Building A Tea Community

Our version of tea appreciation is a niche. Even in China it’s a niche reserved mainly for the higher echelons of society, this class phenomenon is a whole blog in itself. Fundamentally I’ve always believed that tea is for sharing and yet we gong fu’ers here in the U.K. spend most of our time drinking in solitude. I’ve had a thirst for a tea community since our inception in 2014 but until recently there just hasn’t been one. There once was a nice Twitter circle , various forums, Facebook groups and now these days Instagram is thriving and awash with photos and videos of tea peeps sharing their sessions / tea hauls and brewing set ups which is amazing to see. Still, social media doesn’t quite scratch the itch of ‘togetherness’ that is found with a ‘Tong’ of tea drinkers! (Thanks @tommydrinkstea on Instagram for the suggestion on ‘the collective term for tea drinkers!)

Thankfully in the last few years we’ve seen some incredible people make leaps and bounds in helping build us this hallowed tea community! 

London Tea Friends on Instagram https://instagram.com/londonteafriends?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

With weekly Sunday meet ups in London, out and about when weather permits and in the Barbican when it’s not. ‘London Tea Friends’ headed by Zhudi, Zac, Toby & Tom are an open and accepting bunch who like to brew all sorts with the odd oolong / Puerh focus meet-up or maybe an excursion out of town in search of a beautiful back drop to brew. They’re also the founders of…

London Tea Fest

2022 & 2023 has seen the first London Tea Fests held at Lincoln Inn Fields. 2022 there were 100 people and in 2023 170 people attended. With 16 Tea hosts including tea vendors like myself, U.K. tea farm ambassadors like Dartmoor Tea Estate and aroma / tea ceramic workshops. Also a central drop in tea brewing area where you can meet other tea heads! Free entry. This is a spectacular event that’s growing year on year. This event is brimming with ‘togetherness’ vibes, I love attending!

Phoenixteahouse on Instagram 

https://instagram.com/phoenixteahouse?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Ermanno of ‘Phoenix Tea House’ serves people sheng Cha remotely from his camper van and at events across the U.K. He holds a passion to serve others through the healing power of tea and meditation. Make sure to follow him and his whereabouts on insta!

Qerebucom on Instagram 

https://instagram.com/qerebucom?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

hosted by the beautiful Dana. He travels to various festivals up and down the country over the summer period offering Sheng Puerh tea to anyone who would like to drop in. You can find a list of festivals he’s attending here: 

https://qerebu.com/pages/festival-calendar

Kyle Whittington on Instagram https://instagram.com/teawithkyle?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Kyle is a practitioner of ‘Chanoyu’, the intricate Japanese tea ceremony. Kyle travels to various events, sharing his passion for Chanoyu , brewing matcha and following all the disciplines true to tradition. An incredible experience to be part of. 

Paolo of Puerh.uk 

On Instagram: https://instagram.com/puerh.uk?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Paulo of Puerh.Uk is a shengcentric lover of old and exceptional Taiwanese stored sheng and hosts ‘Slow Tea’ with regular events held at his home in Brighton. Make sure to bring some tea to share. This is generally a Sheng tea event but the odd Shou / Oolong has been brewed. Slow Tea fundamentally is about paying focus on the session and discussing what your experiencing. It’s also a great event to connect with other tea drinkers. Up coming events can be found at www.slowtea.org 

Guru Tea Bash

Yeeees, your very own Mr G just had to jump on the bandwagon. Saturday September 23rd will witness the first Guru Tea Bash in Farnham Surrey! We have enough space to hold 4 tables (whatever the weather). Chill vibeZ background music and Mrs G’s veggie Japanese curry is not to be missed! Bring tea to share, kid friendly, anything goes. 

Address:

Guru towers

22 west avenue 

Farnham 

Surrey GU9 0RH