Tea Lecture
A couple of weeks ago, A Liang held a tea event in Maokong at his friend’s farm (see Farm Resort for details). Most of the participants were teachers or professionals with a strong interest in tea. The day began with a hike from Jen Jr University to Chr Nan Temple (one of the stops on the Maokong Gondola). From there they continued along trails behind the temple until they reached his friend’s farm. They run a restaurant/coffee shop, but keep irregular hours and usually only open by appointment for group activities.
There were about 40 participants, and after the outdoor lunch, A Liang gave an introduction to tea, including a history of the 
Maokong tea area, and some general information about tea selection and brewing. I would have taken more notes to post here, but unfortunately 
it was a working weekend for me, as I was put in charge of brewing tea for the guests. For more about that, take a look at my Tandem Gaiwan post.
We had a very enthusiastic group, and it was interesting to hear their questions and opinions. There seems to be an unspoken assumption that being Chinese makes one an expert on everything Chinese, but I was surprised at some of the basic misconceptions that many participants had – made me feel like I know a bit about tea myself!
Everything went smoothly except for an uninvited party crasher (see Nature Calls for details). It was a great afternoon, and we all had a great time. I hope we’re able to organize another event soon, so that we can do it all again!