It’s not every day we have the opportunity to watch a shootout. Thankfully the ones we like are usually produced by Hollywood as no-one is usually hurt in those.

Today we’re going to have an accessory showdown. This one is for brewing vessels. That is, mugs which have an infuser built in for brewing loose or bagged teas and strain through the bottom when placed atop your mug. Nice for the office or friend’s house!

Essentially all three devices work the same way. Place your loose leaves in the pitcher, fill it with water at the desired temperature, let steep the requisite amount of time then place the brewer atop your mug and allow it to drain to fill your mug.

Adagio Teas’ ingenuiTEA – http://www.adagio.com

The ingenuiTEA from Adagio is in a special place. So far as I know it’s the original device of this kind. That’s not to say it’s immediately better or worse than the other accessories in the category.

The ingenuiTEA appears to be the smallest of the three in this showdown. However it holds just as much as the Brewts device, a full 16 fluid ounces (2 cups).

Adagio Teas' ingenuiTEA Tea Maker

The ingenuiTEA is the only brewer to lack a ‘drip plate’ or ‘coaster.’ Whether the device needs one is completely up to whether or not you have spillage from yours. Apparently some older models had issues with the strainer coming loose and leaking a bit. My model did not have this problem.

Of all the devices the ingenuiTEA has the most grip able handle. The wavy grips prevent finger slippage while holding the accessory.

I did have issues with the strainer though. While I didn’t have issues with it becoming loose… I had the exact opposite issue. It was way too tight. I couldn’t get the strainer out in order to wash the device properly. This was a shame for an otherwise notable tool.

I also noticed the ingenuiTEA happened to stain fairly quickly when I brewed some Lapsang Souchong and some of Ten Ren’s King’s Tea.

Teavana’s Perfect TeaMaker II – http://www.teavana.com

I was honestly surprised when I opened the box for Teavana’s PerfecTEA Tea Maker II. The device is MUCH larger than the other two in this shootout, weighing in at 32 fluid ounces (4 cups).

If you have loose Guayusa from Runa or another herbal tea which doesn’t grow bitter or astringent after brewing too long this size is great. It’s also a great fit if you’re brewing the same tea for several people.

Teavana's Perfect Tea Maker II

The handle on the Perfect TEaMaker II is kind of interesting. It almost seems like it could be used for volume measurement, but there are no volume counts on the device. Just straight lines similar to what you might see on a measuring cup.

Because of the sheer size of the PerfecTEA Tea Maker II, the strainer is very easy to take out. It could be that unlike Adagio’s device, I was simply able to fit my hand inside and get enough leverage to remove it.

The drip plate was a nice addition to the Perfect TeaMaker II. The device tends to drip a few milliliters after it seems it’s been fully drained into the mug.

I didn’t find this particular brewer a good fit for someone making tea for themselves. Even with a large 20 ounce mug there’s no really easy way for me to tell when my mug is getting full other than judging volume siphoned from the unit as I’m loading up my mug. It should be noted that Teavana does offer a 16 ounce model, but I needed to test for differentiation.

On the plus side this brewer was the only one which could adequately cover the lip of my mug completely as recommended by all the manufacturers. The video above illustrates the issue I have with the ingenuiTEA and the Brewt as it concerns covering my mug to provide stability for the device as it empties.

Brewt Brewer – http://www.brewts.com

The Brewt is an interesting looking device. The design has more shape and curve to it making it look ‘cooler’ or more fun. The line I was given at the 2011 World Tea Expo was that the Brewt was designed so big man-hands could get into the device and remove the strainer for cleaning. I certainly found this to be the case.

The Brewt Tea Brewer

The Brewt also has a drip plate with it. Labeled a ‘coaster,’ I hadn’t had much call to use it even after a month of three to five brews a day with the device.

Since the Brewt is sold only as wholesale to tea shops and other companies it’s difficult to get any direct information from their website related to price or features. But it does have some differentiation from the other units besides man-hand room.

I love the fact that the lid for this unit pops off and on so easily. It makes cleaning the accessory so much simpler. The lid for the ingenuiTEA does come off, but requires more force and the Perfect Tea Maker II’s lid may be removable but it always feels like I’ll break it when I try.

An unfortunate side effect of the easy lid is that the Brewt tends to leak air out. This is a great tease when you really want your tea to finish brewing, but it diffuses the flavor and aroma which would be better if contained. So that’s kind of a draw.

Conclusion

Unlike last year’s infuser showdown, there’s only one unified method of brewing for these devices. You either enjoy the brew, or you don’t. I happened to gravitate most to the Bret due to its unit size and because it was easier to clean than the ingenuiTEA.

Overall, which unit is right for you is based on your preferences, needs and usage. The Brewt worked best for me, but the ingenuiTEA or the Perfect Tea Maker II could very well be a better fit depending on your consumption habits.

To say the ingenuiTEA is a poorly constructed unit would be wrong. I probably received one of the first revised units with the new metallic strainer and there very well may have been some issues with that run. Poke around online to see how other people’s experiences have gone.

