Tea parties are given a whole new meaning for hosts who take a leaf or two from Jennifer de Tréglodé’s book.
Through her company, Inari Tea & Art Experiences, the San Luis Obispo local is frequently hired to lead ceremonial tea meditations at public and private events alike, including bridal showers, birthday parties, mindfulness workshops, and other gatherings along the Central Coast.
“I’ve never been a coffee drinker, and I was always intuitively drawn, even at a young age, to tea,” the certified tea sommelier said. “My favorite thing is a good book and some tea as a reward to myself after a busy day.”
The mission statement behind de Tréglodé’s business is to demonstrate how some benefits of meditation are accessible during daily routines, as commonplace as making a cup of tea for yourself. During her meditation events, de Tréglodé practices gongfu, a traditional Chinese tea preparation method.
“It creates the best tea. There’s such a beautiful artistry to it. It’s almost like a dance when I do it ceremonially,” said de Tréglodé, who usually begins her programs with a guided meditation before she pours the hot tea. Participants then sip their cups in silence.
She occasionally collaborates with local art studios on events that combine her meditations with clay projects and other crafty activities. When it comes to private events, de Tréglodé is available to book in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
“Tea is a really wonderful conduit to get us into a creative mindset,” she said. “And you can get tea-drunk. It’s [basically] an entheogen. So there’s varying stimulants and relaxants in tea that help you kind of feel high but relaxed; awake but calm; focused but with abstract creativity. You can end up feeling a little bit euphoric.”
Working across a region often regarded for its viticulture, de Tréglodé said that wine and tea have more in common than their potential for buzzy and fuzzy feelings.
“People are so into wine, and they don’t realize tea and wine have so many parallels,” de Tréglodé said. “Terroir is so important … in determining how it will taste and the quality. There’s also historical parallels in that wine was grown and became popular amongst Catholic monks. … Tea is the same, but with Buddhist monks. They’re the ones that grew it and brought it to the masses, really.”
Attending one of de Tréglodé’s meditations isn’t the only way to get a taste of her tea selections sourced directly from China. This April marked the start of her role as in-house tea sommelier at Breda’s new brick-and-mortar pastry and chocolate shop in SLO. She curated an afternoon tea program specifically for the eatery’s menu and described the teas she chose as high-quality, biodynamic varieties “not easily available in the area.”
As for upcoming meditation events, de Tréglodé is collaborating with qigong instructor Rita Morris on a “qi and tea” program at The Lavra in Arroyo Grande on April 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Either before or after her guided meditations, de Tréglodé usually designates time to allow for attendees to reflect on the experience through journaling or sketching.
“Oftentimes I’ll allow for people to spend time really integrating the energy of the tea, feeling how it’s sitting, and letting them journey with it,” de Tréglodé said. “It helps them move through that meditative state into stillness.”
Highlight
• The Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, in collaboration with the Santa Maria Utilities Department and Santa Maria Public Library, will host an Earth Day celebration in Santa Maria, on April 22 from noon to 3 p.m. at Machado Plaza. Guests of this free event can look forward to an afternoon of family-friendly activities, including educational booths, games, a photo area courtesy of Coast Photo Booth, a visit from a miniature horse, educational displays from the Santa Maria Natural History Museum, and fresh smoothies for purchase from Jamba Juice. The Utilities Department will distribute free indoor recycling and organics containers during the program as well, and the Public Library’s Bookmobile will be on-site for attendees to pick up free books or get info on obtaining a library card. Visit cityofsantamaria.org for additional info. Machado Plaza is located at located at 224 West Chapel St., Santa Maria. m
Senior Staff Writer Caleb Wiseblood can be reached at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 17-27, 2025.
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