Usually, the Tea Festival takes the form of a large salon in which participants flit from one kiosk to another for discoveries and tastings. Despite the relaxation of health measures, it will still have to be held in virtual form in 2021.
“It is especially the tasting side that is not obvious [à mettre en place], the goal of the event being that the participants can taste, it could not have given an interesting meaning this year ”, explains the organizer Émilie St-Pierre-Plourde.
To overcome these logistical complications, the online event was split into two highlights. First, with a view to offering an alternative to the tastings usually carried out on site, virtual festival-goers will be able to purchase one of the three assortment boxes, beautifully furnished with teas, infusions, accessories and sweets by around twenty people. ‘local and national businesses, and on sale from October 30 (6 p.m.) to November 7 only.
The Grand Cru option is aimed at connoisseurs who appreciate fine and high-end teas (for example there are gyokuro or aged pu’ehr), completing the whole with boreal infusions and delicacies (grapefruit chocolates). The Discovery box is more intended for the uninitiated, with flavored teas and herbal teas. As for the new Matcha option (large selection of powdered matchas and sweets, including matcha caramel), it responds to the craze for this type of tea in recent years, says St-Pierre-Plourde. Prices range between $ 79 and $ 137.
Secondly, participants will be able to attend around twenty online conferences, broadcast on December 18 and 19. It is not necessary to purchase a box to attend, but some of the presentations will cover selected products. “One of them will be run by a company that harvests boreal plants to make herbal teas. They will tell us which ones can be found in Quebec and infused forests, as well as their benefits, ”illustrates the organizer. The Tea Festival is in its fifth edition in Quebec City, and its second in Montreal.
Visit the festival website