Fancy a cuppa? Fit a tea time into your day at this fest, coming to Overland Park

Just like a fine cup of tea, it took time for Nicole Burriss to brew up the first Midwest Tea Festival in 2015.

This year’s event includes business-focused classes, presentations from tea professionals, vendors, and even tea-focused movies such as “Pride and Prejudice” and “Alice in Wonderland.”

The festival runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 21, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Overland Park Convention Center, 6000 College Blvd.

Burriss was a casual tea drinker until a Christmas afternoon tea with her mother in Dallas in 2010.

“The tea they served was amazing,” Burriss said. “I had never tasted anything like it.”

She was hooked.

Burriss began researching and shopping for teas, and getting involved in online tea communities.

“People who are serious about it, they can really geek out about it,” said Burriss, who lives north of the river..

While reading a tea magazine one day, Burriss came across an item about a tea festival.

“I thought, ‘An entire weekend with nothing but tea. That sounds awesome’,” Burriss said.

By 2014, Burriss was gathering information, and in May 2015, she held her first tea festival in the Kansas City area. The fest has drawn attention over the years. About 800 people last year.

Burriss can list many reasons people like tea.

Among them, she said, is that the experience of drinking tea can be very aesthetically pleasing, with beautiful tea pots and cups, and food.

For Sally Wei, the current director of the Midwest Tea Festival, it can be even more.

“As far back as I can remember I have drunken tea,” said Wei, a native of Taiwan. “Tea to me is a daily beverage.”

For Wei, a classical pianist with a doctorate in musical arts, a turning point was in 2016.

That was the year she visited her son, who was attending college in London. Wei decided to become a certified tea sommelier through the United Kingdom Tea Academy.

Wei, who lives in Carson City, Nevada, also offers a variety of tea courses and tastings. Some integrate music into the experience, she said.

“Tea is not just a beverage,” Wei said. “It’s a lifestyle.”

Pre-sale single day tickets are $20; on-site single day tickets are $25; student tickets are $15; and children age 12 and younger are free. Tea business seminar tickets are $129 for a one-day pass, and $199 for a two-day pass. Go to www.midwestteafest.com for more information.