections, history, tastes, and customs. It opens up the world to people, bridging language and custom differences in a simple, real and authentic way. In most tea classes, I find participants connecting with their own senses far more than they’re commonly used to.
Besides tasting good, tea has all this going for it:
its undiscovered—most people have no idea what tea really is
it’s fun and challenging to seek out rare teas and their intriguing stories
steeping tools are beautiful and can be quite exotic
one can create one’s own experience with tea that can be unique and relaxing
It’s an inexpensive get-together—let’s make tea and talk
I’ll be writing more about teaching in unusual venues and to unlikely audiences…stay tuned.
