What To Expect At A Tea Mixology Workshop!

For those Teabirds that don’t know - we LOVE to throw a good ol’ shindig whether that’s in the form of local events and collaborations or our famous Lock-ins and Tea Mixology Workshops.

We gotta say we always have had a blast when we’re hosting you lot. And after 8 years experience of running our popular mixology workshops they come highly recommended (aww shucks!). But you might be thinking ‘What is a Tea Mixology Workshop?’

Well, let me tell you exactly what to expect when you book yourself a space.

I’m Holly and I’ve been coordinating events and running workshops (in person and virtually!) for Bird & Blend for nearly 3 years. I’m based in our fabulous and incredibly gorgeous Bristol store (shout out to you Bristolians!).

Let me reveal to you the magic of a Mixology Workshop!

Upon arrival…

When you arrive at your chosen store you will have entered ‘after hours'. This is always a special and almost magical moment when you have the space just to yourselves, a real VIP moment. We mixologists will be there to warmly greet you and tick you off our guest list. 

First up, you will be shown your table and offered our famous tea cocktail menu - specially created from our in store fave drink specials and crafted into a luxury cocktail. Check out the MojiTEA cocktail recipe that we use here! Of course if you prefer a mocktail, that’s easily accommodated and equally as delicious. Moreover, just on the off chance that the menu didn’t tickle your fancy, you can choose ANYTHING from our tea wall blends. Oh, and did I mention this is unlimited? Think bottomless cocktails and tea drinking all night! Uh huh!

As you wait for your cocktail, settle back and watch the wizardry. The ice in shakers ignite and our kilner bottles full of colourful tea delights get swooped up and poured here and there. You’ll notice that upon the tables are numerous mini circular tins containing leaves, herbs and different teas, as a little game, you can identify each tin can be matched up with its lid with the correct label (e.g black tea, green tea etc), and it's up to you Teabirds (team up if you like!) to figure out which ones are which.

Just a bit of fun to test your tea knowledge skills while we wait for the evening to properly get going!

Camellia Sinensis: All about the trusty tea plant

So now you’re ready and drinks in hand. It’s time to talk about the wonders of this magical plant (Camellia Sinensis). This is where those little tins that you had a go at matching up come in handy as you we will be discussing each type! In this session, you’ll learn all about the Camellia Sinensis (tea) plant, how it is grown and how different processing methods determine what kind of tea it creates; whether green, white or black! Discover 7 types of single origin teas and 4 tisanes (which are not from the tea plant!) and be well on your way to becoming a Tea Master!

We even throw in a cheeky demo or two so you can see how matcha green tea powder is made traditionally, taste a select few of our delicious matcha blends and see how versatile they can be.

Then onto traditional tea tasting 

What mixology evening is without a bit of tea tasting (get your slurp on!)? 

Our traditional tasting session will teach you all about different teas and blending herbs, how they are made, best enjoyed and their health benefits. We specialise in loose leaf blended teas and LOVE to make interesting blends that are all about flavour and creativity, think Chocolate Digestives tea (say what?!).

We mixologists will show you 10 delicious tea blends, ensuring we include every base type we have (Black, Green, White, Oolong, Rooibos, Herbal and Mate) so you have a real depth of exposure to variety and flavours. We will demonstrate how to taste using the “slurping” method where the tea rolls over the tongue allowing it to aerate so you can get all the notes! If you see a particular tea you really want to try that isn’t in the line up please let us know and we would be more than happy to include it!

Next - Blend, Blend, Blend!

So now you Teabirds have become experts in all things tea, it's time for the ulTEAmate fun part of the evening. BLENDING YOUR OWN TEAS!

We Tea Mixologists will help you create your own tea blends to take home with you, designed, named and packed by your very hands. Mama mia, a career in tea anyone?

The shop will suddenly transform into a multiverse of tea tins, with bases you learnt about in the evening, and many MANY ingredients to compliment each tea type. Love black tea but want to create a romantic blend with a little floral touch? DO IT! Want to make a delicious detoxifying blend with white tea? YOU CAN! This is when the world of tea is definitely your oyster. Get creative and let your mind wander into the endless possibilities of blending your very own tea. 

And there you have it in a nutshell (or should we say teacup?), Teabirds - what to expect in one of our Tea Mixology Workshops. We host our workshops every week either on a Friday or Sunday evening. If after reading this blog you are keen to attend in person, click the link here and book tickets to your local store. We can’t wait to see you!