WILLIAMSBURG — The third annual Yorktown Tea Festival will be held at The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown on Nov. 7.
This year, attendees will have the opportunity to customize their own unique tea blend to take home, as well as meet with a local beekeeper to discuss what goes into producing honey.
The Keynote speaker will be Andrea Post, co-owner of CaryTown Teas in Richmond. Organizers said that during the address, Post will be exploring French tea culture, tea blending, tea scenting, and France’s unique heritage and contribution to the global world of tea.
Winette Jeffrey, one of the committee members for the Tea Festival, notes that there are a few different ways to make different types of tea blends. The first way is with inclusions, or mixing in different spices, herbs, and berries with the tea leaves.
“Women in the colonial times supported the tea parties, boycotting the English tea. So they had to go to their cupboards, they had to go to their gardens, and put together their own concoctions. By doing so, they favored a lot of flora and herbs, of course, edible, and sometimes, if they had the essence or flavor of an orange, they might add that,” explained Jeffery.
Another way that tea can be blended is by scenting it. Jeffery explained this process is when tea leaves are dried with additives, like jasmine flowers, which are then removed. The scent remains with the tea and thus, the flavor. A third way is to use oils or the essence of flavoring.
In addition to the chance to learn about tea and honey, attendees will also have the opportunity to explore the galleries and outdoor living history areas of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and learn about tea during the American Revolution.
Closing out the event will be a chance for guests to join Abigail Adams during an afternoon tea as she discusses people she’s met and memorable moments from her travels.
The event takes place Friday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 per person. Attendees may bring their own lunch or purchase a boxed lunch from Carrot Tree Kitchens for $16. For more information, go to visityorktown.org.
