Announcing My Tea and Olfaction Workshop at the Institute for Art and Olfaction

I am thrilled to announce an upcoming workshop that has been close to my heart for a very long time. This autumn, I will be co-leading a special in-person class on two different dates, Tea and Olfaction: Deconstructing Taiwanese Oolong, alongside professional perfumer Julianne Lee at the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles.

If you have been following my journey, you know how deeply Taiwanese oolongs have captured my imagination. Following my travels to Taiwan earlier this year, I have been immersed in studying these highly expressive teas. Specialty oolongs offer a spectacular variety of natural olfactory facets—ranging from fresh florals to deep, caramelized stone fruits, honey and roasted notes—making them the perfect bridge between the disciplines of tea tasting and experimental scent design.

In this hands-on workshop, we will explore how our sense of smell directly shapes our experience of taste and flavor, and learn how to translate a tea’s aroma and flavor profile into a fragrance formula.

Our session is structured into two interactive, sensory chapters:

Part 1: The Organoleptic Analysis

We will begin with a side-by-side tasting and sensory analysis of two contrasting, highly celebrated Taiwanese oolongs generously provided by Tap Twice Tea. I will guide you through practical techniques to engage both your nose and palate, isolating the specific fragrance notes of each tea—from the dry leaf to the aroma lingering in the empty cup.

Part 2: Scent Formulation & Modification

Because smell accounts for a large portion of what we experience as flavor, the natural aromatic compounds released during brewing serve as an ideal blueprint for building a perfume. Under Julianne’s guidance, we will work with a pre-formulated baseline tea accord to study its structural foundations. We will then learn how to strategically augment and modify this formula using specific aroma molecules to capture the unique, real-world notes of the oolongs we evaluated.

Workshop Details

We have two in-person dates available in Los Angeles:

Dates: Saturday, October 24th and Saturday, November 21st, 2026

Time: 1:00 PM (each workshop runs for 2.5 hours)

Location: The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90012

For anyone looking to deepen their tasting skills or explore the foundations of perfumery, this workshop offers a space to slow down, practice undivided attention, and enjoy a unique sensory experience.

Tickets: space is limited to ensure an intimate, hands-on learning environment. You can secure your tickets through Eventbrite here and here.

I can't wait to share a cup of tea—and some beautiful scents—with you!