Come to Setting Sun Teahut and enjoy 5 full days of living the tea life in the hills.

We will practice tea skills ranging from the Japanese tea ceremony- Chanoyu, to Chinese Gongfu. In learning the skills we will taste a huge range of teas and develop our tea practices. Not only will each day be filled with tea, but also fresh meals made with our garden ingredients will keep us nourished (and able to drink more tea). We will prepare simple, fresh meals each day using hyper-local ingredients when possible. This Retreat is designed to not only build your experience with tea but also to connect you with the rural living lifestyle that make us not so different than our friends in the tea lands. Using the Traditional styled Japanese teahut as our base and primary "Classroom" We will discuss and practice the art of tea, and its histories.

Every Day we explore different aspects of tea culture. We will discuss everything from tea processing to teapot production. Cleaning and caring for teaware, Storage of tea, and there may even be some juggling!

Setting Sun Teahut sits on 21 acres (most of which is in the woods and makes for great exploring/foraging)

The hut is right next to our large garden where we will be picking fresh veggies as part of our lunch.

Throughout the week, Everyone will brew and serve tea, prepare food and most importantly DRINK LOTS OF TEA! The goal is to expand your knowledge and experience of tea culture. Come with an open mind and lets share some tea!

Some of these things are weather dependent and will be adjusted day of (all have lovely alternatives in case the sky is mean)

Stuff we do:
Cha Xi – Aesthetic tea ceremony, Designing a tea space
Gongfu – Chinese Tea Ceremony, practical skills of tea preperation
Garden – Planting, Picking, Eating
Cook – Fresh spoils from foraging
Chanoyu – Japanese Tea Ceremony
Herbs/plant identification – In garden and woods
Hike –nearby 3000+ft SpruceMt. with fire tower for 360 degree view of VT and NH!
Charcoal – Make and use for boiling water
Farmers Market - Serving and talking tea with customers in a public environment

***Tea Retreat Schedule 2018 July 9th-13th at Setting Sun Teahut***
Day 1

9am: Breakfast for staff/campers – oatmeal/fruit… change scroll/ flowers
10am: Chanoyu concepts and philosophy – ceremony by Ben
11:30am: Garden tour, pick for lunch/prep
12:30pm: Lunch – congee, tea eggs, fresh garden items
1pm: Tea types/processing/language/characters – basics of language - Yellow/White Tea
3pm: Build fire for charcoal making/boil water with previously made coals
4pm: Gongfu concepts and philosophy
6pm: Done
7pm: Staff dinner (campers are welcome to stay for dinner but I would also like to offer this as free time to explore some things in the area)

Day 2
9am: Breakfast for staff/campers – oatmeal/fruit… change scroll/ flowers
10am: Chanoyu – staff leads – tools and procedure/ seasonal/gender differences
11:30am: Garden/ pick/prep
12:30pm: Lunch – congee, tea eggs, fresh garden items
1pm: Woods/land plant tour/ berry picking outdoor tea
3pm: Gongfu technique/practice/chaxi – world of oolong / juggling
6pm: Done
7pm: Staff dinner (campers are welcome to stay for dinner but I would also like to offer this as free time to explore some things in the area)

Day 3
9am: Breakfast for staff/campers – oatmeal/fruit… change scroll/ flowers
10am: Chanoyu practice making tea/whisking techniques/ sweets
11:30: Garden pick/prep
12:30pm: Lunch – congee, tea eggs, fresh garden items
1pm: Teaware – choosing wares, form vs function Green and black teas
4pm: Effects of Yixing / Puer Tasting
6pm: Done
7pm: Staff dinner (campers are welcome to stay for dinner but I would also like to offer this as free time to explore some things in the area)

Day 4

9am: Breakfast for staff/campers – oatmeal/fruit … change scroll/ flowers
10am: Chanoyu (students lead) practice
11:30: Garden pick/prep
12:30pm: Lunch – congee, tea eggs, fresh garden items
1pm: Hike spruce
2:30pm: Mountain tea (puer or hei cha)
5pm: Hike down
6pm: Done
7pm: Staff dinner (campers are welcome to stay for dinner but I would also like to offer this as free time to explore some things in the area)

Day 5
9am: Breakfast for staff/campers – oatmeal/fruit … change scroll/ flowers
10am: Chanoyu full ceremony
11:30: Chinese lunch prep
12:30pm: Lunch – Scallion Pancakes, dry-fried green beans, Mapo Dofu, Garden Veggies
2pm: Prep for market/ packing assessing needs (what teas/wares/tools)
3pm: Head to market for setup providing space/building a teashop
4pm: Market time! Serving tea! Engaging with customers/practice making different kinds of tea/managing water. Selling tea, weighing/bagging etc
7pm: Breakdown then pizza and beer?!

~~~$300 for all days including Lunch (Day student) This is great for local folks!
$75 per single day Mon/Tues/Wed only
$350 for camping including breakfast and lunch