Agarwood is the undisputed gem in the world of fragrances, the rare essence fragrance that eludes any attempt of imitation by chemical labs: it appears in nature in its own unique way, and each single agarwood, with its own origin and even personal history, contains dozens of volatile substances that make it extremely challenging - if not properly impossible, at the time of writing - to imitate it artificially.

After having understood incense's long history and the precious materials used in creating these elegant fragrances, we'll focus our afternoon on an in-depth study of agarwood identity and interactions with tea.

We deep-dive into its characteristics: we understand its geography, physical properties, its place in the traditional Chinese medicine. We smell and evaluate different agarwood, understanding woods from different origin, and also imitations of the original, premium agarwood.

We'll bring with us very rare material from our Chinese academy, and we will experience them with tea. It is a rare and unique experience, and to match its complex notes we choose three of our most refined teas:

- 2016 Shoumei 2016, white tea
- 2017 Dianhong, from Ancient trees
- 2023 Laoman'e Shupu, from Ancient trees

The appreciation of this valuable, natural essence together with our favourite tea leaves will be the central part of our event, and we will let fragrances and aromas tell us their stories, and caressing our soul.

We will notice how agarwood interacts with different types of tea: we appreciate the aroma and benefits both in our palate and on our bodies, talking extensively of the agarwood's characteristics and benefits for health and traditional Chinese medicine.

There is a Chinese said "人鼻无不乐香" that means "Everyone's nose is delighted by fragrance". Agarwood especially has a fusion effect: it has the medicinal effects of hundreds of medicines. For example, it raises and lowers the cold and heat in our body, warming the kidneys, and regulating the balance of yin and yang. Of these and other secrets of agarwood and incense we'll talk about in this event.

Note: to follow this seminar it is not needed to follow the first one about Chinese incense's history and practice, although it is recommended for a better understanding of its foundation.

This workshop will take place in our tearoom in Milan on Sunday February 16th at 2:30 pm hosted by our founder and teacher Vivian. Seats are limited: we suggest to book your seat soon to avoid missing your chance. 

In the weekend of February 15th and 16th our Milan tearoom will hold a series of four different events, all hosted by Vivian. If you wish to join us for two events or more, a special 10% discount will automatically be applied to your purchase at checkout. Learn more about the other events and workshops: 

• Sat. Feb. 15, 10:00 am: The New Six Mountains of Pu'er tea 
• Sat. Feb. 15, 2:30 pm: Advanced tasting: Rock tea 
• Sun. Feb. 16, 10:00 am: Incense and tea: 2000 years of art of fragrances
  

A discount for the purchase of any single event is reserved to students of our Xiaoye and Daye courses, and to the visitors who joined our Tea Tours in China. Alumni and travellers can use the code 25LEAVES at check out.