Beyond the Basics Class Series Update

Hello tea lovers!

Update about our ongoing tea class series called "Beyond The Basics": They have been a huge success so far and we plan to continue this series well into next year and beyond. The classes are only $15 per person and limited to about 9 students for a more intimate and interactive class setting. There have been 3 sessions total since Session 1 which focused on green and yellow teas and was taught by our director of tea education, David Galli. These classes have been hosted in our shop located at 724 NE 22nd Ave in Portland, Oregon.

In Session 2, David Galli focused on oolongs, also known as wulong tea. The class tasted several styles of Chinese and Taiwanese oolongs, as well as a Vietnamese bitten oolong. He discussed the effects of oxidation, roast, elevation, leaf style, and other factors that make oolong one of the most exquisite, diverse, and expensive tea categories in the world.

In Session 3 we had a guest teacher, Stephanie Wilson who has been a friend of The Jasmine Pearl for many years now and a student of tea for over 15 years. She presented a class on the art of bowl brewing which involves only a tea bowl or large cup, hot water and tea leaf. It can be very simple, but also full of learning. Our students loved it and we hope to have her back again for more classes in the future!

We will resume the Beyond The Basics series after the New Year, but stay tuned for some of our other upcoming events.

In closing, we have a very special guest coming for a visit to our tea shop this month. From October 16th until October 25th one of our wonderful Japanese sencha producers, Nobuyuki Konishi who produces our Eiju, Tsuyuhikari, Shinko, and Yuzu tea will be visiting us from the Shizuoka Prefecture of Japan. Now that his tea harvest for this year has been completed, Konishi-san wants to enjoy his free time experiencing what it's like to work in an American tea shop. He will be working along side us on the tea bar throughout that week. This will be a great opportunity for our guests to observe how these very special orthodox Japanese teas should be prepared by the hands of the creator himself. We're very excited for him to join us for this exciting cultural exchange. Please be sure to stop by JP during that week for a free tea tasting if you're a lover of sencha tea!