The Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and
The Republic of Tea
are proud to bring you the 3rd annual
Rocky Mountain Tea Festival

This unique event offers the opportunity to experience workshops, classes, and tastings with some of the leading experts in the Tea Industry. Classes range from beginner level to advanced, and each offers a unique view of the world of premium tea.

Use the printable mail in registration form to sign up for classes, or call 303-442-4993 to register by phone.
Printable Registration Form: Word Document | PDF

The Spirit of Tea
with Lhasha Tizer
Friday August 3 - 3:00 pm
This special class weaves together the contemplative and ceremonial aspects of tea drinking from around the world with the most up-to-date information on tea's health giving and stress reducing benefits. Learn to develop "tea mind" and sensitivity through a mindfullness based meditation focusing on the breath, slowing down, and awareness of the senses. The class includes discussion on the origin and history of tea, fascinating legends, stories, poetry and an in depth instruction in the brewing of tea. There is a sampling of several of the world's finest teas and a discussion of the distinguishing characteristics of tea types, methods of cultivation and processing. This experiential class is designed to combine the tranquility and aesthetic appeal of eastern-style tea ceremony with a western approach to understanding and learning.

Lhasha Tizer, M.S. is a wellness, nutrition, and stress reduction counselor with more than twenty years study and teaching experience in mindfulness and meditation practices. She currently teaches classes on tea at The University of Arizona Extended University, Miraval- Life in Balance Resort, Canyon Ranch Resort, and independently in Tucson, Arizona. She studies Chanoyu with Sensei Keiko Nakada Sokei Jackie. Lhasha has written several articles on tea and has just completed writing a book on the spiritual, esoteric, and practical applications of tea with Donna Roberts called The Spirit of Tea.

In Fortune's Footsteps
with James Norwood Pratt
Friday August 3 - 5:00 pm
James Norwood Pratt describes his talk-with-slides thus: "Robert Fortune, a Scot in the pay of the English East India Company, was the first foreigner to penetrate China's interior in search of the secrets of green and oolong tea cultivation and production. Our group marks only the second (with some omissions) effort of Westerners to visit these regions for this purpose. Instead of agribusiness espionage, we travel as pilgrims and seek to deepen our understanding of tea in its ancient-most homeland. Here's our story with a tasting of the teas we experienced, as Fortune did, on their native hills."

James Norwood Pratt is the author of The Tea Lover's Treasury and The Tea Lover's Companion, as well as other books and countless articles and columns, making him one of the most widely read experts on tea. Mr. Pratt was Honorary Director of the first traditional Chinese Teahouse in America, instrumental in creating APTI, and founder and editor of Tea Trade, the magazine of the world tea business. The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art has just published his latest work, THE ART OF TEA, in time for Christmas 2001. He also leads selected tea lovers on deluxe tea culture tours of China.

Tea Basics 101
with Stephanie Klausner
Saturday August 4 - 10:00 am
This basic overview of tea will teach the differences of black, green and oolong teas. Learn about the different growing regions, processing methods, and finished leaf styles of the worlds most recognized teas. You'll have the opportunity to taste the teas side by side. This is a perfect introduction to the world of tea, and offers a wonderful opportunity to learn to appreciate the leaf.

Stephanie Klausner is a tea merchant and sole proprietor of Red Crane Teas, a Denver based mail order tea company and consultation firm. Red Crane's line of specialty teas reflects Stephanie's discriminating palate and overwhelming passion for the leaf. She teaches classes at the Denver Botanic Gardens in the history and mystery of teas and conducts tea tastings and events around the area. Stephanie lives in Denver with her extensive collection of teapots and her cat named Keemun.

Tea Leaf Reading
with Morwyn
Saturday August 4 - 12:00 pm
The gentle art of divining your future in a teacup has been practiced for centuries. One of the reasons why it has remained popular into contemporary times is because it causes us to pause in our hectic daily lives, relax, and reach down deep within ourselves to contemplate the larger issues of life. Tea leaf reading can also become a lovely bonding experience between family and friends. Tea leaf reading enables you to travel deeply into your subconscious mind and make connections between personal images and universal symbols to help guide you on your life's journey.

In this workshop, Morwyn will present some of the history and techniques of tea leaf reading taken from cultures worldwide. You'll have the opportunity to practice by reading two cups. Learn to read your cup every day, and each time, receive fresh inspiration.

Morwyn has a Ph.D. in Portuguese, a Master's in Spanish, and a B.A. in Latin American Studies. She is a former Fulbright, Gulbenkian and N.D.E.A. Title VI Fellow. She taught at major universities, including Brown for 15 years. For the last 15 years she has been an Intercultural Trainer. She has lived abroad throughout Latin America and Europe and speaks 5 languages. She was president 2000 of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Sisters in Crime and writes mystery novels under the name C.R. Blackmore. She has written seven books on esoterica and the occult, including The Complete Book of Psychic Arts. Under the name Doņa Carolina da Silva, she is co-authoring a series of 16 books in Spanish. Morwyn has given many tea leaf reading workshops both in the USA and in the UK based on the information on tea from her book Green Magic.

Herbal Teas
with Brigitte Mars
Saturday August 4 - 2:00 pm
This workshop will teach participants to identify several local plants that have a long history of use as medicinal tea and food such as raspberry leaf, mint, rosehips, mullein and more. Learn how to make sun tea, infusions and decoctions. Collecting plants in an ecological fashion and preserving them for winter use is easy to do and will be demonstrated. Learn to make simple herbal formulas, use herbs and edible flowers in cooking, and expand your herbal repertoire. Come enjoy the amazing multiple uses of herbs!

