Tarts & Tea Tasting

Is pie the new cupcake?  All the big food magazines have been featuring pie recipes lately, there are new pie companies popping up across the country.  Is there a pie movement that I didn't realize was happening?!

Well, actually pies have been speculated to have been around since 9500 BC, so that would make cupcakes the newer trend.  If we're in the cycle of old is new again, then I guess pies are on the rise!

We all know what goes well with pies...TEA!  And when you're in Toronto's Leslieville neighbourhood, Majesteas is the choice for tea.  This lovely little teashop is owned by Rob and Ian.  Rob is a Certified Tea Sommelier who I keep bumping into that I met a few years ago at one of the many tea events I've attended.

One Sunday afternoon, I brought my friend Kim from the new Leslieville Pie Factory to Majesteas along with some of her tasty tarts.

Fine tarts:  lemon, triple chocolate caramel and butter makes three.
The O Christmas Tea with a dash of milk beautifully complimented the rich chocolate tart.

Cinnamon Plum:  this warm, soothing cinnamon plum licorice hibiscus herbal blend went well with the lemon tart.  Also tasty was the Marakesh Orange Spice (cup to the right)

Spice for Life: this blend was reminiscent of ginger snaps, not too sweet, went well with the butter tart

Genmaicha - the toasty nuttiness was great with the lemon tart

this one was so good I nearly forgot to take a picture until it was half gone

These are the teas

  

So, if you're ever in Leslieville on Queen Street East, take some tarts to Majesteas for a fun delicious extravaganza!

Toronto's Very First Tea Festival!

The inaugural Toronto Tea Festival took place last Saturday (February 2nd), at the Appel Salon of the Toronto Reference Library.  With a capacity of slightly more than 500, in excess of 1150 attended over the course of the day!  This doesn't even take into account the media that came to cover the event, the 8 awesome guest speakers, 32 vendors, 2 amazing tea ceremony masters, members of the organizing committee (including yours truly), and dozens and dozens of volunteers!

It was sold out by noon!  Die hard tea fans waited in line for the second round of tickets to be released later in the afternoon.

 Once inside an amazing winter cornucopia of tea awaited! 

Tim steeping tea for Tao Tea Leaf

Robert and Ian of Majesteas

Raelene of Tea and All Its Splendours

(Photo; Ingrid Folkers)

Lecturer, Kevin Gascoyne of Camellia Sinensis   

(Photo: Raymonde Drolet)

Mingzhu Gao, Co-founder of Tao Tea Leaf, performing Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony

 (Photo: Raymonde Drolet)

 

(Photo: Ingrid Folkers)

Tao Wu, Co-founder of Tao Tea Leaf.  Tao Tea Leaf is a co-organizer and sponsor of the Toronto Tea Festival.

(Photo: Raymonde Drolet)

Bill Kamula of the Tea Guild of Canada with guest.  The Tea Guild of Canada is co-organizer and sponsor of the Toronto Tea Festival.  Bill is also the Tea Sommelier Program instructor at George Brown College.

 

Sun Choi, Korean Tea Ceremony and Mingzhu Gao, Chinese Gongfu Tea Ceremony

Art works by Katherine Bellman    

Laura , Co-chair of the Tea Guild

Tea Guild's special blend

Upcoming Tea Guild event, "Tea and Tales"

The gents from Flo Trading

Karen Hartwick of Stratford Tea Leaves

 Daniel of T by Daniel

Me and Kimi of KIMICHA

(Photo: Raymonde Drolet)

(Photo: Raymonde Drolet)

Fellow Certified Tea Sommeliers came to sample some tea (guest, Judy, Michaelle and Donna)

Miss Quan playing the Guzheng

(Photo: Raymonde Drolet)

Sifu Justin Ngui of Ngui Family Style Qigong and Gongfu performing the powers of qigong.  Kids, don't do this at home or anywhere else, for that matter!  Leave this kind of kung fu to the pros!

Louise and Adi of Tea Association of Canada 

(Photo:Raymonde Drolet)

Joel of Capital Tea  

 One of the many tea demonstrations

Bare English & Co. (tea infused organic lip balms)

Korean tea samples and sweets

Tea and Handmade Jam Pairings by KIMICHA and michaelsdolce

It was a fantastic day for tea lovers old and young!  There were many babies and young kids in the crowd...the next generation of tea drinkers. 

I feel very honoured to have been a part of the organizing committee of this awesome first ever tea festival in Toronto!  I look forward to being a part of this great event again!  Next year will be even bigger and better!