Howard County Book Connection invites you to join tea master Masako Soyu Miyahara in experiencing the Japanese tea ceremony, a practice — actually, an art form — dating from the mid-sixteenth century and still observed today as part of Japanese social, cultural, aesthetic and even religious customs. The tea ceremony combines architecture, gardening, ceramics, textiles, Japanese calligraphy, flower arranging, and Japanese cuisine. Witness firsthand the rich and nuanced ritual of an authentic Japanese tea ceremony by a master. Learn all details of preparation and serving tea, as well as guests’ appropriate conversation methods and the final completion rituals.

In preparation, why not read up on Japanese green tea in Michael Harney’s The Harney & Sons Guide to Tea? (Full disclosure: I’m a Harney tea fan of many years.) My all-time favorite tea book, James Norwood Pratt’s New Tea Lover’s Treasury, gives a comprehensive overview of the history of tea as well as descriptions of all the major teas and tea regions of the world. Norwood Pratt, who possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of tea, writes with wit and personality about his love of the drink and how to brew it properly. His last chapter, "Tea as Something to Do," discusses the Japanese tea ceremony.

This event is presented in partnership with Howard Community College and sponsored by HCC’s Office of Student Activities. Monday, March 15; 1:00 – 2:30 pm at Howard Community College Monteabaro Hall, 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway Columbia, MD 21044-3197 Seating is limited. Please contact HCC’s Office of Continuing Education to register at 410.772.4823.

Lisa Bankman – Administration Office

PS. If you’re a tea aficionado, what’s your current favorite cuppa? I’m partial to Keemun, but also love South African rooibos and the tarry taste of Lapsang Souchang, which instantly transports me to a campfire under a starry sky high in the Himalayas.