Tea-One Horizontal Tasting: Green Tea, Jade Oolong, Amber Oolong and Brandy Oolong

Tea-One Tasting is a very effective format of tea education. I have used this system in many colleges (for the ITASA programs) successfully to have fun of sharing tea knowledge and culture promotion. We have also offered modified versions of Tea-One Tasting Class in trade shows or staff training programs for private business.  But for our Azusa Tea Club, this is the first time we introduce Tea-One Horizontal Tasting.  

On 8/18/2012, we are tasting the following 4 teas: Sanhsia Breeze Green Tea Bi-Lo-Chun., Chilai Chinsin Jade Oolong, TJK Amber Oolong., and Brandy Oolong FB - 27.  

I have 4 volunteers from our meet-up friends: Sean, Maira, Don and Ellen.
They each have one tea and one set of tea apparatus, including Tea-One Brew, Thermo, tea spoon and towel, plus one personal cupping set (one aroma cup and one sipping cup).

The whole process, start from knowing your tea...by carefully checking the tea's appearance, the color and the shape/style of tea leaf.  (*we usually suggest our participants to ignore the labels, bring the tea out of the tea caddies...let tea become "the center" of our workshop.  We want to learn about the tea's color to judge the oxidation or baking process...We want to see the tea's shape/style to guess the tea leaf's density and figure out the weight of the tea we are measuring out for the infusion.

After the identification of tea's appearance, we will use the tea spoon to measure the leaf for infusing. But how many tea spoons for each tea to be measured? Or, should be rounded tea spoon, level tea spoon?  A little experiment to have all audience to find out the tea spoon / tea leaf density and the weight actually could be calculated...

Having the heated water stored in Thermo for each volunteer to use...it is handy and also for the safety concern...Make sure the heated water will be poured properly to the inner infuser of Tea-One Brew.  

Suggest volunteers to raise the infuser to be sit on the top of pitcher.  So, everyone gets to see...
The Agony of the Leaf ...

When the tea leaf unfurled and settled... Ask each volunteer to press the button to release the tea
from the leaf...down in the pitcher.  Invite all audience to check the clearness of the tea liquor...
also identify the color of each tea...  Invite the discussion on the tea's quality in regards to its liquor...

Before sipping the tea... always ask the volunteers to focus on the aroma by asking the volunteers smell to the lid of Tea-One Brew... where the steam remained under...  Let each volunteer to have a good memory on the aroma...  Then, switch around the four lids... encourage the volunteers to find the one belongs to his/her tea...  This will encourage our audience to make sure that each tea experience should include enjoy tea's aroma first... while the tea is still too hot to sip...

Then, it is time to taste the tea... again...show them how to properly taste and appreciate the tea... (Always have different suggestions...just for fun...)  and the volunteers can cross serving tea to each other...Always invite the discussion about each tea's taste, finishes... Every one has different taste profile...always fun to listen to different comments during the tasting.

After the tea tasting... will be time for examining the wet leaves... Use the same tea spoon to scoop out the wet leaves on the lids, now serve as coasters...  Guide the volunteers to read the wet leaves and invite the discussion with audience...

There will be question after question during the workshop... those questions raised right at each move by the volunteers...The interaction between the volunteers and audience...will remain in high gear.

Please enjoy the slideshow of these four outstanding volunteers, from left to right: Sean, Maira, Don and Ellen.  Thanks to their excellent performance...and I bet they are the ones who benefit the most from this workshop.  Next time, when we are having Tea-One Tasting Class, always try to be the volunteers. No kidding.