TEA HUT 茶舎 AT OBSERVATORY

As a waystop along the path of planetary transformation, OBSERVATORY’S tea hut explores tea’s capacity to provide both vehicle and instruction for how we humans might creatively adapt, moment to moment, to the changing planetary conditions we live within. 

During our open hours, we offer Japanese green teas sourced from small growers dedicated to carrying on generations-old practices of tea cultivation. Some are savory. Some are sweet. Some have intense umami. Some taste like the sea or the minerality of the earth. On rotation, we serve shincha, several types of sencha, matcha, mugi-cha, hojicha, genmaicha and gyokuro.

At OBSERVATORY, we will choose the day’s tasting brew according to the ambient atmosphere of the hour and the season. Visitors are welcome to experience the unrepeatable nature of a thoughtfully grown and brewed tea. Tastings are free or by donation.

During winter 002023 we also initiated a collaboration with Cathleen Miller, to offer locally-sourced Maine herbal blends (learn more about Cathleen at deliciousginger.wordpress.com).

Tea will often be served in traditional teaware curated by artist friends in Japan and on display as part of OBSERVATORY's ongoing collaboration with supporters of Japan’s Long Life Design movement. Stop in to OBSERVATORY to learn more about Long Life Design’s approach to cultural and environmental responsiveness.

Watch our events page for special tea micro-productions.

To book a private tea tasting experience (approx. 1 hour, up to four people), reservations can be made at least one week in advance. Email (smudgestudio@gmail.com) with your preferred time and for additional details, tea preferences etc.

PREVIOUS TEA HUT TASTING EVENTS:

INTRO TO JAPANESE GREEN TEA AND TEAWARE
Features tasting of two distinctly different Japanese green teas: sencha and gyokuro. We will introduce the proper quantity of tea leaves and water, and the specific temperatures of the water required to fully appreciate each kind. We will also demonstrate Japanese houhin and kyusu, the specialized tea equipment developed for brewing these delicate teas at low temperatures. Tea will be served in Long Life Design teaware dating from the Edo Period and curated for us by our artist colleague in Tokyo.

FIVE ELEMENTS, FIVE SENSES TEA
Featuring a slow tasting of two teas (one cold brew and one hot), while paying close attention to aroma, taste, texture, sounds, and color of tea. We will trace the presence and flavors of the five elements of Chinese Medicine as materialized through the alchemy of tea brewing: AIR, WATER, FIRE, WOOD AND METAL. And we will explore the special “yin” nature (cooling) aspects of green tea—making it the perfect tea for focused relaxation and summer drinking.

TEA AT THE TILT OF THE EARTH
Enjoy drinking green tea selected for its planetary terroir from a unique, hand-thrown porcelain tea cup. Created in collaboration with Maine potters, Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacups orients one’s body toward an awareness of vast planetary forces that shape intimate moments of daily life. As an ecological practice, the Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacup helps weave modern consciousness back into the cosmos. Limited edition Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacups will be available for purchase at conclusion of the event.

UMAMI TEA: TASTING THE SAVORY EARTH
Introducing what we wager will be the most savory tea you’ve ever tasted, produced through highly creative and earth-attuned work by farmers in Japan. This tasting explores the mysterious flavor called “umami” via two teas, Shira Hime (White Princess) and Mare (Rare), both produced by Hoshino tea in Yame, Japan. Intended to be sipped and savored in small quantities, these teas are often described as having a thick, soup-like texture. Umami is a pleasantly delicious flavor that is often subtle and hard to describe, while at the same time deep and unmistakable. Come learn more about how farmers make the magic of umami happen by working with the Earth.

WOMEN IN TEA + SHINCHA TASTING
Come taste spring in the very first tea leaves harvested in Japan in the 2022 season. Learn about SHINCHA tea, picked each May and greatly anticipated as the harbinger of spring. This tasting includes three teas, including one produced by a woman-run tea farm in Japan. Come taste the greenest tea from the greenest season!

TEA AND I-CHING: MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN
Enjoy this playful tea event while throwing the coins of the I-Ching. We will serve our own limited-edition gyokuro tea along with an introduction to Daoist tea practices and the I-Ching’s eight major trigrams. We’ll consider how they inspire creative, human engagement with the vast forces of the cosmos. Includes special tasting of the tea that smudge studio curated for its project entitled: MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN MOUNTAIN.