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2013 Event Programming
** Free programming sessions subject to change without notice. **
Presented By: Michael Harney, Master Tea Blender
Over the last twenty years as a tea buyer, blender, and connoisseur, Michael Harney has seen the landscape change radically for tea lovers. More teas are available today, of a better quality and in a wider range of flavors, than at any point in history. Mixing valuable information from his book Harney & Sons Guide to Tea (Penguin Press, 2008) with his personal experiences and expertise, Mr. Harney will take Coffee & T
ea Festival attendees on a tea journey—highlighting its origin, preparation, tradition, and most importantly, taste. You will never again think about your "cuppa" the same.
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for tea enthusiasts of all levels
About Michael Harney:
Michael Harney has been the tea buyer and blender of Harney & Sons for twenty years. He travels to Asia and meets with tea producers from all the major tea countries looking for the season's best teas. He graduated from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. He lives with his wife and their three sons in Salisbury, Connecticut.
Coffee: Seed to Cup
Presented By: Byron Holcomb, Coffee Director
We will cover every step of the coffee production chain from planting the seed through to roasting. We’ll cover planting coffee, fertilizing, flowering and pruning to get coffee from seed to a tree. Then, we’ll discuss harvesting and processing which will bring the coffee from a cherry to pergamino/parchmen
t. We’ll then learn about dry milling which takes coffee from parchment to a green bean where it is then exported/imported and finished by roasting. This informative program will touch on all major steps required to get coffee in your cup.
About Byron Holcomb:
Over the last several years, Byron has worked in almost every link in coffee production. From planting and harvesting coffee on his own farm to competing as a barista he has personally made the seed to cup journey. He is the Coffee Director at Dallis Bros. Coffee and spends a lot of his time looking at green coffee and trying to understand it.
Ellen Easton’s Master Class: Afternoon Tea for Fun or Profit
Presented By: Ellen Easton
Sponsored By: Three Tarts, Walkers Shortbread & Boston International
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What could be more relaxing than Afternoon Tea, the beauty of tradition in a contemporary world? Join us as we discover the origins of an Old World custom that is once again popular. Learn the proper protocols and folklore of afternoon tea, including the answers to pinkies up or down, how to eat a scone and menu planning. Explore the possibilities of howyour love for tea time or your favorite recipe may be a profit center.
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for tea enthusiasts of all levels; complimentary sweets tasting follows presentation
About Ellen Ea
ston:
Once again guiding us on this elegant journey will be Ellen Easton, a lifestyle industry leader, tea and etiquette authority, author of Afternoon Tea~ Tips, Terms and Traditions, A Tea Party Planner and Tea Travels™ For The Holidays (RED WAGON PRESS), as well as a hospitality, design and retail consultant, whose clients have included The Waldorf Astoria, The Plaza and Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon. Ellen believes that “Tea is the luxury everyone can afford! ™”.
Easton’s family traces their tea roots to the early 1800s, when ancestors first introduced tea plants from India and China to the Colony of Ceylon, thus building one of the largest and best cultivated teas estates on the island. Easton’s distant ancestors once lived on the estate that is now known as television’s Downton Abbey.
Click here for the Real Downton Abbey Revealed
Coffee Brewing Methods
Presented By: Evan Closson, Coffee Drinker
Sponsored By: Aerobie AeroPress and Chemex
In this program you will learn the fundamentals of coffee brewing by going over all of the variables of coffee such as brewing, grind, water, contact time, temperature, etc. You will also learn about the different coffee brewing methods that are out there and see a demonstration of both a Chemex brew and a French Press to understand how you brew coffee results in the taste you find in your cup. Samples will be provided to the audience.
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About Evan Closson:
Evan Closson cut his teeth as a technologist while drinking excessive amounts of coffee in the office. Now he is the Chief Coffee Drinker at Roast Coffee & Tea Trading Company, a coffee micro-roaster located in Patchogue, NY.
