Tea Classes St. Louis - The Chemistry of Tea

The Chemistry of Tea

with Jackie James

TOP RATED

5.0 | 1 review

20 Have Dabbled

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ABOUT THIS EVENT

Event Category

Food & Drink

Event Overview

The Chemistry of Tea with guest speaker Eric Scott, PhD

A cup of tea is made up of thousands of chemicals produced naturally by the tea plant. In this class you'll taste your way through the major groups of chemicals that contribute to tea flavor and aroma: volatiles, catechins, caffeine, and L-theanine. Along the way you'll learn how growing conditions and processing steps alter that chemistry to produce a diversity of tea types, and how climate change is impacting the flavor of tea.

Eric Scott is a PhD student at Tufts University studying the effects of climate change and pest insects on the chemistry and quality of tea. He has spent his summers doing field experiments in China in collaboration with the Tea Research Institute in Hangzhou, the home of dragon well green tea. Before starting his PhD program, Eric worked at a tea shop in Colorado, and before that was the co-founder of a tea club in college.

Minimum age

All ages welcome

Cancellation Policy

Location

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MORE ABOUT YOUR HOST

Jackie James

TOP RATED

I am a British expat running a tea merchant and cafe based in St. Louis, Missouri. I have been drinking tea since I was a child but it wasn't until I became an adult that I discovered that tea wasn't just about black tea in a teabag. For the past seven years I have operated The London Tea Room, a business started by my parents, and my love for tea has only grown. I have been teaching tea education classes for the past four years, and am certified as a Tea Specialist by the World Tea Academy. I am presently working on receiving official certification as a Tea Sommelier.

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EXPERIENCE REVIEWS

Heidi K.
Reviewed on 11/20/19

I enjoyed learning why different chemicals are produced in tea plants and how they affected the taste and quality of tea. Most interesting was how the plants communicated via scent to produce what was needed for survival, and how that very process made our tea better. These plants produced their own (healthy to us) pesticides. Of course we still come along and try to control the flavor through manipulating shade and oxidation in processing too. We sampled some of the best teas I've had in a relaxing atmosphere where we could all share ideas and ask questions and learn. It was most enjoyable.

I enjoyed learning why different chemicals are produced in tea plants and how they affected the taste and quality of tea. Most interesting was how the plants communicated via scent to produce what was needed for survival, and how that very process made our tea better. These plants produced their own (healthy to us) pesticides. Of course we still come along and try to control the flavor through manipulating shade and oxidation in processing too. We sampled some of the best teas I've had in a relaxing atmosphere where we could all share ideas and ask questions and learn. It was most enjoyable.