Mad Hatter's Tea Tasting

Whew!  It's over but it was fun!

I put together a program for the library called the "Mad Hatter's Tea Tasting" to celebrate Hot Tea month.  The goal was to have the participants try up to 10 different teas and tisanes and learn a bit about the world-famous beverage. I offered 25 tickets for a $3.00 donation each, selling 5 for an overage in case some people didn't show up.  Half the tickets sold in a day, the other half by the end of the week.  It appeared this was a popular idea and the pressure was on to make it a good event!

Since this was a learning opportunity, I made some infographics outlining the important facts I wanted them to know (not bad for a self-taught amateur on Publisher, eh?):

Basic facts on tea.

If it's not Camellia sinensis, it's not tea.

Little extras to think about

I begged and borrowed cups and saucers from several different people and brought my own teapots in as well as my vintage hats and gloves for people to try on.  Several of the library staff are big tea drinkers and were interested in helping and some just loved being able to bring in their pretty china! (I did ask that they not bring in anything that they considered "precious" due to possible breakage).

Everybody scoping out and pouring their tea.

Mingling and conversations happened around the decorated tables.

There were some wonderful hats and fascinators!

While everyone was tasting the teas and talking about it, my daughter and a friend's son put cookies on napkins on my three-tier tea cart and pushed it around to offer snacks.

Isn't she pretty?

In between tasting and chatting, I called out Tea Bingo words and encouraged them to find the answers to the Tea Trivia questions (about half of the answers were on the infographics and the rest I encouraged them to collaborate on with people who had Smartphones so they could use the library WiFi for answers).

These are the teas we served: Earl Grey, Emperor's Pu-erh, Oolong, Jasmine Green, Masala Chai, Earl of Harlem, Chamomile, Sleepy Time, Peppermint, and Rooibos.  I wanted everyone to try something a little bit exotic, maybe out of their comfort zone, and expand their horizons.

Then... there was the photobooth!  So much fun!

My family (big cheesy grin)! They're so supportive.
I'm at the top, then clockwise: grandma, sister, daughter, aunt and mom.

The Mad Hattress and the Mad Hatter 

While there were some logistical things that can be corrected if we do this again, I would consider it a rousing success!!

Hooray for Tea!!!!