Starting a Tea/Coffee Business
Panel Moderated By: Gail Gastelu, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The Tea House Times and Producer of TeaCourse.com
Panelist Include: Bernadette Solari of High SocieTea House (Wayne, NJ), Miriam Novalle of T-Salon (NYC), Matthew Marks of Forty Weight Coffee Roasters (NYC), Gabriel Godoy of Golden Era Coffee (NYC) and Frank Matz of CAMUS Coffee (France)
Do you love tea/coffee and want to make a profit from your passion? Designing, building and operating a successful coffee/tea business requires a mix of business and industry knowledge. Join four tea/coffee business owners as they highlight the issues and share personal experiences that every prospective tea/coffee business owner should know to help build a successful business from the ground up. Find out, first hand, from industry professionals who know just what it takes.
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for tea and coffee enthusiasts of all levels
About Gail Gastelu:
Gail Gastelu is Publisher of The Tea House Times and produces several other beneficial products and services to the tea industry. Specializing in information management; Gail is a publisher, consultant, webmaster, educator, author, speaker, and graphic designer. Gail also serves on the Board of the Mid-Atlantic Tea Business Association as Chief Information Officer and press liaison. Since 2003 she has been working to connect businesses and consumers to all facets of the tea industry. Her passion and drive is to help tea businesses grow. Services and programs produced by Gail include TheTeaHouseTimes.com publication in print and online; TeaCourse.com continuing education; TeaBureau.com tea industry directory, news bureau; TeaSpeakersBureau.com; AfternoonTeaRecipes.com; TeaIndustryWhosWho.com; CustomTrainingSite.com; and TeaEtiquetteCertified.com Having worked with consumers and businesses on all levels, Gail understands the ups and downs of the tea industry and works hard to build positive business and deeper consumer connections through tea.
Ethiopian Coffee & Culture: Celebrating the Coffee Ceremony
Presented By: Elias Gurmu, Owner of Buunni Coffee
Ethiopia has been a coffee nation for centuries, yet the tradition and culture of coffee in Ethiopia remain largely unknown for most non-Ethiopians. While the coffee ceremony has evolved over time, it still plays an integral part in Ethiopian social and cultural life. Join your host Elias Gurmu, a native of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia’s capital city), and the owner of the recently opened Café Buunni in Washington Heights, on a journey to explore the historical, social, and cultural impact of Ethiopian coffee.
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for coffee enthusiasts of all levels
About Elias Gurmu:
Elias Gurmu is a native of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Elias has grown up in the Ethiopian coffee culture. His first job as a teenager was as a barista and throughout his entrepreneurial career he has had a passion for coffee. He has recently combined his love for coffee with his business background and founded Buunni Coffee and Cafe Buunni - bringing Ethiopian inspired coffee to New York.
The Health Aspect of Tea & Coffee
Presented By: Kevin Gascoyne, Tea Taster
The Camellia Sinensis team has been involved in an extensive selection of laboratory series over the years. These include the levels of antioxidants, caffeine, polyphenols and mineral content in a large diversity of premium teas. Their testing is always based on regular cup content in the context of daily consumption. Kevin talks us through some of the very surprising results.
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for tea and coffee enthusiasts of all levels
About Kevin Gascoyne:
British tea taster Kevin Gascoyne first bought tea in Asia in 1989 and has spent every spring there for the last 20 years. Starting as a tea writer for publications in the U.K., U.S.A. and Japan he is still writing and is co-author of the best-selling, international prize-winning book ‘Thé. Histoire Terroir Saveur’ recently published in English translation.
Living in Montréal, he is one of four taster/owners of Camellia Sinensis, whose catalo
gue at camellia-sinensis.com and annual Spring Tasting have gained international renown, 2012's event was attended by over 800 people. As well as regular radio, TV and public appearances he runs two tea schools, a wide selection of workshops, conferences, seminars, has taught tea botany, tea tasting and tea business consulting in various countries. He also works with the Canadian Tea Association. Aside from his obsessive quest for Darjeeling’s finest leaf, he also has a passion for shop keeping in his stores.
For 20 years Kevin has been talking about tea in public. He often appears on the CBC, RBC, CKUT and CIBL radio stations and both local and national TV in Canada. Published in English, Japanese, Korean, Swedish and French in North America, Europe and Asia he has written for many varied publications his favourite being the Art of Eating.
