Past Events
A Potter's Life with Tea
A Secret Teatime Event with Guest Helen Kong
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Doors Open at 6:30 PM ~ Presentation at 7:00 PM
PLEASE NOTE New Location:
Calvin Presbyterian Church ~ Geneva Room on the Main Floor
26 Delisle Ave Toronto
TTC: St. Clair Subway Stop
Enter the Church from Delisle Ave by the double set of 2 red doors
Members: FREE ~ Non-Members: $15
Helen Kong is the owner of Secret Teatime. A Scarborough-based tea practitioner and ceramic artist who integrates the Way of Tea into her creative practice. A graduate of OCAD's Material Art and Design program, her artistic journey deepened during her time in Japan, where she began studying ritualized tea traditions. Her work merges Japanese and Chinese tea philosophies with contemporary aesthetics, often exploring themes of culture, history, and sensory experience. Recent projects include Nuit Blanche Toronto's Ichigo-Ichie Tea Project (2022), Meeting for Tea Residency at the Banff Centre, and Rehoming at Tangled Art and Disability. Helen teaches pottery in her own studio focusing on tea vessels and intro level pottery in the coop space, the Potter's Studio. She also hosts regular tea experiences at Icha Tea which includes seasonal Japanese Tea Omakase and Tea Ritual workshops where tea is served in her handmade wares creating a multi-sensory storytelling tea experience.
In this event with the Tea Guild of Canada, Helen will talk about her journey in tea and pottery as she makes tea in her handcrafted tea wares. Participants will experience what happens at the Secret Teatime studio where people sip tea and play with clay. Everyone will have a small ball of clay which you can shape into a vessel using the traditional pinching technique. Once it's done the pinched piece will return to the bucket and be reclaimed back into clay.
A Secret Teatime Event with Guest Helen Kong
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
Doors Open at 6:30 PM ~ Presentation at 7:00 PM
PLEASE NOTE New Location:
Calvin Presbyterian Church ~ Geneva Room on the Main Floor
26 Delisle Ave Toronto
TTC: St. Clair Subway Stop
Enter the Church from Delisle Ave by the double set of 2 red doors
Members: FREE ~ Non-Members: $15
Helen Kong is the owner of Secret Teatime. A Scarborough-based tea practitioner and ceramic artist who integrates the Way of Tea into her creative practice. A graduate of OCAD's Material Art and Design program, her artistic journey deepened during her time in Japan, where she began studying ritualized tea traditions. Her work merges Japanese and Chinese tea philosophies with contemporary aesthetics, often exploring themes of culture, history, and sensory experience. Recent projects include Nuit Blanche Toronto's Ichigo-Ichie Tea Project (2022), Meeting for Tea Residency at the Banff Centre, and Rehoming at Tangled Art and Disability. Helen teaches pottery in her own studio focusing on tea vessels and intro level pottery in the coop space, the Potter's Studio. She also hosts regular tea experiences at Icha Tea which includes seasonal Japanese Tea Omakase and Tea Ritual workshops where tea is served in her handmade wares creating a multi-sensory storytelling tea experience.
In this event with the Tea Guild of Canada, Helen will talk about her journey in tea and pottery as she makes tea in her handcrafted tea wares. Participants will experience what happens at the Secret Teatime studio where people sip tea and play with clay. Everyone will have a small ball of clay which you can shape into a vessel using the traditional pinching technique. Once it's done the pinched piece will return to the bucket and be reclaimed back into clay.
Nihoncha Matsuri 2025
Sunday Nov 2, 2025
10:30 am to 6:30 pm
Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre
6 Sakura Way Toronto ON
For Tickets:
www.nihonchacanada.com/
Explore the World of Oolong Tea
with
Edward Qu
Discover the world of oolong tea. These teas combine the beneficial characteristics of both green and black teas. This presentation explores the regions in which oolong tea is produced, the processing methods found in these regions and the various classifications of this distinctive category of tea. Following the "T.R.I.P." steps, you'll learn the essential elements of how to brew the perfect cup of oolong tea.
Edward Qu is a tea sommelier and oenologist who teaches at Niagara College Teaching Winery. He holds the prestigious designations of Advanced Sommelier of Chinese Tea and Advanced Tea Critic in China. A leader in tea education, his curated sensory-driven experiences @SIMILARMINDSTASTING bridge the worlds of tea and wine through an exploration of their distinct and overlapping qualities. Edward also leads tea tours to China that offer rare access to the country’s rich tea culture.