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant and has been working with Natural Medicine for 30 years. She teaches Herbal Medicine through The Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, Boulder College of Massage Therapy and Naropa University. Brigitte has a weekly Boulder radio show called "Naturally" and is the formulator for allGoode Organics. She is a professional member of The American Herbalist Guild. Her tapes, through Sounds True are called "The Herbal Renaissance" and "Natural Remedies for a Healthy Immune System." She is the author of Herbs for Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails, Addiction Free Naturally, Natural First Aid and Dandelion Medicine. She is also the author of the CD rom, The Herbal Pharmacy.

Chado - The Japanese Way of Tea
with Keiko Nakada Sokei Jackie - Urasenke Tea Instructor
Saturday August 4 - 4:00 pm
This hands on presentation will begin by going through the history of how this type of tea was introduced to Japan from China and discusses the basic philosophy of this art, which is so carefully studied. Learn about the art, the movements of the ritual, and the history behind the different utensils that are used. Guests will have the opportunity to observe a traditional ceremony, and will be able to taste the whisked tea prepared.

Keiko Nakada Sokei Jackie has been studying Chado, the Way of Tea, for over 25 years with Mme. Sosei Matsumoto, a National Heritage Fellow, who is the highest-ranking instructor in the U.S. for Uransenke. She is fully certified as Junkyoju, a 1st-degree instructor (the teaching step goes from 4th and gradually up to 1st degree), She is also am the only non-Japanese national to participate in the 40th Graduating Class of Josei Koza (3 month intensive Women's Course) at the School of Moralogy at Hiroike Gakuen, Chiba-ken, Japan.

Darjeeling - The Champagne of Teas
with Barbara Graves
Saturday August 4 - 6:00 pm
Learn the history, cultivation, and the unique flavor characteristics that make Darjeeling the "Champagne of Teas". Ms. Graves will also discuss the challenges that face this fragile region at the foothills of the Himalayas. Attendees will enjoy a comparative "cupping" of each of the famous harvest seasons in Darjeeling called first flush, second flush and autumnal flush.

Barbara Graves has been the Minister of Commerce (VP of Marketing) for The Republic of Tea for five years. She serves on the board of The American Premium Tea Institute, and is the leader of The Republic of Tea's annual trips to tea gardens in Asia. She has been involved in the Specialty Food Industry since 1982.

Taiwanese Oolong Tasting
with Brian Wright
Sunday August 5 - 10:00 pm
This hands-on tasting will feature several spring 2001 oolong teas from Taiwan. Participants will compare the diverse range of flavors found among oolong teas, and at the same time get experience brewing them gongfu style, using a small unglazed teapot. The geography of Taiwanese teas, nuances of seasonal variation, and basics of tea processing will also be discussed.

This workshop offers the chance to taste some of the finest oolong teas from Taiwan, (Formosa) often considered some of the best teas in the world.

Brian J. Wright, proprietor of Shan Shui Teas in Washington DC, became enamored with Chinese tea while studying in Taipei and Beijing in 1989-90. He continued his hobby after returning to the U.S., and expanded it into a business in 1993 to satisfy his friends' appetites for fine tea. Currently, Brian specializes in providing top quality Taiwanese oolong teas, Korean green teas, and teaware for their preparation.

Exploring China's Outback Tea Gardens
with David Lee Hoffman
Sunday August 5 - 12:00 pm
Join David Lee Hoffman in a discussion and presentation of his many adventures in the backcountry of China in search of premium tea. Learn the methods of tea cultivation on traditional Chinese tea farms, and how Mr. Hoffman hand chooses each tea that he imports to the US. This class offers the opportunity to taste some of Mr. Hoffman's teas, often unavailable from any other source.

David Lee Hoffman has been traveling the backcountry of Asia for 25 years seeking out the finest, best tasting leaves. With his 25-year passion for tea and a background in vermiculture and soil fertility, he is now working in China with the prestigious Tea Institute and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences to implement sustainable organic tea farming. Mr. Hoffman is the author of numerous articles on Tea, and has an upcoming book,

Brewing the Perfect Cup
with Chris Chantler
Sunday August 5 - 2:00 pm
Learn how to make the perfect pot of tea every time with this informative and user-friendly workshop. This workshop will review the different types of tea processing and the best method of brewing for each. Quality and temperature of water, amount of dry leaf, and steeping times are imperative to the final quality of the tea - you'll come away from this workshop with the clear basics how to do it right every time. A discussion of different types of teapots, including the traditional English style, Chinese Yixing Teapots, and Japanese Teapots will also be included.

Chris Chantler was originally born in Hampshire, England and raised in Southeast Asia. Chris is known for his expertise in both the coffee industry and as the local leader in the development of Colorado's tea industry. In 1989 Chris partnered with Craig Arseneau to open the Daily Grind Coffee Company, Inc. in Vail, Colorado. Due to the success of the Daily Grind, Chris and Craig opened three additional stores in Denver. In 1993, Vail Mountain Coffee Roasters was created, specializing in high altitude, roast-to-order coffee and loose-leaf teas. For the last 6 years, Chris has been working with premier tea specialists to create a high quality loose-leaf tea program. This is attributed to Chris' commitment to education, which has afforded opportunities to educate the public through many different medians. Chris' Tea Education Seminar can be attended at the Tattered Cover 4th Story Restaurant each month.

Back