50 Shades of Tea
Tea Tasting & Creative Drawing Workshop
You don’t need any previous drawing or tea knowledge. This workshop is all about slowing down, paying attention and discovering through your senses.
- Discover the world of tea from the tea plant itself to the differences between white, green, oolong and black tea.
- Learn how processing and brewing techniques shape the flavour, aroma, texture and colour of tea.
- Understand the difference between true tea and infusions.
- Take part in a guided tea cupping and train your senses.
- Translate your sensory impressions into colour, lines, words and botanical forms, inspired by travel journals and illustrated notebooks.
- Create your own illustrated tea page using pencils, oil pastels, black markers and sketch paper to take home.
NOTE: Spots are limited to 10 persons!
For special requests, please send an E-mail to [email protected]
50 SHADES OF TEA
Tea is something we often drink without really stopping to look, smell or observe. In 50 Shades of Tea, we invite you to experience it differently. During this intimate two-hour workshop, ONAN and illustrator Alessia from Arkkiale bring together two worlds: tea and drawing. First, you’ll discover how tea is made, taste different styles and explore their aromas, flavours, textures and colours. Then, guided by Alessia, you’ll translate those impressions onto paper through colour, botanical shapes, words and illustration.
What you will learn
Before we start drawing, we start by tasting. Together with Elena from ONAN, you’ll step into the world of traditional tea.
We begin with the tea plant itself and follow what happens after its leaves are picked. By changing the way the same plant is harvested, withered, rolled, oxidised and dried, producers can create very different styles of tea. We’ll explore the main traditional categories, including white, green, oolong and black tea, and compare them through an interactive tasting.
We’ll also look at the difference between tea and an infusion. Herbal blends, fruit infusions and rooibos can be delicious. Understanding the difference opens up a whole new way of looking at your cup. During a guided tea cupping, you’ll explore each tea and infusion through aroma, flavour, mouthfeel and, of course, colour. You’ll discover how processing changes what you taste and how different brewing choices can bring out completely different sides of the same leaves.
Draw What You Taste
Drawing can be a way of remembering a place, a flavour, a feeling or even a single colour.
Inspired by the tradition of travel journals and illustrated notebooks, Alessia will guide you through a relaxed creative process in which observation comes before technical perfection. You’ll look closely at the teas in front of you — their colours, botanical details, shapes and the atmosphere they create — and learn how to translate those impressions into your own visual language.
Using pencils, oil pastels, black markers and thick sketch paper, you’ll experiment with colour, lines, words and small botanical elements. Alessia’s approach is accessible to complete beginners as well as people who already enjoy drawing: there is no “right” result to work towards.
At the end of the workshop, you’ll leave with your own illustrated page: a small personal record of the teas you tasted and the evening you experienced.
Join Elena for an insightful workshop and experience her mastery firsthand !
Meet Elena, YOUR TEACHER
Elena’s coffee story began in Russia in 2009, where she started as a barista and quickly advanced to coffee roaster. Her expertise in coffee grew as she earned a Q-grader certificate and received training from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) in roasting, barista skills, and green coffee. Elena’s commitment to quality and innovation is evident in the perfect roasts she creates.
But Elena’s knowledge extends far beyond coffee. She spent four years studying at the Japanese Tea Ceremony School of Omote Senke, mastering the rituals and philosophy behind tea. Her passion for tea led her to work in a tea store in Russia for two years, where she gained valuable experience hosting tea workshops. Elena’s travels in Asia further deepened her tea expertise, as she participated in numerous ceremonies and classes.
With a deep understanding of both coffee and tea, Elena brings a holistic approach to brewing and tasting, always striving for perfection and sharing her wealth of knowledge with others.
Meet ALESSIA, YOUR TEACHER
For the creative part of this workshop, we’re collaborating with Alessia, the illustrator behind Arkkiale. Alessia has loved drawing since childhood. During her studies in Architectural Engineering at the University of Genova, she developed a passion for architectural sketching and visual storytelling. After more than ten years working in architecture across Europe, she founded Arkkiale in 2017 and developed her own illustration practice.
Inspired by architecture, meaningful places and everyday life, Alessia uses drawing to capture atmosphere and tell stories visually. After living in Australia, specialty coffee and café culture also became an important source of inspiration.
As a teacher, she believes drawing is not about perfection, but about observing, expressing and communicating. Her workshops are relaxed, encouraging and open to complete beginners as well as experienced sketchers.
“Draw not for perfection, but for the pleasure of discovery.”
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
LOCATION
Onan’s Coffee Bar: Parijsstraat 28, 3000 Leuven
LANGUAGES
ENGLISH / DUTCH
TIME
The workshop will be starting at 6PM and finish around 8PM.
Please come in time, as we have a tight schedule and we really want to offer you the best experience possible!
DRESSCODE
Dress comfortably and keep in mind tea stains are possible! Feel free to bring a cosy sweater as we will try to do the workshop on our terrace.
REFRESHMENTS
Of course, we provide delicious tea, and water.Â
SPECIAL REQUESTS/QUESTIONS
Please contact us by sending an E-mail to [email protected]Â
50 Shades of Tea
Tea Tasting & Creative Drawing Workshop
You don’t need any previous drawing or tea knowledge. This workshop is all about slowing down, paying attention and discovering through your senses.
- Discover the world of tea from the tea plant itself to the differences between white, green, oolong and black tea.
- Learn how processing and brewing techniques shape the flavour, aroma, texture and colour of tea.
- Understand the difference between true tea and infusions.
- Take part in a guided tea cupping and train your senses.
- Translate your sensory impressions into colour, lines, words and botanical forms, inspired by travel journals and illustrated notebooks.
- Create your own illustrated tea page using pencils, oil pastels, black markers and sketch paper to take home.
NOTE: Spots are limited to 10 persons!
For special requests, please send an E-mail to [email protected]