The Perfect Tea Maker II is a nice unit. It’s opaque bottom makes it difficult to see how much tea has been drained into my mug and I came very close to having it overflow on several occasions because of this. If your vessel is big enough to hold 32 fluid ounces of tea then this might be your brewer. If not, just be careful as you allow it to drain. Don’t walk away from it. Or, fill it half way.

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.

Back in March I took a trip to Colorado. Consequently I did a writeup on that trip in three parts. I believe the relative summation is there, but there are several companies I failed to make it to, including Teatulia. I look to go back to Colorado in the future to pick up where I left off.

A couple weeks back I took a trip to New York City. Those of you who follow me on Twitter may remember my many tweets from Manhattan. While in NYC I took the opportunity to visit a number of tea shops. There is much I missed which I hope to get to in a number of future trips.

WARNING: THIS POST IS PHOTO HEAVY

Read on for more…

I was extremely excited to visit New York. I’d only been once before and it was a very brief trip related to a political campaign I volunteered for. This trip would be several extra days, concentrated on the people and culture of New York and their tea!

I was dismayed to learn from Rona Tison of ITO EN at this year’s World Tea Expo that ITO EN had closed the doors on its flagship tea shop off Madison Ave. However, after further review my disappointment simply grew and grew. Many of the tea shops I’d hoped to pay a visit to had closed.

From Green Tea Cafe in Chinatown to Tavalon’s now former shop in The Village shops all over Manhattan seem to be closing. In their wake is a void beilg filled by some younger ventures like Subtle Tea, Teariffic and some New York locations for Chicago based Argo Tea.

I ended up staying at the Courtyard Marriott in East Midtown. I liked this area a lot. There’s plenty nearby and everything is within easy subway or taxi distance.

The first night (Thursday) I was in town I took in a meal at a Japanese restaurant in The Village called Japonica and enjoyed a delicious Yosenabe and an iced Hojicha, which was tasty and refreshing but cloudy green for some reason. I ended up here after being unable to locate and subsequently realizing that Tavalon’s location in The Village had closed. The phone number was disconnected.

After the meal I attended a comedy show at The Comedy Cellar. The lineup was capped by Dave Attell who I personally like. During the performance though, a few surprise guests showed up. It was a great show which lasted through maybe 3am and started at 11pm.

John Mayer at The Comedy Cellar

Damon Wayans at The Comedy Cellar

Dave Chappelle at The Comedy Cellar

Friday started late. Around 10am if I recall correctly. There was travel to Little Italy where I had lunch. I ordered a rather tasty Arabiatta Eggplant Tortellini paired with what I think was Luzianne iced tea.

But this is where the tea started. Heading down Mott to Orange Tea, a little shop claiming to have tea in Chinatown. However, this was more  of a baked goods and treats based corner store and they couldn’t tell me what kind of tea they had.

Orange Tea

A stop in Tea Ren here in Chinatown I picked up a middle grade of King’s Tea exclusive to Ten Ren. They say this Oolong blended with ginseng has inredible after taste. I’ll review that claim in a future review. I also grabbed some Lapsong Souchong.

Midori Tea in Ten Ren Tea

By recommendation of someone I know from the area, I was to check out The Green Tea Cafe about two blocks down in Chinatown. No go. Closed. How a tea shop can go out of business selling green tea in Chinatown is beyond me though.

There was much sadness. But, next door was a great bubble tea shop called Teariffic. I had possibly the best tasting taro bubble tea and an astoundingly tasty grapefruit lychee alo vera drink.

Inside Teariffic

After Teariffic way was made back toward midtown and a visit to the AppleStore on Fifth Avenue was mandated. Hey, I am insane about both tea and technology! Though I already had an iPhone 4 in hand, I was curious if the NY stores would have more toys for me to play with. No such love!

AppleStore 5th Avenue

AppleStore 5th Avenue

AppleStore 5th Avenue

AppleStore 5th Avenue

AppleStore 5th Avenue

An obligatory trip through Central Park, or a very small part thereof was in store as well. A walk through literary row, a stop at the great fountain and awestruck pauses at city views made this a great part of my trip as well!

Central Park NYC

Central Park NYC

Central Park NYC

Literary Walk, Central Park NYC

Literary Walk, Central Park, NYC

Central Park NYC

Central Park NYC

Central Park NYC

Central Park NYC

Ghostly bubble in Central Park NYC

Post Central Park, a trip was made to Subtle Tea off Madison for a wonderfully imbibed beverage. Both an iced Pomegranate White Tea and an iced Almond Cookies Green Tea were had. As these were iced I don’t think it’s fair to review them here today. However, I have to say both were pleasing given the obscenely hot and humid weather in New York at the time.

Subtle Tea

Subtle Tea

Subtle Tea

Subtle Tea

Another stop on Madison would have been made if ITO EN’s flagship store were still open. I’m almost mortified I never had the chance to stop in until literally just a couple months after they closed up shop. DARN YOU FATE!