Speaker, Dan Bolton
Thursday, May 29, 2025
This is a remote access only FREE Webinar!
RSVP for this event has now closed
Tea and Tariffs: Navigating the Impact on the Tea Trade in North America
Presented by Dan Bolton
Dan will address critical questions such as:
How will the new tariffs affect Canadians purchasing tea for personal or business use?
What are the implications for tea trade flows, prices, and accessibility across North America?
What are the key shifts in global tea supply chains due to tariff increases, and how will this impact consumers and businesses?
Dan will explore how these tariffs will drive up costs, affect tea availability, and shift purchasing behaviors, focusing on the impact of Canada’s $34 million tea export market to the U.S. in 2024. This session is an essential guide for tea professionals, retailers, and enthusiasts who want to understand how international trade regulations are reshaping the future of tea.
About the Presenter:
Dan Bolton founded Tea Journey, a premier consumer magazine for tea enthusiasts, and the weekly Tea Biz Blog | Podcast, which serves beverage professionals worldwide. His extensive tea trade and industry analysis expertise make him a leading voice in the evolving global tea market.
Join Dan for an insightful, data-driven look at the future of tea in an era of tariffs and trade challenges.
BIO: Speaker: Dan Bolton
Publisher | Editor | Trade Analyst | Host of the Tea Biz Podcast | Blog
Dan Bolton is a veteran journalist and global tea trade analyst, covering supply chains, sustainability, and market dynamics across the beverage sector. As the publisher of Tea Journey Magazine and host of the Tea Biz podcast, he connects tea professionals worldwide with insight-driven reporting and in-depth interviews. Dan’s work encompasses a range of topics, from EU-grown specialty teas and emerging cultivation models to the impact of tariffs and shifting trade flows on global tea commerce. With decades of experience, he offers a nuanced, forward-looking perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing Europe’s tea growers today.
Dan Bolton is a tea industry journalist and trade analyst, founder and publisher of Tea Journey Magazine, and host of the Tea Biz podcast, known for unpacking global supply chains, tariffs, and specialty tea trends with clarity and wit.
Annual AGM & Tea Swap
Wednesday February 26, 2025
7 PM to 9 PM
The Chef's House - 215 King St. East 2nd Floor, Toronto ON
Agenda:
7 PM to 7:30 PM - we will have our annual general meeting (optional attendance)
7:30 PM to 8 PM - Tea and Tea Ware Swap
Bring teas and tea ware from home that you would like to exchange with your fellow tea lovers - swap and trade amongst yourselves.
It's a fantastic way to try new teas and acquire some new tea ware!
8 PM to 9 PM - Tea Tasting led by Linda Gaylard, author of The Tea Book and Chair of the Tea Guild of Canada Board
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Canada’s largest festival for tea lovers!
Where Toronto Reference Library Appel Salon, 2nd floor 789 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M4W 2G8 When Saturday to Sunday Feb 1 & 2, 2025 10:00am – 5:00pm More Info teafestivaltoronto.com Chocolate Tasting for Tea Lovers with Special Guest Andrea Zanin In this workshop, we explored the nuances of bean-to-bar chocolate through a graduated series of curated tasting projects. We touched on process, packaging and the plant itself, but mostly we learned how to hone our palates and maximize pleasure ... And yes, there was tea pairings! Andrea Zanin is a tasting aficionado who will be graduating from the George Brown College Advanced Tea Program this winter. They have pursued cacao adventures all over the world, tasting wildly unusual pairings at a cutting-edge London chocolate maker’s shop, as well as fresh cacao beans straight from the pod at a Costa Rican plantation. Andrea has enjoyed chocolate cafés in Vancouver, Montreal and Edinburgh; used a molinillo to froth locally grown drinking chocolate in Oaxaca; attended chocolate trade shows and toured bean-to-bar factories in Toronto; and snapped pictures of cacao pods engraved on ancient cenotes in Yucatan. Nihoncha Matsuri
Sunday, November 3 2024 10am - 6pm Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Zhen Lu and Phil Rushworth of ZhenTea offer tips on what to know before visiting the Tea Gardens of China.
