Dobra schedules autumn tea-tasting classes

TEA TIME: In an upcoming series of classes, Dobra Tea owner Andrew Snavely will discuss the processes used to create green, oolong, black and puerh teas. Participants will be able to taste a dozen teas at each event. Photo by Nikki Moon

Dobra Tea offers a stroll through the spectrum of oxidation with a roster of fall tea classes designed to educate the public about the various tea families. “Each class will consist of tasting 12 teas and really diving into the flavor profile, the history, the region of origin, and — most importantly — the processing and how each tea is actually created,” says Dobra owner Andrew Snavely.

The seven-class series will start with green tea, which is unoxidized, journey to semi-oxidized oolong and fully oxidized black tea to eventually end with puerh, which is fully oxidized as well as fermented. “It really opens people’s minds to tasting new things and tasting new varieties that they never would have thought that they would like,” says Snavely. “Our menu is 86 pages, and there is definitely a lot to read and a lot of education there. But really taking the time to dive in with a small group of people and taste things, and to give the opportunity for people to ask questions and really to dive deeply into each tea is really awesome and broadens people’s horizons.”

In addition to the tastings, the events will include a visual presentation of the tea travels experienced by staff members at Dobra Tea. Snavely notes that the film will allow locals to see and hear from the very people who actually grow and harvest the tea they consume at Dobra’s Asheville and Black Mountain locations.

“It’s really bridging that farm-to-table movement and bringing more education,” he says. “Farm-to-table is not just on a local level; it can be on a global level as well. Especially when you’re working directly with families in organic and fair trade, and you’re bridging that whole network to support families as you would support local farmers here.”

After the fall series wraps up, Dobra Tea will continue to offer additional classes throughout the winter.

Classes cost $25 per session. To reserve a spot, call 772-9943.

Dobra’s fall workshops are as follows:

Green Tea
6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, Dobra Black Mountain, 120 Broadway St., Black Mountain. 

Oolong Tea
9-11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, Dobra West Asheville, 707 Haywood Road.
6-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, Dobra Black Mountain, 120 Broadway St., Black Mountain.

Black Tea
9-11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 13, Dobra West Asheville, 707 Haywood Road.
6-8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, Dobra Black Mountain, 120 Broadway St., Black Mountain. 

Puerh Tea
9-11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, Dobra West Asheville in collaboration with Panther Moon Tea, 707 Haywood Road.
6-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, Dobra Black Mountain in collaboration with Panther Moon Tea, 120 Broadway St., Black Mountain. 

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About Jacqui Castle
Jacqui Castle is a freelance writer who began contributing to Mountain Xpress in 2014. When she is not writing, she is living it up in the Fairview mountains with her family of four.

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