PrimaTea Tea Tastings: Time to Relax {and Learn}

Calm. Peace. Enjoyment. Enrichment. These are all things that we need in our lives. Life can be fast. Forgetting ourselves becomes easy. However, taking time for ourselves is essential--to experience things on our own or with friends, to grow and to relax. We are very lucky that we live in an area where there are places to get away from routines and to experience new things and have fun.

Several months ago, we introduced you to the treasure that is PrimaTea in Wheeling. What a place to explore? We could spend hours there, sipping tea and exploring gems and essential oils. Recently, we returned to expand our horizons through an Oolong Tea Class.

Tea culture is really beginning to bloom in the United States. It is wonderful to see  places to buy loose leaf tea popping up all over. However, there are so many types of tea that it is often difficult to navigate choosing a tea. This is where tea classes can really help. While it is fun to just pick and choose, it is also fun to go into discovering tea with a little bit of knowledge. Cue the most wonderful Nina and Rosa of PrimaTea!

Here is a little bit about our experience at PrimaTea:

Mel's Take: First of all, PrimaTea has a really pleasant set up. When you walk into the shop, you will be soothed by the pleasant decor. The shop is well lit, but not too bright. This soft lighting allows for relaxation and the ability to have an enjoyable time. Nina is a fountain of knowledge about tea (and oils and gems). She guided us through several different types of Oolong tea (yes, there are many) and explained each, including how each is produced.
She provided us with useful information on how to properly brew each tea . Tea is quite an art! She has a number of different tea accessories, each serving a purpose in brewing the tea. Nina will tell you what each does and you will be quite amazed by this whole world of brewing tea that you never knew. Nina really showed me that there is a way to brew tea and it makes difference. I have employed some of what I learned at home and it is allowing me to use the same leaves for more than one brewing---thereby, saving me money. The ability to chit chat with friends new and old while learning and sipping tea was a welcome aside. It is not often that you can expand your knowledge while thoroughly enjoying yourself.

Kat's take: Nina conducted an enjoyable, low-key oolong tasting and even threw in samples of matcha and (by customer request) black teas.  She explained various facts about oolong teas (i.e. "monkey-picked") and their benefits. I learned about correct brewing time - and what results when a tea has steeped for too long.  It was informational and fun - a perfect setting for a girls' afternoon or night out.

PrimaTea is in Wheeling, Illinois. Tea classes are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Tastings feature mate, oolong, black tea, and rooibos as well as a class all about tea and its benefits. You can check the PrimaTea website for more details on classes including how to register. Classes are $57 per person and attendees get to choose 2oz of tea from the offerings to bring home.

**Disclosure: We did receive a complimentary tea tasting for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% our own.