The first San Jose Tea Festival in 2025, organized by the Nevada Tea Festival and co-organized by the Tzu Chi Foundation Northern California, took place on June 7-8 at the Tzu Chi Foundation Northern California Chapter. The event, themed “Aromatic Tea, Taste of Life,” combined tea product displays and sales, tea art demonstrations, international cultural exchanges, workshops, and tea tasting experiences, expecting to attract nearly 500 participants over the two-day event.
There were a total of 20 tea booths at the tea festival, showcasing tea products from regions including Taiwan, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Nepal, Tanzania in Africa, and the United States. The variety of teas on display ranged from white tea, black tea, oolong tea, Pu’er tea, herbal teas, mushroom teas, tea lattes to innovative tea drinks. Additionally, there were various tea sets and books on display, presenting a rich and diverse international tea culture for participants to sample teas from around the world for free and immerse themselves in the depth and diversity of tea culture.
The event opened with a performance on the ancient zheng instrument, followed by a full day of free lectures and practical workshops. The lectures covered topics such as the history, culture, Zen meditation, and health benefits of tea, including discussions on “American Revolutionary Tea: Tea and the History of Nation Building,” “Taiwan Tea Ceremony,” “Health Benefits of White Tea, Black Tea, and Oolong Tea,” and “Chinese Medicinal Tea and Mental Healing.” The workshops included tea blending, handmade tea cup sleeves, floral tea table designs, and parent-child English afternoon tea etiquette, providing participants with an immersive experience of the aesthetics and practical applications of tea culture.
Executive Director of Tzu Chi Northern California, Huang Qizhen, expressed that hosting the tea festival in the Tzu Chi compound was significant for the organization. For years, Tzu Chi volunteers have carried Taiwanese teas to various tea exhibitions across the United States, actively promoting Taiwanese tea culture. Hosting the tea festival on their own grounds not only invited tea enthusiasts from the Bay Area to experience Tzu Chi’s humanitarian care but also gave people the opportunity to savor a diverse range of teas from around the world.
The organizer of the event and Tzu Chi volunteer, Wei Jieyi, mentioned that the tea festival brought together many tea merchants offering teas from different regions for the public to taste for free. The organizers thoughtfully provided shopping bags and dedicated tea cups while arranging all-day open tea knowledge seminars and interactive workshops. With a sense of humor, she quipped, “Today, no one will be thirsty, but they might be visiting the restroom frequently.” In addition to local tea merchants, the event also featured brands from the East Coast, promoting cultural exchanges between the East and West coasts. She expressed hope for the event to continue to expand in scale, making tea a bridge that connects communities, promotes culture, and charity.
Also in attendance was Guo Huizhen, Head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco, who delivered remarks on behalf of Director Lai Mingqi. She thanked Tzu Chi for its long-term assistance in aiding overseas Chinese community emergencies and promoting culture, acknowledging tea culture as an important symbol of Chinese tradition that not only fosters connections between people but also contributes to community cohesion and the integration of multiculturalism.
Jennifer Metzger, Sales Manager at Kazi Yetu, introduced eight unique tea products from Tanzania, including black tea, green tea, and herbal tea. Popular items such as Coco Choco, a coconut cocoa black tea, and Hibiscus Star, a blend of hibiscus, star anise, and ginger, were highlighted. She noted that Africa is a significant tea-producing region globally, with black tea being Tanzania’s third-largest export product, sourced from local small farmer cooperatives.
Adam and Carly, founders of the American brand Sporgy Mushrooms, showcased their innovative tea drinks made from medicinal mushrooms and introduced a home mushroom growing kit along with related artwork, showcasing the creative potential of combining tea and nature.
Kai-Kenny, a Malaysian Chinese and co-founder of FabulaTea, with over 11 years of promoting tea culture, expressed that tea culture is not only a form of meditation but also a way to communicate with oneself and others. Through the processes of selecting, brewing, and tasting tea, one can better understand their own state and needs, embarking on a journey of self-exploration in body, mind, and spirit.
74-year-old Erwin Wong, a Chinese participant attending the tea festival for the first time, shared his experience of falling in love with tea after visiting mainland China at the age of 61. He nearly sampled all tea varieties at the festival, purchased rose black tea, and Pu’er tea balls, and learned the correct brewing methods on-site. He expressed, “For me, drinking tea is a way to relax and enjoy, especially on days when I need peace of mind.” He marveled at the rich diversity of teas showcased at the event, stating, “Tea lovers definitely cannot miss this!”
Miss Chen, an educator from Taiwan now residing in the Bay Area, also shared her insights after tasting about ten tea varieties at the event. She was amazed by the diversity of teas and encountered teas from Africa and Nepal for the first time. She expressed, “Coming here made me realize how rich the world of tea is; just in Chinese tea alone, there are nearly ten types.”
This marks the end of the translated and expanded news article on the San Jose Tea Festival in 2025.