In this interactive workshop, participants will discover one of the most overlooked stories behind a cup of tea: the influence of the vessel itself. Through guided tasting, participants will compare three teas brewed in two different ceramic vessels, exploring how clay composition, shape, porosity, and heat retention affect flavour, texture, and aroma. By experiencing the same tea through different teaware traditions, attendees will gain insight into the relationship between tea, ceramics, craftsmanship, and culture. Suitable for both curious beginners and experienced tea drinkers, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to explore how a single tea can tell different stories depending on the vessel in which it is brewed.

Every tea moment tells a different story. In Japan, the experience of tea is shaped by more than what is in the cup - atmosphere, table setting, and small details all play a part. In this hands-on workshop, you will discover how Japanese tea culture can be expressed through contemporary table styling. Through a live demonstration and interactive exercises, we will explore how tableware, space, and balance can create different atmospheres around the tea table. Inspired by the Japanese concepts of Ma (intentional space) and Yohaku (the beauty of empty space), this workshop invites you to discover how Japanese ideas of space and balance come to life around the tea table.

Tea is more than what is poured into a cup - it is an invitation to pause, connect, and share a moment. In this presentation, Taiwanese tea culture meets contemporary artistic expression through a living cha xi, the artful arrangement of a tea space. Together with a jewelry and tea ware designer and a tea host of Dharma Drum Mountain of Chan Buddhism, explore how objects, materials, composition, movement, and tea come together to create an atmosphere for gathering and connection, with two distinctive Taiwanese specialty teas prepared and shared with the audience.

Turkey is one of the world's largest tea-producing countries, yet its rich and fascinating tea culture remains largely unknown beyond its borders. This talk takes you on a journey to Rize, on Turkey's lush Black Sea coast, where tea has become an essential part of everyday life. Discover how tea arrived in Turkey, how it is cultivated and produced today, and meet some of the passionate people creating a new generation of Turkish teas - from the tea gardens of Maylivadi to the traditional Turkish tea glass, tasting remarkable teas along the way.

t-Magazine founder/editor Olaf Tarmas presents photos and shares insights from his research trip to Yunnan in spring 2026. Learn about the tea mountains he visited, the people he met, the teas he tasted, and what he learned about Yunnan's tea culture and the world of Pu'er teas - plus a first look at the latest issue of t-Magazine's International Edition, making its debut at the Vienna Tea Festival with an in-depth cover story on Yunnan's traditional and contemporary tea cultures.

What can a cup of tea and a photograph teach us about facing life's challenges? In this workshop, we will explore one simple idea: perspective changes what we see. Through tea and photography, we will look at how slowing down, paying attention, and choosing where to place our focus can change our experience of a moment. Using photographs, personal stories, and a few simple reflections, we will explore how changing our perspective can help us meet difficult or unexpected moments in life. There will also be time for questions and conversation.

Join a special tasting session hosted by Sergey Shevelev, founder of Moychay.nl and dedicated tea traveler. Over the course of the workshop, you'll taste a curated selection of origin-sourced teas that Sergey personally discovered during his travels through China, Taiwan, Thailand, and beyond. Each tea tells a story of a region, a cultivar, or a memorable encounter along the way. Teas will be brewed and served in small infusions throughout the session, in the spirit of Gong Fu Cha, with a relaxed and open atmosphere that invites conversation, questions, and connection.

Tea can be as layered as wine, as vivid as matcha, as aromatic as incense, as social as an aperitif, and as quiet as a ritual. In this sensory workshop with MiSA co-founder Kuros Zahedi, explore rare tea in unexpected forms: chilled infusions served in glassware, freshly roasted tea (live demonstration), hand-whisked matcha, and contemporary MiSA-style tea creations inspired by mixology. Along the way, taste exceptional teas from the MiSA collection and see how water, temperature, roasting, vessels, and presentation can completely transform the experience.

Möchtest du die Welt von grünem Tee und Matcha entdecken und erfahren, wie Tee und japanischer Zen-Buddhismus zusammengehören? In dieser Verkostung für Einsteiger lernst du die Zubereitung von Matcha und die Besonderheiten verschiedener japanischer Grünteesorten kennen. Shinko begleitet dich durch die Verkostung und gibt dir besondere Einblicke in die gemeinsame Geschichte von Teegenuss und japanischem Zen-Buddhismus.

Join Alchème Studio for a unique tea tasting and reflective experience - a sensory exploration of what is and what's to come. Together, taste a variety of teas carefully selected from a personal collection, accompanied by seasonal Japanese-inspired treats. Throughout the session, participants will be guided through a reflective writing practice, creating a letter to their future selves. Each participant will then choose the tea that resonated with them most - their handwritten letter and chosen tea will be sealed into a personal time capsule, kept safe and posted back to them exactly one year later.

