Berlin Chinese-tea festival — autumn 2026

what to expect across the two days

On Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026, the festival opens in a light-filled Kreuzberg loft. A deliberately small gathering — just twelve carefully selected vendors and six practicing masters — creates an intimate space for shared learning and tasting.

Saturday is given over to aged white teas. Chen Hui Yi, senior tea expert for white varieties at Teamotea, hosts a morning session on Shòu Méi (寿眉) and Bái Mǔdān (白牡丹), guiding participants through the subtle markers of true age: dry leaf colour, wet aroma, and the honey-sweet aftertaste that cannot be faked. Vendors pour examples from their private reserves, some reaching back over a decade. After a lunch break, an afternoon comparative tasting pits artificially aged white tea against naturally stored material — a litmus test for anyone building a collection. As evening settles, open brewing stations take over; each table offers a different tea, and a local qin player provides a quiet acoustic backdrop. Members of tea.community can use the communal tables to continue the conversation.

Sunday turns to Shēng Pǔ’ěr (生普洱). The morning begins with a vertical flight of Yiwu gǔshù (古树) — three consecutive spring harvests — followed by a broader regional flight covering Laobanzhang and Nannuo. Masters discuss aging potential and the effect of storage environment, with samples of wet-stored and dry-stored cakes passed around the room. In the afternoon, a parallel side-table offers Wò Duī (渥堆) ripe pu’er for contrast, and a relaxed community potluck session invites everyone to bring a tea to share. The festival closes with a seated ceremony conducted by Chen Hui Yi, using a 20-year Yínzhēn (银针) white tea to draw the weekend to a quiet, contemplative close. Between sessions, you can deepen your understanding with ongoing threads on puerh.app, or join a pre-festival Chinese tea ceremony workshop at tea.school.

What you get

• day pass with unlimited tasting at all vendor tables

• masterclasses with Chen Hui Yi and five other tea experts

• guided comparative sessions on aged white tea and Shēng Pǔ’ěr

• festival booklet with tasting notes and a storage primer

• evening live qin music and open brewing stations

• two-day discount for tea.community members

• complimentary tasting cup and note-taking materials

practical details

• Venue — Kreuzberg loft space, 5 minutes from U-Bahn Schönleinstraße. Full address in confirmation email.

• Dates — 19–20 September 2026, doors open at 10:00 each day.

• Food — Light snacks provided; nearby Vietnamese and Turkish restaurants for lunch.

• Language — All sessions in English with German summaries and Mandarin assistance where needed.

• Accessibility — Ground-floor venue, but narrow doorways — please contact us for specific requirements.

• What to bring — Comfortable clothes, an open palate, and a notebook. Tea cups provided.

• Weather — Early autumn in Berlin — light layers recommended.