Let’s Learn Together
Location|
Class Time | 60 Minutes
Cost| Admission ticket to festival is required $5 ticket fee can be paid online or in person. Classes are $20 each.
Each individual workshop or class can be purchased online in advance. We HIGHLY recommend this to ensure your spot is reserved in advanced. As spots are limited for each class.
Please note: All workshop ticket purchases are non-refundable and cannot be cancelled. No returns or exchanges will be accepted.
Sensuality Tea Experience
Presented By Mike Cuevas | 10:00 AM-11:00 AM
Mike began his tea journey in 2014 with a single cup of pumpkin spice tea, sparking a deep and lasting passion. Over the years, he transformed his love for tea into a thriving community through live tastings, nonprofit collaborations, and global tea exploration—including a visit to his wife’s family tea farm in India. Now a certified tea specialist through the World Tea Academy, Mike brings his expertise to the Quad Cities Tea Festival with an immersive sensory tea experience that invites you to taste, smell, and connect with tea on a whole new level.
Sensuali-Tea explores the possibilities of what techniques can enhance your overall tea tasting experience. Here you will learn to engage not only your sense of taste, but also to actively engage your smell, sight, sound, and touch. This class teaches you the mindfulness of being in the present and chasing your curiosities to discover things you never thought possible when sipping on your cup of tea. By the end of the class, you may expect to pick up new and wonderful ways to continue being mindful, not only on your next cup of tea, but all your little self-restoration moments you may experience in the future.
Tasting The Teas of India
Presented By Judy Leavitt | 12:00PM-1:00PM
After earning a Master’s Degree in Library Science, Judith Leavitt spent more than 30 years working in competitive intelligence, strategic planning and enterprise risk management in a major aerospace corporation.
She achieved numerous awards for her work in advancing the field of competitive intelligence including membership in the prestigious CI Fellows.
Judy is the author of three books and several articles on the topic of women in management. Now the author has turned her energies to her life-long passion for tea.
A long-time member of the Specialty Tea Institute, she has completed work toward becoming a Certified Tea Specialist and has been named an Apprentice Tea Sommelier by renowned tea expert James Norwood Pratt. She has collected and studied more than 300 books on tea and formed TalkingTea LLC to share her passion for tea and the tea lifestyle.
In this class you will learn about the three major tea-growing regions of India:
Darjeeling, Nilgiri, and Assam. Taste the floral character of Darjeeling, known as the
'champagne of teas'. Enjoy the brisk, full-bodied flavor of Nilgiri tea from southwest India,
and finally, enhance your knowledge of Indian teas with the "malty" aroma and flavor of Assam tea,
frequently used in black tea blends. Attendees will take home a sample of Kangra tea from
a little-known tea-growing region of northwest India.
Around The World Of Tea
Presented By Agnieszka Rapacz | 1:30PM-2:30PM
This class is led by Agnieszka, the owner of Chicago Teahouse. She is a true master of her craft, and her knowledge and experience are unmatched. Her deep-rooted connection with tea began in her homeland of Poland, where tea is a cultural and social beverage. With her unwavering passion and dedication to tea, she became a certified Tea Sommelier in 2017 and went on to open her tea shop in the heart of Chicago. She has also been voted The Best Tea Shop in Chicago by Chicago Magazine. Agnieszka has extensively traveled the world to learn firsthand about tea culture and how to ensure the perfect brew in every
Come join us for a fun and immersive tea journey! You’ll get to explore different types of tea, learn about their fascinating origins, and culture.
We’ll take you on a global tea adventure, diving into the rich traditions and unique brewing styles that make tea so special around the world. From the peaceful tea ceremonies of Japan to the lively tea houses of Morocco, you’ll uncover the amazing stories behind this beloved drink.