A deep dive into the world of organic gyokuro - its history, the key elements of preparation, and the art of aging. Everything distilled from years of direct collaboration with Mr. Shuichiro Sakamoto, a dedicated organic tea farmer in Kagoshima. Together we will taste his masterpiece „Mandate of Heaven“ alongside his newest tea experiment.

A lighthearted talk about teapots - a bit of background and history, but more about what it takes to make a teapot, claywise, with touchable examples of its parts and results from professional potters and ceramic students. How do potters struggle to offer the tea community the perfect teapot? And how do you choose a technically good teapot by observing it at the market? The talk leads you through the nuances and details of what is considered the most complex ceramic form.

Taste a selection of Sencha from Higashishirakawa, a small mountain village in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan. The area has a long tea history, but it has become increasingly rare to find teas from this origin as production has decreased drastically over the decades. Grown and made by Aleš and Sachi Gallas at their Nengancha tea garden, these teas share the same origin, cultivar and farmer - yet different fields and processing reveal strikingly diverse and deep characters. There will be space for questions and conversation.

Guided by professional tea sommeliers, guests will taste traditional-craft Da Hong Pao, Rou Gui and Shuixian crafted by Master Wang Shunming, a National Representative Inheritor of China's Intangible Cultural Heritage. Through live brewing demonstrations, expert commentary, and interactive tasting sessions, participants will gain a deeper appreciation of the world-renowned character of Wuyi Rock Tea - its celebrated "Yan Gu Hua Xiang" (Rock Bone and Floral Fragrance).

This tea talk focuses on tea and art - tea as a special kind of art. The European view includes tea planted, harvested, and ennobled in Europe, as well as European tea heritage related to tea ceremonies and tea-related entrepreneurs developing teaware in Europe. Representatives of the European Tea Culture Institute cover a wide range of topics, from the arrival of tea in Europe and unique tea traditions and entrepreneurs to today's tea plantations in Europe.

This workshop offers an introduction to the beauty and spirit of Korean tea culture through history, philosophy, and direct experience. Discover how tea in Korea developed not simply as a beverage, but as a way of cultivating calmness, hospitality, balance, and meaningful human connection. After a short exploration of the historical background of Korean tea and its relationship with Buddhism and Confucian thought, guests will experience a live Korean tea ceremony demonstration followed by an interactive tea and cake sharing time.

Tea and chocolate are beautiful companions to each other - it is an eye-opening experience to taste how the flavour profiles of each change when you sip tea and taste chocolate. But what if you don't have your tea cups at hand? This is a tasting discovery where the pairing is all in one piece: chocolates infused with tea leaves that harmonise with their flavours. During the tasting, learn about mindful tasting, the parallels between tea and cacao production, and the best pairing combinations.

In the forest, tea is more than a crop - it is part of a living ecosystem, reflecting the character of the land from which it grows. Beginning with a single cup of tea, participants will be guided on a journey through the interconnected worlds of forests, ecosystems, tea plants, and traditional tea-making culture. Through guided tastings and insightful explanations, discover how diverse growing environments and specialized processing techniques shape distinctive flavor profiles, engaging the senses to experience tea's many layers of aroma, texture, and taste.

At the edge of India's reserve forests, wildlife and human landscapes overlap. Elephant migration routes often pass through tea plantations and agricultural land, leading to conflict and risk for both people and animals. Tea for Wildlife was created to change this reality, turning these borderlands into corridors of coexistence - producing hand-rolled, orthodox specialty teas that connect luxury quality with conservation impact, protecting wildlife and people, empowering local communities, and rebuilding wildlife futures.

Discover a quieter, more refined side of Japanese tea culture through an intimate Senchado Chakai (茶会). While matcha ceremony is known around the world, Senchado, the Japanese art of preparing fine leaf tea, remains a rare and elegant tradition. Guests are invited to experience the Higashi-Abe School Bon-temae style, performed in traditional kimono, in a seasonal autumn setting. Each guest will enjoy premium Gyokuro, carefully prepared with traditional Senchado utensils and techniques, accompanied by a Japanese tea-flavored premium macaron.

In der Cannabis-Szene ist das Wissen um die Bedeutung von Terpenen in der Blüte etabliert und gut erforscht. Hingegen wird die Teepflanze nur selten mit Terpenen und deren Wirkungspotenzial in Verbindung gebracht. Dabei können diese Duftmoleküle weit mehr, als lediglich den Geschmack dieser hochgeschätzten Kulturpflanzen zu beeinflussen.

