If you know your Earl Grey from your English breakfast, an upcoming Sydney festival will be just your cup of tea.
The Sydney Tea Festival, which debuted in 2014, will make a comeback this month at Carriageworks in the inner-city suburb of Eveleigh.
It's expected 7000 people will make an appearance for the all-day festival on August 16, which includes a market offering 50 specialty stalls, a series of workshops and food.
Tea fans will have a chance to smell and taste speciality loose-leaf and herbal varieties at the market from 9am to 4pm, buy accoutrements to brew and sip, and nibble on macarons from MakMak (in tea flavours, naturally) and cuisine from food trucks Street Sliders and Tsuru.
This year seven workshops are on offer, including an introduction to different types of tea and how to brew them, Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies, and a mindfulness meditation class for those who want to 'leaf' their troubles behind.
Then, there's a tea and dessert pairing led by mouthwatering Ultimo bakers Black Star Pastry, and a masterclass on how to make your own chai presented by the the creators of Sticky Chai.
Festival co-founder Corinne Smith, who owns tea blender and wholesaler The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar, says tea is "trending" in Australia at the moment.
"The success of last year's festival is a testament to that," she says.
"This year, we're expecting more than 7000 tea lovers on the day. Given Australians buy $384 million worth of tea every year, we only envision the festival getting bigger and better over time."
Tickets to the festival are on sale now. See sydneyteafestival.com.au for more details.
