Tea Fest

So, what did we see at the Kulov Tea Festival on Sunday? Let's see, the room that I've always known to house dance classes at the Electric Lodge was converted into a mini-convention of sorts, milling with people, and with a focus on all things Chinese Tea. From the ceilings hung decorative umbrellas and lanterns, and each corner of the airy space promised exotic flavors: samples of inventive flavored teas like after-dinner-mint (with chocolate chips somehow incorporated into the blend), caramel, or blueberry white at one table; iced greens and oolongs, sake and plum wine at another; the dim sum table, where we sampled crunchy-chewy sesame balls filled with a sweet lotus root paste.

And there was plenty to do (besides eating and drinking). There was the raffle drawing, where one lucky winner would go home with the DVD set of the latest season of China Idol. There was a calligraphy demonstration, a woman who would do some sort of herbal assessment, and a traditional tea ceremony with rare pu-erh tea. In the Electric Lodge's theater were musical performances (Chinese zither and the like). Interesting tea-minded adults and kids (some in adorable Chinese dress) filled every corner of the Lodge and sipped -- not a bad way to spend a bit of time on the summeriest winter Sunday of the year.