Tea Masterclass and Tea Tasting sessions by Jane Pettigrew
A group of tea lovers at a Tea Masterclass at the Chesterfield Hotel, London.
Have you ever wondered how the tea in your everyday cuppa gets from the plantation to your cup? Can you tell a Darjeeling from a Ceylon, an oolong from a white? Do you know why they're different? Come to a tea masterclass and find out more! Jane teaches regular classes with tea taster Tim Clifton.
The Course
The day course runs from 9.30am to 5.30pm and includes a wide variety of colour images, a short piece of video footage showing tea production and covers the following topics:
- The history of tea in Britain
- What is Tea, how and where does the plant grow
- Why all teas are different, etc
- The manufacture of black, green, white, oolong, pu'erh and flavoured teas
- Tasting teas from each of those categories
- How the tea gets from the plantation to the cup
- What's available
- Loose tea & tea bags - different types, advantages & disadvantages
- Perfect brewing and different ways to brew
- Tea and health
Price
The cost for the day is £175 and includes:
- Tea and coffee through the day
- Lunch
- Afternoon tea with scones, clotted cream and jam
- A copy of Jane's book The Tea Lover's Companion
- Various useful handouts with information about suppliers, table wares, tea and health
- A certificate of attendance
To book a Tea Masterclass, please visit the booking page by clicking here.
The Location
Most of our classes are held at:
The Chesterfield, (Map)
35 Charles Street
Mayfair
London
W1J 5EB
- except the Masterclass on 23rd October 2008, which will be run in conjunction with Tregothnan Tea Estate at:
Charlotte's Tea House,
Old Coinage Hall,
1 Boscawen Street,
Truro,
Cornwall.
TR1 2QU
We regret that we are unable to refund payments for cancellations received less than 48 hours prior to a class taking place. We would like to make it clear that in the case of cancellation after payment, a 6% charge will be duducted from refunds to cover administration costs
Comments from some of those who have attended
"Thank you for delivering such a terrific Masterclass - it was a perfect balance between theoretical and the practical and it was beautifully rounded off by a sumptuous afternoon tea."
"I enjoyed the class so much. I was impressed with how much information you pack into such a short time and yet it's so much fun."
Tea Tasting Sessions
Jane and Tim Clifton also host half-day tutored tea tastings so that tea lovers can learn more about the character of teas from several different origins. We taste between 20 and 25 different teas from India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Georgia, Nepal, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam and England.
Each tea is introduced with an explanation of its origin, manufacture and character and those taking part have a tasting chart on which they can note their thoughts about the appearance and aroma of the dry leaf, wet leaf and liquor, and the taste of the teas.
The tasting session will run from 2pm-5pm and will then be followed by a cream tea of warm scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream and, of course, several cups of tea.
Cost per person = £85.00. Please see the list of available dates on the right hand side of this page.
To book a Tea Tasting Session, please visit the booking page by clicking here.
We regret that we are unable to refund payments for cancellations received less than 48 hours prior to a class taking place.
We would also like to make it clear that, in the case of cancellation after payment, a 6% charge wll be deducted from refunds to cover administration costs.The Trainers
Tim Clifton
As one of the principal tea tasters and previously Chairman of one of London's leading tea brokers, Tim has a vast knowledge of teas, tea plantations and factories in many parts of the world. He has also, over the years, been a Director of the United Kingdom Tea Council, Vice Chairman of the International Tea Committee, and Chairman of Tea Brokers Central Africa. He now works as consultant to various tea businesses around the world, including Tregothnan Tea Estate in Cornwall.
Jane Pettigrew
From owning her own teashop in London in the 1980s, Jane has gone on to write 12 books on various aspects of tea and worked for 6 years as Editor of Tea International, journal to the Tea Trade. She has also acted as consultant to and trained staff in five star hotels and tea rooms in Britain, the USA, Russia and Italy. She speaks at conferences around the world on different tea related topics, and works on several projects with the United Kingdom Tea Council. She has appeared regularly on television and radio.
Masterclasses
Forthcoming Masterclasses and events:
- 18th of July, 2008, Tea Masterclass (The Chesterfield Hotel, London)
- 15th of September, 2008, Tea Masterclass (The Chesterfield Hotel, London)
- 17th of October, 2008, Tea Masterclass (The Chesterfield Hotel, London)
- 23rd of October, 2008, Tea Masterclass at Charlotte's Tea House (Charlotte's Tea House, Old Coinage Hall, 1 Boscawen Street, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2QU)
9.30am lasting 8 hours
This is a full day course.
To enroll, apply on line via this website or contact:
Lucy Simpson
Tregothnan
The Woodyard
Truro
Cornwall
TR2 4AJ
Tel: 01872 520 000
email: lucy@tregothnan.com - 27th of October, 2008, Half Day Tea Tasting Session (Jane will notify participants of details before each event)
2.00pm lasting 3 hours
Jane and Tim Clifton host half-day tutored tea tastings so that tea lovers can learn more about the character of teas from several different origins. We taste between 20 and 25 different teas from India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Georgia, Nepal, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam and England. Each tea is introduced with an explanation of its origin, manufacture and character and those taking part have a tasting chart on which they can note their thoughts about the appearance and aroma of the dry leaf, wet leaf and liquor, and the taste of the teas. The tasting session will run from 2pm-5pm and will then be followed by a cream tea of warm scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream and, of course, several cups of tea. Cost per person = £85.00
- 15th of November, 2008, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel, London)
- 05th of December, 2008, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel, London)
- 23rd of January, 2009, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel)
- 14th of February, 2009, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel)
- 31st of March, 2009, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel)
- 24th of April, 2009, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel)
- 15th of May, 2009, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel)
- 13th of June, 2009, Tea Masterclass (Chesterfield Hotel)
Book Masterclass here
The Tea Lover's Companion
- Price: £14.99
- Publisher: National Trust and Benjamin Press
- The perfect guide to all types of tea with information about the manufacture of the different categories, how tea is blended and traded, and a catalogue of 80 or so teas from major producing regions of the world with images of the dry leaf, wet leaf and brewing tips. (In the US, the title is 'The New Tea Companion' available at www.benjaminpress.com)
- Buy this book: Visit Amazon UK to purchase a copy