"Tea Ceremony" is a short little game in which, as a diplomatic functionary very low on the embassy totem pole, you are sent to negotiate a trade treaty with a rather fussy alien being; so fussy, in fact, that, having had her metaphorical feathers ruffled, she proceeds to ignore you until you perform the eponymous tea ceremony. Which is just as well, since you'll need to wander around getting things in order before you can do that.
The writing is good, and the implementation is impeccable. The design, however, is a little unambitious. The situation is a cornucopia of possibilites for wacky hijinks, but the author restricts herself to what has been spelled out. The puzzles seem like pretty standard set pieces that could have been coding exercises. I wouldn't be surprised if the game really were the result of a beginner's first foray into Inform. This is not a bad thing: everyone has to begin somewhere. As I said, the writing and the coding show competence. I certainly hope that the author will aim a little higher the next time.
Perfectly brewed Darjeeling tea, toast, and a coddled egg: light and simple, but requiring better expertise than might be expected.