Please note: All tickets are non-refundable.
This year, September 25th is the day of the festival! Saturday, September 26th, we are celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival with “CommuniTea” - an evening of tea tasting and tea ritual with our Bay Area tea community. Inspired by outdoor communal tea gatherings in Taiwan, we will have multiple tea tables set up throughout our courtyard.
Each tea table will be hosted by a guest tea tender, who will select the teas and bring their unique approach to tea culture, brewing, ritual, and conversation. Participants can choose a table to join for each 20-minute tea session, then rotate to another table to discover a different tea experience.
A Matcha Ritual session will also be available for a small additional fee. The Teance Tea Bar will remain open throughout the evening with a small selection of Teance teas for those who would like to relax, socialize, or simply take a break between sessions.
Event schedule:
4:45-5:00pm Sign up the seating for each session when you arrive.
5:00-7:50pm Tea Tasting & Ritual: purchase "General Admission" ticket
- 20 minutes each session with 8-10 people.
- Six sessions - 5:00-5:20 | 5:30-5:50 | 6:00-6:20 | 6:30-6:50 | 7:00-7:20 | 7:30-7:50
TEA TENDERS
Teance Team
Chih Hui — Yellow Tea Journey
Explore Taiwan Wild Yellow Tea vs. Anhui Yellow Tea, plus a mystery tea!
Andrea — Japanese Tea Journey
Discover the art of brewing Gyokuro, then compare Sencha brewed hot and cold.
Katie — Bug-Bitten & GABA Oolong
Explore three fascinating oolong styles and discover the unique aromas, flavors, and stories behind Bug-Bitten and GABA Oolong. Shan Lin Xi Autumn Honey Dew & Pink Blossom vs Honey Jia Long
Morgan — White to Brown
Compare classic White Peony King and crafted Honey Snow White White Tea, then explore the deeper character of Taiwan Wild Grown Brown Tea.
I-ting — A Tea Surprise!
A free-form tea experience decided on the day. Come curious and see what I-ting will brew!
Special Guests
Anoah — Raw & Ripe Pu-erh
Explore the differences between raw and ripe Pu-erh from Pura Land Tea
Beatrix — Sun Moon Lake Hong Cha Comparison
Taste and compare Sun Moon Lake Assam vs Ruby 18 Hong Cha presented by a member of the Youth Tea Club
5:00-6:20pm Matcha Ritual Demonstrate You need to purchase "General Admission + Matcha Ritual" ticket
- One 20-minute session to observe matcha making. And you will be served Choan matcha with Japanese treats.
- Plus any session of Tea Tasting & Ritual
- Each session has 8 chair seats + 2 Tatami seats.
- Three sessions 5:00-5:20 | 5:30-5:50 | 6:00-6:20
- The sessions lead by Mio Matsuhisa, Hiromi Schugart, Kozue Barrett & Masayo Jiang
8:00-8:15 Moon Gazing and Admiring
We will drink 2017 Moonlight White tea and view the moon together to complete the CommuniTea gathering!!
We encourage participants to bring your own cup for tasting and to show your fellow tea tasters!
Mooncakes will be available to order throughout the evening. After the tea sessions are complete at 8pm, we will serve house tea for everyone and hopefully (depending on cloud cover) get the chance to view the moon!
Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋節 (zhōng qiū jié) is one of the most important holidays celebrated by many Asian cultures, held on the night with the brightest full moon, the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, during harvest time.
Family and friends typically gather together over traditional food, make offerings to ancestors, and eat mooncake while admiring the full moon. People may celebrate slightly differently from country to country, region to region, but many eat and drink while waiting for the moon to reach its fullest roundest circle, which symbolizes harmonious union.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is also the time for harvesting crops.
