Photo courtesy Outwoken Tea - Eventbrite
Outwoken tea and chocoloate
Outwoken tea and chocoloate
Aureal Ojeda, founder of Milwaukee-based Outwoken Tea, is launching an educational tea tasting series paired with chocolate. With a goal of getting people out of their homes and out socializing during winter, Ojeda created the events to educate people about tea facts and history. Guests will be guided through proper brewing techniques using a Chinese Kung Fu ceramic tea set. This type of ceremonial tea set, also called a gongfu, is a cultured utensil used for ritual preparation and presentation of tea.
The first tea tasting event will be at the Wehr Nature Center (9701 W. College Ave., Franklin) on Jan. 21, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Ojeda will highlight Kenyan purple tea, a full-bodied tea known for antioxidants and other health benefits. Guests will receive a cup of Kenyan purple tea and several chocolate pairings, along with a bag to tea to take home. The cost of the event is $40, with a $5 parking fee payable to Wehr Nature Center. Tickets can be purchased through tinyurl.com/32s3jrr8.
The second event in the series, the Valentine’s Tea Tasting Gala, is Feb.12 from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at Crossroads Collective, 2238 N. Farwell Ave. The featured tea, Wuyi oolong, is hand fired with deep minerality tasting notes. It’s grown in the Wuyi Mountains of the Chinese province of Fujian. Guests will enjoy tea paired with a chocolate covered strawberry. Each guest will receive a $15 gift card to Crossroads Collective to enjoy lunch after the event. One guest will win a surprise gift after the tasting. Cost is $55 per person; to purchase tickets, visit tinyurl.com/58432zt7.
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Ojeda, a CDL truck driver in the construction industry, frequently had to drop off construction materials at landfills. After seeing first-hand the mass amounts of human-generated waste in landfills, she was inspired to give back to the Earth. She formed Outwoken Tea in June 2020.
Ojeda sources teas from families that employ tea growing and roasting traditions and meet the Rainforest Alliance Certification Program production practices. Those farming and growing methods support three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. She works with a supplier to offer packaging that can break down in a home composting bin. Outwoken Tea partners with various local and national environmental initiatives including Plastic Free MKE, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, One Tree Planted, Native Energy and CO2 Logic/South Pole.
For more information about Outwoken Tea, visit outwokentea.com.