The University of New Mexico’s Student Union Building, in part with Satellite Coffee, hosted a tea tasting event Friday, Sept. 28, as part of the UNM’s UNI Nights, students were invited to taste a variety of teas and eat from a selection of foods.
Students with a valid ID were allowed free entry and the first 60 guests were gifted a tea mug embellished with a lobo. Upon entering, students were given a raffle ticket for chances to win a hydro flask or a hammock at the end of the night.
Once students entered the SUB, they were invited to eat from a variety of hors d'oeuvre and desserts including spring rolls, quiches and scones. Before the tea, flavored water was also provided.
Tables in the SUB were set with board games as centerpieces, provided by UNI Night. Students played games such as Battleship, Connect Four and Trouble as they waited for everyone to enter.
As students enjoyed the food, Satelite employees were preparing the tea. During this time, the general manager of Satellite, Richard Perce, spoke to students.
“The most important thing about tea tasting is seeing if you like it ,” Perce said.
As he was talking, Satellite employees were finishing preparations at the table behind him. Quickly, a selection of 18 teas were set up and Satellite employees waited to serve students. Classical music played in the background, setting a sophisticated mood for the tea party.
When Perce finished talking, he invited students to start trying tea, and a line quickly formed as students eagerly got up to help themselves to the selection. Excited and curious students talked amongst themselves about the experience.
“I really, really love tea and it helps with my anxiety between grad school applications and my current classes,” Madeline Jeshurin, a biology major, said.
As part of the event, a paper with the names of the teas were handed out to each student. On the paper, the origin of the teas were noted next to each name. However, there was no description of the tea, because the purpose of the tea tasting was to develop a personal and original idea of each tea taste.
Students referred to this paper as they tasted teas from Japan, China, India and even New Mexico, with flavors varying from smooth to spicy to sweet. The collection included white, green, oolong, black, tisane and special teas.
Toward the end of the night, members of Student Programming in the SUB called for attention. Raffling off the hydroflask and hammock, the night quickly came to an end. Students said they left feeling happy, refreshed and full.
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“I love to see how many people are here and I love to see how many people are here having fun,” said UNM junior and member of the SUB Student Programming Emily Louth. “Way more people turned out than I had expected so I am super excited about everything.”
UNI Nights are a series of events that the UNM SUB hosts once a month. Other events they put on includes Late Night Lapo, Pumpkin Carving and putting together the Finals Survival Kit which will happen at the end of the semester.
Luisa Pennington is a freelance reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @_lpennington_.
