bringing style to the art of tea appreciation
This is my fourth World Tea Expo. I’m a newbie compared to many who’ve been attending since the start 11 years ago, but it still feels like coming home. I’ve noticed an evolution in the look and direction of the Expo in these four short years. It is an indicator of the increasing popularity of tea and the ability of the organizers to respond to that. In my opinion the core conference sessions are becoming more relevant to the shifting […]
I have just returned from a convivial ‘Meetup’ of the Henderson/Las Vegas Tea Lovers Group, featuring the book launch of “The Infusiast – Diatribes from the Devotea”. The Devotea being Robert Godden, the Australian Tea Merchant and writer who has gained a following through his blog Tea Sprouts. A pocket of old Las Vegas The venue was a 1940’s cottage converted to an artist studio in a part of Las Vegas I had never seen. A small miracle that these […]
Yes it is and that’s how I prefer it! I’ve never been a big fan of iced tea, except during the throws of enveloping summer humidity when anything with an ice cube in it gets my attention. But I’ll be heading to Las Vegas in a few weeks to attend World Tea Expo and in the U.S., restaurants will serve you iced tea unless you specifically ask for “hot” tea. June 7, 8 and 9, Las Vegas, Nevada World Tea […]
I don’t like the term “blog”. It sounds like a gurgled choke. Or an onomatopoeic comment on the quality of my writing. Can’t we come up with a more sophisticated term for what we do? When I started my tea sommelier business 3 years ago I wanted my “blog” to be a vehicle to prove that I had something to say, that I could build on my past career and fuse it into the new. I also hoped that I […]
A Taste of Korea I’ve been enjoying Korean green tea for a few years now. Last year I was introduced to some very fine green teas at WTE. This year Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. decided to step up their promotional campaign. Representatives of Korea’s tea industry have a “pavilion” on the Expo floor, where from booths 232 to 239 you can sample teas and visit with Korean delegates. This afternoon they invited influencers and tea writers to taste […]
This year the Expo has moved to the North Building of the Las Vegas Convention Centre. The orientation was confusing, but once I got my bearings and a cup of Oriental Beauty from Teas Etc. tea break lounge, I was in my happy place. Core Sessions “Competing with the Big Guys” was presented by Shabnam Weber, owner of The Tea Emporium with 4 locations in Toronto. Her advice was sage, constructed from 12 years in the business selling premium teas […]
World Tea Expo 2012 In a year where we saw tea retail grow and take over new ground, it should be interesting to notice subtle developments within the tea community at World Tea Expo. Teaopia in Canada was recently bought out by US chain Teavana which went public with its IPO in July 2011. Montreal-based David’s Tea opened 2 new shops in NYC. Starbucks hired Charles Cain formerly of Adagio Teas, to run their Tazo Tea operation. Wherever you […]
I first heard of this little wonder when I attended Cynthia Gold’s workshop “Making a Final Statement – Tea and Dessert Pairing” at World Tea Expo. While discussing methods for infusing foods with tea, she showed us a small Matcha Grinder. Her suggestion was that it could be used to grind other teas besides Tencha (the dark green leaf used to make Matcha) and the powder mixed into batters, sauces, etc. The thought of grinding other teas fascinated me and […]
Reflecting on Sunday June 26 My badge is hanging by my desk, a reminder of an extraordinary weekend. I’m back home and looking over the many fine teas I will be sampling, business cards I collected and photos of people and product. World Tea Expo may be over for another year, but the friendships and contacts will keep building. Sunday was all too short and I spent a good deal of it exploring the exhibit’s booths. Even though the vendors […]
Saturday June 25th I got off to a late start, but managed to catch most of Chuck Underwood’s session on Marketing to Generation X. His speech last night was a highlight of the Conference. He has done deep research on the subject and everything he says makes the glass clearer and the picture come into focus. There were many Aha! moments. Here’s a distillation of his message. Marketing to Generation X: The “Island Generation” Generation X is the most elusive […]