A ‘high tea’ tribute to moms

As far as caffeinated beverages from Hawaii are concerned, it tends to be coffee that gets the press.

On Mother’s Day, though, it’s tea that stands front and center of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center’s morning events.

The center’s first-ever High Tea & Chat begins at 11:30 a.m on Sunday. Tickets are $45 for members and $55 for non-members, and are available at ‘Imiloa or by calling (808) 969-9703.

The program is an extension of JoAnn Aguirre’s tea chat program, which began just over a year ago at ‘Imiloa. Each month Aguirre, the owner of Teaching Tea, presents a small afternoon tea along with a lesson touching on one of the many facets of tea’s millennia-long history.

“It’s a way to share the culture of tea with not just our local community but visitors,” she said.

April talks, in keeping with the month of Merrie Monarch, focused on the Hawaiian monarchy’s love of British tea. Another session dovetailed more closely with ‘Imiloa’s astronomy programs, and discussed tea in outer space (astronauts drink the beverage in powdered or crystallized form).

“That particular focus was how tea is used as research in space,” Aguirre explained.

The tea chats feature tea served with scones, jam, and what Aguirre calls “Hiloshire” cream — a play on the traditional clotted cream that comes from Devonshire, England.

For the Mother’s Day event, Aguirre said, “We decided to kick it up a notch and have a full afternoon tea.”

The scones will still be there, accompanied by sandwiches and desserts. Tea sandwiches come courtesy of Moonstruck Patisserie. A Little Bit of Paris brings decorated cookies to the table.

Tea itself is provided by Hawaiian Acres grower Bob Jacobson, who owns Hawaiian Rainforest Tea. Jacobson has donated enough white tea to serve about 50 people.

For those who prefer their beverages chilled, there’s iced tea as well.

Aguirre encouraged people to approach the event as if they were attending an English teatime, fancy hats and all (for those who might need extra incentive, there’s a prize for best hat).

Sunday’s chat spotlights the role that women and mothers have played in tea’s long history. Aguirre focuses specifically on the women of the American Revolution.

After the Boston Tea Party, colonial women began to boycott the British tea imported from China. Not wanting to give up tea altogether, they turned to herbal infusions made from their own garden plants and flowers.

“In place of tea, they started growing ‘liber-teas,’” Aguirre said.

Aguirre herself first started drinking tea as a child. Her grandparents are from Japan and Mexico, both countries with strong tea cultures.

She remembers sipping tea served by her grandmother in “little tin cups,” and snacking on treats with her siblings.

“We just thought it was the fanciest thing in the world,” she said.

As an adult, Aguirre became more interested in learning about the Camellia sinensis plant itself.

There are four types of tea grown on Hawaii Island: white, green, black and oolong. But the crop is still a newcomer to island soil. It was only in the late 1990s, after years of research about how to best cultivate the crop, that small-scale growers began to succeed.

Aguirre is now the vice-president of the Hawaii Tea Society, a nonprofit that seeks to promote both the tea growers and tea culture within the state.

She opened Teaching Tea in July of 2013.

“We like to teach about the origins and the rich history and the culture,” she said. “And get people involved in tea, because it’s so healthy for you.”

It’s not just the physical health benefits of tea — the antioxidants in green tea, for example — she’s referring to. It’s the mental ones.

“The whole purpose of tea is bringing people together and just enjoying the moment,” Aguirre said. “It’s just so fun. It breaks ice, it builds bridges.”

“To treat someone to tea for Mother’s Day is just such a special giving gesture,” she said.

Email Ivy Ashe at iashe@hawaiitribune-herald.com