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What is a tea festival? Well, in short, it is a day all about tea. Learning about tea, tea preparation, tea culture and history and of course, tons of tea tastings!

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The main event, so to speak, is our tea market. All gathered together in one big auditorium will be lots of tea merchants. There will be local Kansas City area merchants as well as vendors from across the Midwest and across the country who will have tea samples for tasting. Also we will have some craftspeople who create tea-related art! All of the vendors on the floor will have at least a 50% focus on tea or tea-related items. 

This, like tea festivals in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Pennsylvania and across Canada, is a festival focused on experiencing a wide range of tea.We want to give you the tools and the passion to hold your own afternoon tea or tasting events or just cultivate a lifelong love of tea and that means exposing you to as many different teas as we possibly can!

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But this isn’t just about buying and trying tea. This is also about expanding your knowledge of tea and tea culture. To further that mission, we’ve gathered together some tea industry experts to speak on several tea topics on our Shang Tea Main Stage. We also have intensive workshops and tasting cafe sessions hosted by tea industry professionals from across the country. 

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Tea is the fastest growing beverage of interest in the United States right now for many reasons. Some drink it for the purported health benefits, some for the peace and focus brought by the simple ritual of preparation, some for the taste, and some for the infinite variety of the leaf on the endless journey of discovery. Whatever your reason for drinking tea and however you take it - with or without milk and sugar, hot or cold, Eastern or Western style - you'll find something to interest you at the festival. You don't have to be a devoted tea drinker either to have a good time with us. Even if you are just tea-curious, you are sure to find something that tickles your fancy over the weekend event.

You can learn as much or as little about tea as you want at the Midwest Tea Festival! For more specifics, see our FAQ.

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But, you don't have to wait for the yearly festival to stay tuned into tea and in touch with the burgeoning Midwest tea community. We hold smaller events frequently throughout the year as well. For information on these events, see the Other Events page.