Tea for the festive season

A recipe for Christmas in July

 

Christmas in July is a southern hemisphere spin-off of the Christian holiday that has European Yule traditions as its roots. It’s also a perfect time to make Christmas tea, suggests Adeline Teoh.

 

 

For years my dad and I had a very straightforward gift-giving relationship. I would get him tickets to the cricket in January and he would get me an item symbolising my hobby du jour – one year a fancy chess board, another a set of poker chips and cards – or simply whatever he could lay his hands on in the pre-Christmas rush.

 

One year I received a set of embroidered towels and a tin of special edition Twinings Christmas Tea. In the following Christmases – before I learnt about the deterioration of poorly stored tea – this tin would emerge at the same time as the pudding and guests would remark, “wow, it really does taste like Christmas”.

 

It should only take one sweltering hot Christmas lunch after slaving over a roast turkey all morning to convince you that many food traditions we inherited from Europe just don’t make sense in an Australian summer. Christmas in July* therefore gives us a chance to indulge in a rich feast without the subsequent indigestion caused by minor heat exhaustion and sweat-powered metabolic overload.

 

Christmas tea is no different. Full of winter fruit and warming spices, it’s really not all that suitable for a summer Yuletide. Park yourself next to a log fire and get your hands around this spiced brew, however, and suddenly the winter wonderland images all make sense. The secret ingredients? According to Twinings, Christmas tastes like black tea, orange peel, cinnamon and cloves.

 

But if you must insist on a special Christmas tea for a December celebration, why not make a cold-brew version? Tea is, after all, a versatile beverage that’s suitable for all seasons, festive or not, and we should drink to that.

 

*25 July; ironically, Christmas in July has Northern Hemisphere origins.

 

(Image credit: www.adelightsomelife.com)

FAQs


Where and when is AUSTCS 2019?
AUSTCS 2019 will be held at The Old Woolstore in Hobart over 7-8 September 2019. We’ve launched an initial schedule on our website so you can see presentations and workshops appear as they’re announced.

 

To purchase a ticket, head to Buy Tickets on our website. 

 

Are there any discounts on tickets?

The earlybird discount has ended but we have a Bring a Friend special if you know a tea lover who'd be interested in accompanying you to Hobart.

 

How do I vote for the next AUSTCS venue?

Nominations are currently open for AUSTCS 2021 on our website. Anyone – members and non-members – can nominate a location. The top six nominations will be shortlisted. Voting is for members only and will take place during AUSTCS 2019.

Image credit: Melbourne Tea Festival

 

Festivus for the rest of us tea drinkers

 

‘Tis the season for tea festivals and events.

 

Spare a thought for iced tea purveyors and cold-brew connoisseurs this winter as tea events are so hot right now.

 

Directors David Lyons and Adeline Teoh made an appearance talking all things AUSTCS at the sold-out Melbourne Tea Festival last Sunday. Some of you may know that David presents two Tea Essentials lectures and was also asked to run an Australian Green Tea tasting session (helpfully brewed by Cathy Zhang of Ms Cattea) while Adeline added participants to her tea-drinking habits research survey.

 

Special hello to all the AUSTCS members who were also present: Damien Kinney of Cloud Nine Teas, Kym Cooper and Tania Stacey debuting their nitro tea collaboration East Forged, Mikhaila Pennell of Tea Garden Co and Cheryl Teo of Flag & Spear, as well as the other members who dropped by. It was also a pleasure to meet Minna Graham, our Ceramic Cup Competition winner, at her stall.

 

If you’re after an event with a different pace, the Melbourne BrewIN on 4 August promises to bring you a slow and pure tea experience that will help you deepen your appreciation of our favourite leaf beverage. In addition to the experiences, you can also learn more about tea with specialised workshops (find out more here).

 

We then head north for the Sydney Tea Festival on 18 August where David and James Lyons will be manning the AUSTCS stall and you can ask us all things AUSTCS as you sip your samples. Questions like: “is AUSTCS just for Australian tea growers?” The answer is no! We are a community for anyone who enjoys, and wants to help promote, quality tea in Australia.

 

Then a race from Sydney to Hobart where we will host the third annual Australian Tea Cultural Seminar over 7-8 September. If you haven’t bought your ticket yet, keep in mind we have a ‘Bring a Friend’ deal, so make it a long weekend with a mate.

 

Happy tea travels!

 

Psst! One last thing! To celebrate the Melbourne and Sydney Tea Festivals we have a gift for you, a special ticketing offer for AUSTCS 2019. No secret handshake needed, just head to the link before the glow of the Sydney Tea Festival fades.

Upcoming events

 

27 July: Teas of Korea, Sydney

28 July: The Origin of Yum Cha, Melbourne

4 August: Melbourne BrewIN

18 August: Sydney Tea Festival

7-8 September: Australian Tea Cultural Seminar, Hobart

 

Do you have an event to promote? Let events liaison Kym Cooper know!

Share on social

Share on FacebookShare on X (Twitter)Share on Pinterest

Visit AUSTCS  
This email was created with Wix.‌ Discover More