Fancy a Spot of Tea? Seattle Celebrates Tea and Tea Culture at the Northwest Tea Festival Oct. 2-3
Thursday, July 29th 2010 @ 7:56 PM
3rd annual event features tea experts, tastings and shopping, plus the first local certification seminars from the Specialty Tea Institute
Seattle, (July 28, 2010) - One of the premiere tea festivals in the Pacific Northwest, the Northwest Tea Festival will delight long-time tea lovers as well as new fans of all ages with classes, lectures, tastings and shopping with local vendors, Oct. 2 and 3, 2010 in the Northwest Rooms at Seattle Center.
Presented by The Puget Sound Tea Association, the Northwest Tea Festival is building on last year’s attendance of 1,500 by offering, for the first time, Level I and II Tea Certification Seminars from the Specialty Tea Institute for current and aspiring tea professionals.
“We are thrilled to have the Specialty Tea Institute offering these certification classes to a very local and regional audience for the first time this year,” says Julee Rosanoff of the Perennial Tea Room. “Already an established event at a number of national tea shows, the Institute will help us to bring a higher level of sophistication to the Northwest Tea Festival and attract even more tea drinkers.”
Certification classes will take place immediately prior to the Tea Festival on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 in the Shaw Room at Seattle Center. To register for the classes, please visit the Specialty Tea Institute at http://www.teausa.org.
Entry to the Northwest Tea Festival is FREE to the public, with a suggested donation of $5 which includes a free ceramic tasting tea cup and gift bag. Select lectures and tastings may require additional fees. Hours for the Tea Festival are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3.
Additional highlights of the Northwest Tea Festival include:
- The Essential Baking Company, the festival’s official food vendor, will offer a selection of pastries, sandwiches and salads, as well as new tea breads launched especially for the event.
- The popular Tea Tasting Booths expand with a fourth booth to ensure all attendees have ample opportunity to sample a range of teas in small groups with a Tea Leader.
- Celebrated tea experts, including Norwood Pratt, will share their expertise with attendees. Pratt, one of the world's leading authorities on tea and tea lore, returns for his third appearance at the festival with an engaging style and breadth of knowledge that is always a highlight.
- A wide selection of classes and activities led by experts from across the country. Attendees can choose from region-specific primers, in-depth guides on tea styles, classes on cultural traditions and practices around tea, and more.
Tea lovers will also have the opportunity to sample and purchase fine teas and unique teaware from the Pacific Northwest’s premium tea shops and importers. Beautiful cups, teapots, and tea accessories make wonderful gifts for the upcoming holidays.
Of course, there will also be plenty of excellent teas available to fill those teapots. Vendors from across the region and nation will showcase their best teas, making the Northwest Tea Festival the place in Seattle to stock up for the cold weather.
Local sponsors of the Northwest Tea Festival include Choice Organic Teas, The Essential Baking Company, Tea Master, The Perennial Tea Room, Barnes & Watson, KBCS, NW Folklife, Simpson & Vail, The Marqueen Hotel, and the Inn at Queen Anne.
The Puget Sound Tea Association was founded in 2006 by a dedicated group of Seattle tea vendors. Our goal is to expand information about tea to the general population, increasing the understanding of cultural differences and types of teas available to us all.
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