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The seventh annual Pasadena Festival of Tea will take place at Storrier Stearns Japanese Garden in Pasadena, CA! This is the garden's most popular event of the year and it will be hosted on Sunday, April 12, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. All guests will receive a special gongfu tea cup and tote bag with the price of admission.

Guests can meet local tea purveyors including Nathan and Wendy from Callisto Tea House and Bana Tea Company. Six other local purveyors will also be present, including Chafolio, Glenburn Fine Tea, The Good Liver, JT&T, Steep LA, and TeaTeaTea.

The programming of the event is just in time for the seasonal blooms of camelias, azaleas, and other fragrant flowers.

The garden's gift shop, Takara-ten, will offer its usual array of antique and vintage items as well as a special pop-up sale of Japanese treasures. Garden Donors receive ten percent off all purchases at the shop.

Regular admission is $20 for adults; children 12 years old and younger can visit for free. Tickets are already sold out to the traditional Japanese tea ceremonies with Mikko Nakatomi in the garden's famous Niko-an teahouse.

To register for the event and learn more, please visit the garden's website. More information can also be found on VisitPasadena.com.

Come to Callisto Tea House in Pasadena, CA, for a Lunar New Year celebration this weekend! The tasting will be on February 21 and 22 during their regular business hours. Nathan, Wendy, and the rest of the team will be brewing and serving free samples of teas from Callisto's private collection and from their sister company, Bana Tea Company, which was made famous with puer tea cakes procured by tea pioneer Linda Louie. This is your chance to enjoy rare and vintage tea for free!

This is not like the regular tea tastings offered on Callisto's menu. The team will be brewing and serving samples of tea from behind the counter, offering notes about each one, and receiving  feedback from customers. Seating may be reserved for customers ordering their afternoon tea service or other menu items.

If you like any of the teas, they will be selling select Bana and Callisto teas in-shop for home brewing. Skip the shipping and delivery!

To learn more about Callisto's recent integration of Bana Tea Company, read the press release on their website: www.CallistoTeaHouse.com/pages/news.

Jarrett New — a graduate from Loyola Marymount University and seasoned aficionado of Chinese tea culture — and his team of talented industry peers are creating a new film, Gong Fu Tea. The film aims to capture the spirit of family and tradition. "This film will be an homage to the ancient Chinese "gongfu cha" practice ... as we follow a daughter trying to reach her emotionally-distant father," writes New on the project's Indiegogo page.

The campaign has already gained considerable momentum. In 2025, the script has won three awards at local film festivals in New's hometown of Austin, TX. At the time of publishing, the Indiegogo campaign has secured $15,427 from 41 backers, 61 percent of the project's total goal of $25,000. You can support the film's production financially and learn more about Jarrett, his team, and the passion behind the film on Indiegogo.

Based on the amount of their financial support, supporters are able have their names listed in the credits; access exclusive, behind-the-scenes photos and videos; and receive postcards to share the film's official poster art. We are excited to highlight New's passion for Chinese-style tea as he celebrates cultural traditions and cultivates independent filmmaking.

What happens when Jewish tradition meets Chinese tea culture? Please join Jesse Appell and his friend Eitan for a celebration of Tu BiShvat, a Jewish minor holiday that celebrates the agricultural new year in Israel. The group will explore connections between ecological responsibility, Jewish spiritual tradition, and Chinese tea culture.

During the event, participants will enjoy the four categories of fruits that are traditionally enjoyed during this holiday, paired with four teas from China. Jesse and Eitan will facilitate conversations about the ecosystems that sustain us, the traditions that shape us, and the communities that bring us together. Jesse will share how his guanxi, or connections in China, ensure the survival of ancient traditions and protect their ecological resources.

The event will take place at Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica, CA.

Email Matthew@AndersonTeaWorks.com to receive the RSVP form!

A frequently asked question is, "How do you work with clients to develop a selection of teas for a private event?" Each menu is tailored to the host's preferences and will feature at least six selections of our loose-leaf teas. See below for our most-popular options. Additional options for tea are available upon request.

Menus are also specialized for the brewing methods featured at each event.

• English-style porcelain teapots

• Chinese-style clay teapots and porcelain gaiwans

• Japanese-style bowl and whisk (matcha and hojicha only)

• Tea bags

Los Angeles moves fast. Between traffic, screens, and schedules, genuine moments of mindful pause can be difficult to find. The traditional Chinese method of preparing and appreciating tea — or gong fu cha — offers a shared, intentional space to experience a timeless, cross-cultural art.

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Matthew Anderson has been studying gong fu cha since 2021. In 2025, he began to share tea with colleagues at Gilead Sciences, Inc. After graduating, he expanded his portfolio to include outdoor tea services with a local hiking group. After completing this formal tea education with the International Tea Academy and becoming a Certified Tea Sommelier in December 2026, he founded Anderson Tea Works.