What does it really mean to build a business around tea today?

This moderated panel brings together five tea professionals representing different dimensions of the speciality tea ecosystem: Jack Farm, offering the perspective of Japanese tea production; Eastern Leaves, connecting Yunnan's tea production and education with Europe; MISA exploring the realities of running a tea house and building a local community in Vienna; Hotsoup, representing speciality tea retail in Europe; and Tea Lovers Collective, looking at education, festivals and community building.

Drawing on their different experiences, the speakers will discuss the opportunities and everyday challenges of turning a passion for tea into a sustainable professional career. The conversation will address sourcing and pricing, changing consumer expectations, customer acquisition, education, community building and the challenge of communicating the value of speciality tea.

The panel will also explore the role of tea festivals in developing the industry: can they create new markets, connect producers and businesses with consumers, and help build a stronger tea culture in Europe?

Moderated by Lorela Lohan, Founder of WanderlusTea, the 60-minute conversation will conclude with questions from the audience.

What does a thousand stories taste like? This guided tasting invites you to explore the diversity and craftsmanship of Taiwanese oolong through three distinct teas, with a special focus on Red Oolong from Luye, Taitung - a rare Taiwanese specialty known for its natural honey-fruity aroma and layered roasted depth. Learn how terroir, oxidation and roasting shape flavour, and discover the philosophy of “Following Nature” behind Friendly Nature: tea gardens cultivated without pesticides or chemical fertilisers, and a new generation of young tea makers reviving this distinctive style.

A journey through four carefully selected teas from South Korea and Japan, personally discovered and sourced during visits to tea farms. This tasting compares different production methods and explores the basics of Korean and Japanese tea culture, focusing not only on flavour but also on origin, craftsmanship, and the unique characteristics of each region - from traditional processing techniques to the subtle differences in character between each tea.

In the remote highlands of northern Thailand, tea is still harvested, made and shared in ways that are both ancient and alive. This talk shares the story of a visit to a remote Karen village in northern Thailand, where semi-wild tea trees grow among rice fields, vines, fruit trees, herbs and medicinal plants. Follow the tea from forest garden to fire, and taste Karen tea brewed in the traditional style, with a pinch of salt optional, plus miang - fermented tea leaves eaten as a snack in Southeast Asia.

Step away from the festival's bustle for an intimate, slow-paced session. Gather around a shared table to mindfully explore two distinct teas: Bai Mudan (White Peony) and Bai Lin Gong Fu. Both originate from the exact same tea plants in Fujian, yet one is barely processed while the other is fully oxidized into black tea. Engaging all five senses, this small-group experience offers a moment of quiet reflection and a deep understanding of how processing completely transforms the tea journey.

We often talk about the challenges facing Japan's tea industry, one of the most pressing being the rapid decline in the number of tea farmers. Yet across the country, passionate producers continue to persevere, crafting exceptional teas that express the unique character of their regions with remarkable skill and dedication. From nearly forgotten local tea-making traditions to celebrated styles that have been perfected over centuries, each tea tells a story of heritage, craftsmanship, and resilience. Discover the inspiring people behind every cup and experience the rich diversity of Japanese tea.

This workshop explores how regional traditions shape Japan's loose leaf teas. Participants will taste and compare different Japanese teas unique to each area while learning the stories of the people who produce them.

About us: The Global Japanese Tea Association was founded to expand the world of Japanese tea through international collaboration. It promotes a love for Japanese tea through educational programs, events, and the sharing of the latest insights from Japan. Over the past seven years, the association has built a passionate global community of Japanese tea enthusiasts, now bringing together more than 1,000 members from 50 countries. It is also involved in exciting projects across Japan, connecting local communities with tea lovers around the world.

Wir beenden das Wochenende in geteilter Stille. Dem Erhitzen des Wassers lauschen, den Dampf beobachten, wie er aus den Schalen emporsteigt, den wärmenden Schluck Tee-Elixier erleben und die meditativ angeleiteten Worte wirken lassen - es gibt tausend Geschichten in einer Schale Tee.

Experience Anxi oolong from a tea farmer's perspective. Taste five traditional Anxi oolong cultivars grown in Longjuan - Tieguanyin, Benshan, Mao Xie, Mei Zhan and Huangjin Gui - evaluated blind under the same conditions, using the comparative tasting method employed in China's tea trade. Without labels to guide you, compare aroma, flavour, texture and finish, then match each numbered tea to its cultivar. No previous experience required - designed for newcomers and experienced tea drinkers alike who wish to understand Anxi oolong through the leaf itself.