Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/716988
18 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 4, 2016 (August/September) Tea Report: Jane Pettigrew ARGENTINA El Club del Té Tours To enhance tea courses taught at El Club del Té in Buenos Aires, Victoria Bisogno and Martin Frangioli will add educational tea tours to their tea meetings, social gatherings and tea parties. Tours to producing regions begin with Japan where Bisogno and Frangioli recently returned from a rehearsal that included travel to factories in Tokyo and the region around Kyoto including Uji, Wazuka and Kyotanabe. Tours are organized for individual tea students rather than for a large group since people wish to visit the tea gardens at different times of the year, explains Bisogno. During their trip they met John Y. Okazaki of Dobashien in Tokyo; small producers in Uji and Wazuka and Ralph Faerber of Maiko Tea. Learn more: www.elclubdelte.com BULGARIA Tea Mixology in Sofia Tea Studio owner Kyle Whittington celebrated London Week by teaming up with Beefeater Gin to create gin and tea-based cocktails. At his tea store in Bulgaria's London Docklands, where tea and art coincide, Tea Studio offers innovative tea-based cocktails and recipes new to fellow Bulgarians. Beefeater, for the past eight years, has encouraged cocktail mixologists to feature their Beefeater 24 gin which is infused with two green teas and traditional botanicals that give gin its flavor. Whittington commented, "A highlight of the trip was experimenting with tea cocktails at some of Sofia's top cocktail bars. Mixing gin and tea is difficult as the gin's strong flavor makes it difficult to combine with the tea. But we came up with some really exciting combos, includ- ing a matcha genmaicha margarita with our matcha salt round the rim, and Nilgiri frost, served warm and paired with a shot of rye whisky was spectacu- lar." Learn more: teastudio.co.uk MIDDLE EAST Teavana Iced Teas Macau with a star-studded event at the TWG tea salon & boutique, Hong Kong. The 600 guests included Donnie Yen (Hong Kong actor and world wushu tournament champion), and socialites including actress Rabee'a Yeung, fashion designer Dorian Ho, actor Jeremy Wong, and graphic designer Amanda Lui. Guests had the opportunity to try a variety of special teas from China, Formosa, Ceylon, Darjeeling, Japan, and Malawi. Taha Bouqdib, co-founder, c.e.o. and president of TWG Tea said, "Hong Kong, with its rich tea traditions and a global appeal is the perfect place to celebrate our luxurious tea collection. The past months of our expansion in Hong Kong and Macau have shown that the demand for luxury teas is increasing in the region, despite fears of a slowing economic climate." Donnie Yen said "Tea truly is a voyage. I don't often have a lot of time for myself, so tea represents a precious moment of relaxation and discovery." Lock Cha Re-opens Wing Chi Ip is a renowned expert in the fields of tea and Yixing teapots. He is currently the director of the China Tea Academy Society, the founding chairman of Hong Kong Cha-Dao Association, and guest professor of Shuren Univer- sity. For 25 years, he has run his very successful Lock Cha Tea House, set in the lush environs of Hong Kong Park. El Club Del Té announces Japan tours Bulgaria's Tea Studio embraces gin Teavana iced teas Previewed at the London Coffee Festival in April, a new range of Starbucks Teavana iced teas were launched in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) during July. These new shaken iced teas are pure teas and botanicals including peach green tea lemonade and blackberry mojito green tea lemonade, which combines green tea with blackberries, sweet raspberries and spearmint. The beverages are mixed in store by Star- bucks' baristas and are shaken at least 10 times to bring out the distinct flavors in each chilled cup. These new iced teas join the core line up of shaken black, green and hibiscus iced teas and will be on the menu throughout the season. Charlotta Oldham, Starbucks EMEA tea category manager, said, "We're proud to be launching Teavana teas in our Starbucks stores to bring exotic blends, bold flavors and tea innovation to our customers. Teavana iced teas are a perfect refreshing and great tasting addition to the summer menu!" HONG KONG TWG Expansion Tea retailer TWG, in May, celebrated its increased presence in Hong Kong and TWG's Grand Fine Harvest Gala Lock Cha Tea House in Hong Kong