Saturday

Herbal Teas - From Garden to Cup
with Sara Stewart Martinelli
Saturday 9:00 am

This fun and interactive workshop allows participants the opportunity to blend their own, custom tea blend by choosing from over twenty five tea herbs. The class covers the growing, drying, and storing techniques of common tea herbs, and explores the traditional medicinal uses and the folklore surrounding the plants. Each participant will take home a sample of their custom tea blend.

Sara Stewart Martinelli is the owner and tea blender of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. She blends many of the teas that the Teahouse serves, and works directly with importers to ensure the quality of the tea menu of the Teahouse. Sara has a degree in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, and is now studying medicinal herbalism at the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies. Sara teaches workshops and classes throughout the year at the Teahouse.

Cooking with Tea
with Lenny Martinelli
Saturday 11:00 am
Experience the variety of ways that tea can be used in the culinary arts, in this unique, hands on class with the Executive Chef and owner of the Teahouse, Lenny Martinelli. Using all kinds of tea, including black, oolong, green, and herbal, Mr. Martinelli will demonstrate the versatility of the leaves with delicious, unique recipes that you can recreate at home. Participants will have the opportunity to taste the dishes made, as well as take home the recipes.

Lenny Martinelli, is Owner and Executive Chef of the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse and is actively involved in its daily operations. Mr. Martinelli has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry from busing tables to ownership. Mr. Martinelli is also the owner and operator of the Naropa Cafe, in The Naropa University, and The Huckleberry, his newest endeavor, in Louisville.
Lenny has developed the “Tea Dinners “for the Rocky Mountain Tea Festivals for the past four years.

Tea Basics 101
with Rose Pierro
Saturday 1:00 pm

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.

Rose Pierro is the owner of Wild Rose Marketing, a Specialty Food brokerage company based in Boulder. She has been an Ambassador for The Republic of Tea since 1996. Rose has traveled through tea gardens in Japan and India and this year will be traveling to China in that role. She enjoys passing on her information by way of tea trainings and tastings to the public and for her customers. Her tea tasting began in the early 80's as part owner of a bakery/espresso bar. She sought out importers and growers to learn more about teas to serve and sell to her customers. She is the Co-Director of the Rocky Mountain Tea Festival.

Tea Leaf Reading
with Morwyn
Saturday 3:00 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 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,, 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 Doña 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.

Tea and Health
with Donna Fellman
Saturday 5:00 pm

"Tea is a miraculous medicine for the maintenance of health"

The sages of Japan and China knew what modern scientific research is discovering - tea is good for your health. A clear and concise overview of tea's natural constituents and how they promote and maintain good health will be presented in this session. Also covered will be the latest medical research on tea, which includes the most healthful ways to have tea. The surprising truths about some commonly held tea myths will be revealed. And there will be ample opportunity to ask questions. Tea will be served.

Donna Fellman's passion for tea has taken her to the tea gardens of India, inspired her study of the Japanese tea ceremony, and drawn her into the world of tea professionally. Former teahouse manager and tea buyer, she holds a masters in Wholistic Nutrition, and has taught and lectured about tea in Colorado and Washington. She is co-founder of the Bodhidharma Tea and Mediation Society and the Tea Education Alliance, dedicated to promoting tea through education.

Chado - The Japanese Tea Ceremony
with The Kita Sokyu- Shacyu Tea Group
Saturday 7:00pm

This is a great opportunity to witness the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony, presented by the Kita Sokyo-Shacyu Tea Group. The demonstration will include explanation of the history of the tea ceremony and its cultural significance. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to taste the special whisked tea prepared in the ceremony.

Kita Shachu Tea Group has conducted performances at various locations and events, including: The Denver Art Museum, the Denver Botanical Gardens, and The Japan America Society.

Sunday

Taiwanese Oolong Tasting
with Brian Wright
Sunday 9:00 am

This hands-on tasting will feature several spring 2003 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.

Red Tea, the Wonder
Herb of South Africa
with Barbara Graves
Sunday 11:00 am
Experience an extraordinary trek to the southernmost tip of Africa. The
mountainous Cape Region is our final destination. Here the landscape is arid and dry and only the most hearty and powerful plants survive. On a peak known as Cedarburg Mountain we view low shrub-like plants as far as the eye can see that yield a powerful herb known as Rooibos (Roy-boss), meaning Red Bush. Join Barbara Graves, Minister of Commerce for The Republic of Tea, as we taste 5 offerings of this caffeine-free herb rich in antioxidants. Learn about the health benefits, cultivation, processing and history of Rooibos.

Barbara Graves is the Minister of Commerce for The Republic of Tea. She has traveled extensively to the finest tea gardens in the world as leader of the Republic of Tea’s annual excursion to tea origin countries including India, China, Japan and South Africa. With her extensive tea knowledge, Barbara has been invited to speak at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, annual Specialty Tea Symposium, and other tea conferences on topics such as Organic Tea, Tea Rituals and Origins of Tea. She has taught tea classes at the renowned Dushanbe Tea House’s Rocky Mountain Tea Festival and other events nationwide. She has served on the board of the American Premium Tea Institute and currently serves on the board of The Specialty Tea Institute, a non-profit organization involved in the education and promotion of specialty tea.
Barbara has appeared on NBC News (San Francisco), and has been interviewed in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washingtonian, Gourmet News, Fresh Cup, and Coffee & Tea Journal among other publications. She delights in bringing tea to people and people to tea. Her expertise provides a world of knowledge, and her effervescent personality makes for an entertaining presentation, at any venue where tea, its many varieties, history and health benefits are discussed.

Puerh Teas
with David Lee Hoffman
Sunday 1:00 pm

Join David Lee Hoffman in a discussion and presentation of his many adventures in the backcountry of China in search of the unique and unusual Puerh teas of the Yunnan region. Learn the traditional methods of tea cultivation and processing. 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.

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