bringing style to the art of tea appreciation
Founder, The Tea Spot and author, Cancer Hates Tea There are many reasons to attend World Tea Expo, but I’m finding that as I grow into the industry, I’m just as interested in tea people as product. Maria Uspenski introduced herself to me a few years ago, after The Tea Book was published. She was warm and enthusiastic. One of those rare humans who seems to glow from within. She had long been associated with the expo. Her company, […]
Bookends We traveled back to northern Ontario a few weeks ago. The last time we visited, it was springtime and I wrote about that season in an earlier post. The wilderness was awake with nesting birds and budding trees. It’s now autumn and the colours of the landscape have changed. Sunsets seem brighter, the wind cooler and the air is damper. This year, the wind off the lake was very strong, making it difficult to canoe except in those rare […]
As I plan and plot my path through the upcoming World Tea Expo 2017, I thought I’d have a peak at some of my experiences from last year’s expo to inspire and prepare me for this year’s show. In 2016, I had very little time to cruise around the exhibit floor because I was book signing The Tea Book at Nepali Tea Traders booth for a few hours every afternoon. In the mornings I managed to attend a brilliant line […]
Advancing the Business of Tea In World Tea Expo’s 14 years, the popularity of tea has grown in North America and beyond. The market is crowded with online retailers – some with big dreams. How can the industry support them and what’s the next step? The expo’s tagline “Advancing the Business of Tea”, suggests that there is work to be done examining other markets and ways in which tea and all its supporting product can be exploited (in a […]
This was my second trip to New York City with a theme of tea in mind. My 2011 visit was a leisurely ramble seeking out tea experiences in museums and other non-tea venues. That trip was a great adventure full of visual surprises. This most recent trip could not be characterised as restful, since it was made for the purpose of launching The Tea Book at two shops at opposite ends of Manhattan Island, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons. […]
In mid-August 3 years ago, I was fortunate to be in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province during Jasmine harvest season. My host, Chris West, formerly of Min River Tea, arranged for us to visit the old factory of Master Yu on the outskirts of town. We would be accompanied by the provincial Minister of Agriculture. He was to be present during the filming of CCTV’s beautiful documentary series, 茶,一片树叶的故事 06 一碗茶汤见人情, which roughly translates as “Tea, the Human Story”. […]
Matcha seems to fit the mood of the moment. It’s electric greenness reflecting the colour that we associate with health and nature. It was seen everywhere at World Tea Expo, 2015 or was it just that I was experiencing The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon! Matcha’s Origins Matcha’s use has strayed somewhat from its original ceremonial origins. Ceremonial matcha grades of Usucha (thin) and Koicha (thick) have been available in select tea shops for many years. Matcha was originally a throw back to […]
Like a dream it arrived and then was over and now I’m home. I wish I could reconstruct the experience of World Tea Expo in order to give you a picture of what actually happened and when. At moments it was elating, challenging, fascinating, funny and puzzling. Every time I try to reassemble the days chronologically, however, my brain resists. This year, my reports will be based on random observations, capricious interludes and impressions. Quite unlike me really not to […]
World Tea Expo is in its thirteenth year – this will be my sixth. When I first attended in 2010, I promised my calendar that the dates would be secured for attendance every year thereafter. Although it doesn’t compare to a trip to a tea country of origin, it is a chance to taste spring teas from tea regions and meet those closely connected to the source. I mostly go to learn more and build on what I’ve been pursuing […]
We just spent a vacation week in a relatively remote area of Northern Ontario’s lake country. It’s an annual escape to see the sun set on the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Known as the first day of summer here in Canada, it is referred to in England as mid-summer solstice. The birds sing into the night with the whippoorwill and loon having the last say. I enjoy tea in the canoe, on the granite rocks […]