Actividades: Decoration Organise your event in a Moroccan styled tent scented with natural incense such as jasmine or clove, and throw colourful cushions around. Get the guests to sit on carpets while savouring hot tea. Use fresh tea leaves on trays as floral decoration and let its natural aroma tangles with the incense. Serve tea from metal teapots into small hand-painted glass cups. For a more zen ambience, use bamboo, wicker, Chinese caligraphy on drapes, red and black for crockery and linen, and white flowers in simple china vases. You can even hang loose drapes from the ceiling and let them move to the breeze in the air. Play with contrast such as serving black or green tea in plain white tea cups and saucers. For a minimal and sophisticated decoration, you can put huge stick of bamboos in large vases and light up the bamboos from inside. (as suggested by French interior designer Philippe Dessert. See eventos magazine 4.) Invitations Make tea the main character of your event from the very beginning: use teabags as invitations and put your logo and a little message on the paper labels. This way you will predispose your guests: tea means relaxation, calm atmosphere, familiarity, which guests will surely associate with the event to come. Or you can include a menu of teas that can be sampled during the event to let your guests have something to look forward to in your event. You can even spray the invitation with aromas of tea to give that awakening sensation when your guests open their invitation. Gastronomy There are three common types of tea: green, made with the leaf in its natural state; black, in which leaves are processed -which explains the change in colour; and oolong, a combination of both. As an ingredient, tea is used in many different ways. Here are some tasty suggestions: Tea ice cream Very popular and refreshing and a very special flavour too. Preparation requires very simple ingredientes: milk, tea, honey, egg yokes and cream. Tea cocktail A very refreshing, healthy option, especially on summer days. Ingredients: green tea, honey, orange juice, already sliced fresh fruits, ginger ale and chopped ice. Mix all ingredients except for the ale and the ice, which will be added just before serving. Tea desserts An extense variety and with a very aesthetic and natural presentation, both as a dessert or a snack: mango tea mousse, rose tea mousse with lime peeling, fried pine apple slices in honey with clove tea ice cream and nutmeg. Tea samplings There is a wide variety of teas. Why not invite your attendants to a different tasting? Put rows of small glasses or china cups on various tables, each one with its written explanation to identify the type of tea, and waiters to serve it. Play with the tea’s colours and origins to decorate the tables: a more exotic style for Rooibos South African tea; minimal decoration for Chinese white tea; bright orange, deep red and gold for green tea with pine kernels, North African-style... Entertainment There are many possibilities: an option is a live Chinese or Japanese tea ceremony carried out by an expert dressed in traditional clothing, very aesthetic. Provide a quiet ambience by playing soft chill out music or asian music such as chinese orchestra or traditional Japanese music. Turn down the lights but ensure that guests are still able to see and not fall over… For a more visual entertainment, we present the “teh tarik”, which means “tea pulling” literally. With origins from Malaysia, in expert hands, the action of streaming tea back and forth the containers is a feast for the eyes. This visual treat involves vigourous almost acrobatic like-movements of the hands and arms, and can also be done with a coreography. It is believed that the technique of stretching the tea helps it to mix well with another essential ingredient, the condense milk. Thus, bringing out the strong aroma and the subtle taste of tea. The more the froth from the “pulling” of the tea, the better the taste of the tea. Gifts As an event thank you gift or as a souvenir, give Moroccan-style metal teapots with packets of mint tea as presents, or a pack of the traditional utensils used in the tea ceremony, very decorative, together a note and message and details of your company (an elegant way of handing out the company’s business card to guests!). Pour yourself a cup of tea and get inspired...