He has taught tea Botany at the University of Guelph, tasting at the University of North Bengal, India, lectured at Université de Québec à Montréal, McGill University, Stratford Chef School and trained prospective wine sommeliers at the ITHQ.
Tea is Life… Tea is Energy: Experience the Chinese Tea Ceremony
Presented By: Haiyan Grzelak, Chinese Tea Master and Guzheng Musician
The Lotus Leaf Tea Ceremony is a ritual of inner peace whichwill bring the audience energy, harmony, tranquility and joy. The presentations will start with Haiyan playing the Guzheng (an ancient Chinese instrument) music to connect the audience to the natural world such as the high mountains, clouds, and flowing water where the fine tea is grown and harvested. Then, she will use the Gongfu tea set and fine tea to perform the tea ceremony in a moving meditation. Audience will fully experience the traditional Chinese tea ceremony and the healing energy of tea.
About Haiyan Grzelak:
Haiyan is a Certified Tea Master from China and co-founder of Lotus Leaf Te
a. She pursues her passion for educating others about the potential health benefits of high-quality tea. She performs the Lotus Leaf Tea Ceremony as a method to heal the body, mind and soul.
Haiyan is also a Guzheng musician. Guzheng is one of the most ancient Chinese musical instruments. The playing creates special tones that captivate listeners and touch their souls with beautiful music. Haiyan has been playing the Guzheng for over twenty years.
As a cultural ambassador, Haiyan has been invited to speak about and perform Chinese culture at many locations such as universities, corporations, and art and music groups in U.S.
Haiyan is originally from Beijing, China. She earned her B.S degree from Jilin University, China. She earned her MBA from The University of Connecticut School of Business (Executive MBA program).
Presented By: Zeke Freeman, Owner & Managing Partner of Bee Raw Honey
Participation Fee: $10/person
Sponsored By: BODUM
A tea pairing with honey learning to recognize and compare the different flavors, textures and sensations that appear when paired correctly. In this 90-minute presentation, you’ll be provided four samples of tea and honey and discuss the various aspects of each that make them pair wonderfully together. Sign-up early – seating is limited. Tickets to this program must be purchased in advance. Attendees of this program must also be Saturday Coffee & Tea Festival ticket holders.
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for tea and honey enthusiasts of all levels
About Zeke Freeman:
Spending childhood summers on his family’s farm in Northwestern Pennsylvania, Zeke Freeman gained an appreciation for homegrown produce, and livestock and the tradition of America family farming. As an adult, he turned his passion for preparing food for family and friends into a full-time pursuit of the culinary arts.
Inspired, Freeman moved to France to study at the Hotel School of Grenoble. He first worked at the Restaurant Laurent Thomas before finishing his spage in France under Alain Ducasse at the Restaurant Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. Af
ter two years in France, Freeman moved to New York City, where he worked with Daniel Boulud at Daniel before being tapped as the head buyer for Dean & Deluca.
While at Dean & Deluca, Freeman discovered Beehive Bee Products, Inc., with whom he collaborated for nearly four years before he bought the company and re-launched it as Bee Raw Honey in 2005.
Since then, Zeke Freeman has refined and expanded his rare and single varietal honey line to become an Oprah, New York Times, Food & Wine, and Martha Stewart Living-celebrated culinary product that is sold in some of the finest shops across the country—including his alma mater Dean & Deluca.
Today Bee Raw Honey has evolved from a premier honey product to a lifestyle brand, entering the tea and coffee category with estate grown teas and 100% organic, fair trade coffee.
Tea Infusions & Enhancers for the Perfect Cocktails
Presented By: Peter Martino, CEO and Co-Founder of Capital Teas
Sponsored By: Capital Teas
Discover how to enhance the flavor and character of just about any cocktail with tea. You’ll find out how to make your beer sweeter, creamier, loaded with antioxidants, and a bit caffeinated (with some varieties); while also getting recipes to cocktails that are spiced up with your favorite teas. Sign-up early – seating is limited. Tickets to this program must be purchased in advance. Attendees of this program must also be Saturday Coffee & Tea Festival ticket holders. All participants must be 21 or over – IDs will be checked. Make sure to have a driver’s license or passport with you when you attend the program.