Zhen Lu is a Chinese Tea Taster and Educator. She comes from a distinguished tea family with almost 30 years of experience in high-end Chinese tea. With more than a decade of hands-on expertise, Zhen has worked closely with producers, farmers, and some of China's most renowned tea masters. Her deep understanding of terroir, varietals, plantations, processing, brewing, and other factors influencing tea flavor is unparalleled. Phil Rushworth is a Tea Enthusiast and Science Aficionado. With a background in science and engineering, Phil adds his unique scientific perspective, focusing on the chemistry and mechanisms involved in tea and its processing. A self-proclaimed tea nerd, he is dedicated to bridging the gap between Western and Eastern tea cultures. About Tao Tao Wu (of Tao Tea Leaf, est. 2009) is one of the co-founders of the Toronto Tea Festival, a second generation tea exporter and a Certified Tea Sommelier. Each year, Tao brings a small group back to China on Tea Tour. He not only brings them to his hometown of Wuyishan but covers distances all the way to Yunnan to meet artisan tea farmers and ceramic masters first hand. #taotealeaf #teaeducation #teaguildofcanada http://www.taotealeaf.com/about/ Cooking with Tea With Raelene & Bonus Tips on Posting Food on Social Media with Soo
About Raelene: A certified Tea Sommelier, one of the first 15 in Canada, Raelene is truly an expert in all things tea, including countries of origin, ceremonies, manufacturing and in particular, tea menus, food pairings and recipe development. Tea, is Raelene’s terroir, the place from which she blooms subject to the influences of her passion, creativity and boundless energy. To taste her tea and to try her recipes, is to discover a flavourful, health-giving and modern take on tea. Her cookbook, tea: from cup to plate was released Feb 1, 2015. About Soo: Soo completed Tea Sommerlier courses at George Brown College, and is the creator of “tasTEA table” where she focus o creating tea infused dishes. Currently, she is working on importing Korean teas to Canada so more people can learn and appreciate the beauty of Korean teas. |
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March 14th, 2018 - St Patrick's Day with Matcha
On Wednesday March 14th the Tea Guild of Canada had a St Patrick’s Day with Matcha event. The presenters were Momo Yoshida of Momo Tea and Sorlie Madox and Helen Kong of Secret Tea Time. Momo Yoshida is a serious tea lover and tea advocate. She imports fresh tea from Japan and is the owner of the online store: Momo Tea, which you can find at: www.momotea.co/. Momo belongs to the Urasenke school of chanoyu and is continuing to learn the tea ceremony. She holds workshops from time to time and writes a column in the Japanese magazine, "Bits. Secret Teatime is a ceramic studio in Scarborough founded by OCAD Jewelry and Ceramic graduates Sorlie Madox and Helen Kong. Sorlie has a Specialist Degree in Japanese Studies from U of T, and during her time as an exchange student in Kyoto, began studying the Yokenryu School of Tea. Helen studied Chado while she lived in Japan as an English teacher, and is continuing her studies in Toronto. They both opened up Secret Teatime in 2013 and have since devoted themselves to the creation of tea wares inspired by the Way of Tea. You can see their beautiful ceramic creations here www.secretteatime.com Read More Here |
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Dec 4th, 2017 - Tea Cocktails with Aaron Male
Click HERE to see all the details and recipes from Aaron. |
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Oct 19th, 2017 - Nepali Tea
If you missed our Nepali Tea event, you can view the video recording here on Youtube! |
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June 1st, 2017 - Tea & Health
With Michelle Pierce Hamilton |
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April 5th, 2017 - Teas of Taiwan
With David Campbell of The Tillerman Tea Company David Campbell is a Canadian currently residing in the San Francisco area of California where he founded The Tillerman Tea Company, a company that specializes in teas of Taiwan, specifically authentic, single-source oolong tea. David spent 30 years in the wine industry prior to starting a tea business where he has formed friendships with tea growers. Missed the event? Check out the presentation slides below 
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March 9th, 2017 - All in Good Taste
All in Good Taste was an educational and enjoyable experience where we learned a lot about the science behind the Five Tastes of Tea from TJ Williamson of Word Tea Podcast. Exceptional tastings of some interesting, unusual and rare teas and tisanes from Japan were provided by Yunomi Tea. One experiment added a few drops of umeboshi plum vinegar pickled Sakura Flower infusion to a cup of Genmaicha which knocked out the umami and replaced it with perceptions of saltiness. A few of the unusual teas sampled were: a rare folk Goishicha, a dark pu-erh like Batabatacha, and a black soy bean Kuromame. Missed the event? Listen to the recording here! To learn more about World Tea Podcast To learn more about Yunomi |
