This is coverage of Day 1 of the 2011 World Tea Expo. Please also check out coverage of Day 2 and Day 3.

While the World Tea Expo remains an industry only event, there’s much going on here which is indicative of progress and growth beyond the tea industry itself. My trip out this year was for more than just keeping you and I up to date on the happenings within the tea industry.

From news and concern of radiation seepage in Japanese teas to judging the quality of this year’s first flush Darjeeling’s after a labor crises led to later than normal picks, there’s much to understand for this year’s crop. Floods AND droughts in China have impacted crops there as well.

Mix in a little business with my blogging pleasure. I’m working on a tea related startup I’ve been needing to drum up some support for. I’m very excited for its future and overwhelmingly positive feedback from the market I feel will continue to lead to great things to share with you in the future.

But enough about me, let’s move on to Day 1 of the 2011 World Tea Expo!

Day 1

A trip down Aisle 1 instantly yielded a chat with the girls from The Tea Spot. Last year they’d provided me with a sample unit of a little steeping tool called a Tuffy Steeper. This year they’ve a little gadget called Brewlux which is supposed to be used for brewing loose leaves in a cardboard/paper cup you may get from a coffee shop or some such. This little item is actually really neat. Biodegradable and compostable it reacts to bacteria or chemical breakdown assistants. Without those assistants though, this item can be used, reused, re-reused, placed in a dishwasher for cleaning (top rack only) and used again. If you drink loose on the go and often find yourself in need of a method to keep the loose leave separated from the water while drinking on the go from an average vessel… this little diddy is for you!

The Tea Spot

A trip slightly further down the aisle led me to an interesting booth from… Portugal? Gorreana has grown tea for mass consumption in Portugal for more than a century. Now they’re looking to expand into the US market. The tea provided appears primarily CTC style black in different grades of fineness. The flavor is there, but seems like it doesn’t quite match with what I’ve come to expect from more notable growers.

Further down Aisle 1 I paid a visit to my buddy Ankit Lochan from Lochan Tea Estates. Ankit is from Darjeeling India and produces some very wonderful teas. You won’t find Ankit’s teas on the shelves though, he sells to companies and wholesalers, not to retailers. Look for products from Teas Etc., Tea Source, Adagio and others to try teas produced by the Lochan plantations.

Ankit Lochan of Lochan Tea and I.

The back end of Aisle 1 was primarily filled with companies producing products used to manufacture tea bags )not the tea inside). I skipped this part because I didn’t see it as added value for the blog coverage. (If you’d like me to cover these companies and their equipment next year, let me know.

Aisle 2 held a collection of Sri Lankan and Indian tea growers. A number of American firms too. Some of my usual friends weren’t present this year which I found unfortunate, but new companies took their place nonetheless as the expo expanded its exhibitor list.

The heart of Aisle 2 held Adagio Teas. Adagio remains one of the best selling online tea brands in the United States. During the past year though, they’ve opened two brand new sparkling pretty new stores I hope to drop in on one of these days. Ilya, Cynthia and Charles have all become great contacts these past few tea filled years! I remain excited to see what Adagio has in store!

Ilya, Cynthia and Charles of Adagio Teas posing for a shot with me.

Day 1 coverage was fairly light. I have much more for Day 2 and Day 3. Come back tomorrow for more!

A pretty tea display.

A pretty tea display from QTrade Teas & Herbs.

Here’s part one of this three part recap to the activities and friends from this year’s expo!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Day 1

The World Tea Expo moved to a new facility this year. Last year it was held on the strip in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. This year, it was off-strip at the Las Vegas Convention Center and co-located with the Natural Marketplace Show which meant attendees could make their way through both conferences.

I liked the placement at Mandalay Bay better due to its proximity to more dining options. The only things within a reasonable walking distance for the Las Vegas Convention Center were multiple Starbucks locations and an overpriced collection of Aramark eateries in a food court. Mandalay Bay had a low cost food court as well. But last year when I needed food I ate at three and four star restaurants. I may have paid less for food this time around, but that’s not what I’d have preferred.

This first day was hectic. The doors to the show floor didn’t open until eleven in the morning and there was a huge line outside for people to get in.

Hundreds, can I say that again, HUNDREDS of exhibitors were at this expo. Though a bit smaller than last year’s by exhibitor attendance I felt the crowd was more tuned to the industry and focussed on what they wanted. Last year there were a lot more first time entrepreneurs who hopefully are focussing their energies on their young businesses.

Making my way down the first row I found The Metropolitan Tea Company which has lots of neat stuff. You should definitely check them out! I also ran into The Tea Spot, and they gave me a Tuffy Steeper which I reviewed last week.

Ajiri Tea

Ajiri Tea

The Ajiri Tea girls and I

Further down I discovered the Ajiri Tea girls who have a truly outstanding story! Their product is a single black tea from Kenya, made CTC style, it was malty and nice. I hope to do an interview and spotlight on them in the near future. Yet further down I ran into Elena from Svay, a Russian tea company. I’ll be reviewing their teas throughout this year.

Row two had all kinds of serious fun! I started with Basilur which has some really neat new packaging. I ran into the wonderful folks of the New Vithanakande Tea Estate in Sri Lanka. I really enjoy their teas year after year and was very excited to meet them!

Basilur Tea

Basilur Tea

A pit stop at Sara’s Tea Caddie for some slow brewed Yutakamiori Sencha was a great interruption to the hustle and bustle! Moving on there was FUSO International which makes tea bag machines. Their stuff said NASA all over it, but it’s apparently not that NASA. I also ran into the Jun Chiyabari Estate family from Nepal again this year! We talked for a while last year and I really enjoyed their honesty and personality again this year.

Melville Candy had some neat Honey Spoons I hope to review soon. It’s a really novel idea. Moving on, I discovered KEIKO which is a Japanese tea company which mostly has presence in Europe. They had to back out of last year’s show as their warehouse burned to the ground two weeks before the 2009 expo. I look to get samples from them for review later this year.

Keiko Tea

Keiko Tea

Keiko Tea

Keiko Tea Packaging

The 2nd row also gave me Lucha which makes a tea infuser mug I reviewed a couple weeks back, Squeezemo which makes a neat little tea bag squeezer to drain the bags and keep them off your plates, and the fine folks of SAFA Himalaya who carry exclusively Nepalese teas, such as those from Jun Chiyabari.

That about does it for Day 1. Check back soon for Day 2 and Day 3.