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for tea enthusiasts of all levels
About Peter Martino:
Peter is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and Georgetown Law School, a former nuclear submarine officer, and a successful serial entrepreneur. He built his first company, a financial software firm, to $10 million in sales and 100 staff before selling it to a public company. A passionate tea enthusiast, Peter co-founded Capital Teas with his wife Manelle in 2007. As CEO, he drives the company's strategic growth and revenue generation, leading the management team and directing financial operations, new initiatives, corporate infrastructure, and media relations. He previously practiced law in New York City at Quinn Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, the nation's most successful litigation boutique. His multi-faceted career has included a tenure as Presidential appointee to the federal government's Senior Executive Service at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as a real-estate developer and broker, and as a business consultant to companies in the high tech, legal services, and critical infrastructure sectors. Peter is a patron of the arts and an active board member of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. His favorite teas are Organic Tong Mu Phoenix Lapsang Souchong and Glenburn Darjeeling STGFOP First Flush.
Taste Science: How to Use the Biology of Taste and Smell to Create Perfect Pairings with Tea and Coffee
Presented By: Virginia Utermohlen-Lovelace MD, Associate Professor at Cornell University, and Renée Senne, Chef de Cuisine and Culinary School Director
Sponsored By: Taste Science LLC
Have fun tasting good and poor pairings of coffee and tea with food while discovering the science behind why these pairings work (or don’t work). Plus, learn how to make your own perfect pairings with coffee and tea at home. Sign-up early – seating is limited. Tickets to this program must be purchased in advance. Attendees of this program must also be Sunday Coffee & Tea Festival ticket holders. Participants who have allergies are advised to make the speakers aware prior to the program.
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for tea and coffee enthusiasts of all levels that love food
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About Virginia Utermohlen-Lovelace: |
About Renée Senne: |
Coffee & Chocolate: A Tale of Two Beans
Presented By: Enzo Cacace and Vincenzo Farina of Black Owl Coffee and John Murray of Kilwins
Participation Fee: $10/person
Join us for a guided coffee tasting paired with chocolates to examine the parallels between how the two are grown, harvested and processed. In this 90-minute presentation, you’ll be provided four samples each of coffee and chocolate and discuss the various defining aspects of each that make them enjoyable. Sign-up early – seating is limited. Tickets to this program must be purchased in advance. Attendees of this program must also be Sunday Coffee & Tea Festival ticket holders.
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for coffee and chocolate enthusiasts of all levels
About Enzo Cacace:
What started out as a trip to his birthplace of Naples, Italy, Enzo Cacace experienced a flavor not found back home in Brooklyn, NY. He instantly knew that along with his childhood friend Vincenzo Farina, they would have to share this experience with espresso lovers all over the world. After years of researching the beans best suited to roast in the Neapolitan tradition for optimal flavor, Enzo and Vincenzo are proud to bring the Black Owl Coffee experience to Brooklyn and the USA.
John Murray is the Owner of Kilwins Chocolates located in Babylon Village on Long Island. John is a former accountant and investment banker who decided to leave his corporate roots and open his own business. He opened Kilwins Chocolates in April of 2012. His store on Deer Park Avenue in Babylon Village features three main product lines ice cream, fudge, and chocolates. The fudge, caramel apples, caramel corn, and various brittles are all made on site in the public kitchen area located in the front window of the store. Guests are invited to sample many of the products when they are still warm fresh off the 900-pound marble table where many of them are made. The store also features Kilwins Original Recipe Ice Cream. Their bestselling ice cream flavors are Toasted Coconut and Salted Caramel. The store also features a wide range of chocolate dipped items from Oreos to pretzels, and this time of year molded chocolate bunnies for Easter. They specialize in favors for all types of occasions and catering. John says he’s more of a potato chip guy, but he has learned much from his almost one year of working with chocolate everyday.