From Madison, way was made over to Brooklyn. Oh, but the tip of an iceberg did I visit! Just over the Brooklyn bridge (the model for which was built right here in Cincinnati btw! A claim to fame, I know.), you’ll find Grimaldi’s Pizza, Brooklyn Ice Cream Company and the Promenade looking out toward Manhattan (envious of Manhattan are they? .

Manhattan from the Brooklyn Promenade

The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory

Grimaldi's - A Brooklyn Institution

Grimaldi's - Fantastic Pizza

After a walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge, back to hotel it was, for an early night. What was it, 1am? While the rest of this Tea Tour had no tea, I do hope you’ll come back to check out part two of this series. More photos were had, Baseball was watched and bars visited. Come one, come all, to my tea tours series!

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

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Day 2

Saturday. A day to sleep in. Something I don’t do frequently enough. But are you CRAZY! I’m at the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas! There’s no way I’m sleeping in! There’s too much to do and see!

Let’s start out at the front of the 3rd row here. This row is exciting to me because I know some people here and some others are altogether brand new to the expo this year. A great mix of old and new!

First up is Qtrade Teas & Herbs. This company is one of the leading direct importers of teas and herbs to the United States directly from their source countries. In the next booth is Kopius Teas, the exclusive distributor of Qtrade imports. Directly across from Qtrade and Kopius is Elmwood Inn Fine Teas which is based in my neck of the woods down in Kentucky.

Further down the row I ran into my friends at The Art of Tea whose branding I love! They were nestled just before a split in the rows and were directly across from my peeps at Adagio Teas such as Cynthia Fazekas, Ilya Kreymerman and Charles Cain!

Art of Tea

Art of Tea

Art of Tea

The next segment seems to be the most difficult for me. China row. The Indian and Sri Lankan folks all speak some form of English, but the Chinese don’t always understand what I’m saying. It doesn’t keep me from trying though. And try I did! I even ended up learning about a nice little tea shop in Columbus, OH called ZenCha Tea Salon. I’m planning a trip up to review their place soon!

An old buddy from last year’s expo resurfaced with force and had a bigger booth and much stronger branding. Kaushika Patel of Catalyst Gourmet makes flavor and tea enhancers. Essentially spice sets you can add to food, tea or other items to escape from the hum-drum of the everyday. While I wouldn’t personally be adding ony of these to an orthodox tea, there’s some pretty nice stuff in her cabinet, let me tell you!

Directly across from Catalyst Gourmet was Runa, a new herbal beverage company selling a product derived from a plant called Guayusa (why-you-suh). It’s pretty decent and they have several flavored options including a mint and an original.

Catalyst Gourmet

Runa Guayusa Tea

For those counting Runa is the third company listed here which boasts their own 501c(3) Non-Profit Foundation which provides some or all of their profits back to the growers & pickers of their product. The first was Ajiri which I visited on Day 1. They provide 100% of their profits back to Kenyan orphanage schools. The second was SAFA Himalaya which provides a protion of their profits back to the Nepalese growers they source their teas from.

At the end of row three we had a mild tweetup where I met Adam Hansen as well as Chris Palmer of Tazo Tea. That was pretty neat. I think the World Tea Expo needs a tweetup every year which is formally arranged. The way it is now, there were four of us at this year’s tweetup and 12 at last year’s.

So far, that’s just half of day 2! We’ve so much more to go! On to row 4!

Starting at the end of row 4 we hit International Tea Importers where Mr. James Norwood Pratt was speaking. Mr. Pratt is always great to listen to. He knows more about tea than anyone I’ve met and he remains lively and energetic!

International Tea Importers

International Tea Importers

International Tea Importers

Mr. James Norwood Pratt and Myself

After the poke around the ITI booth it was time to head off for Aiya, makers of fine Matcha and Matcha products. It’s always fun to run into Shiro Nobunaga and Fumi Sugita. We had a great conversation last year too! Just across the row split was ITO EN, a favorite of mine from last year. A wonderful hello from Rona Tison veep of product marketing always goes a long way to a good day!

Aiya Matcha Tea

Next up is Village Tea Co. Martin runs a great shop in Dallas and his branding is spectacular. It makes me want to consume it to be hip and attractive… just like he is! If you haven’t read it yet, I wrote a review on his Gentle Organic Lemon Ginger Green Tea last a while back.

A little further down was one of my favorite booths to hit during the expo last year, and again this year. Puripan! This Korean tea company is based in California and has some really interesting and fantastic teas such as Mugwort or their Kusus or Soba-cha.

Puripan Tea Garden

Me with the Puripan gals

Further down we find The East Indies Tea Company whose name reminds me of the fabled East India Company which classically created the tea industry outside of Asia and controlled the majority of it for nearly 200 years with the Queen’s blessing. And finally Rishi Tea. Rishi walks away with awards every year, and this year was no exception. I’ll have a separate post all about the World Tea Championships at a later date.

Sadly I didn’t get to hit Rishi Tea or Sungarden Tea which were both in the 4th row. Next year perhaps.

That about does it for Day 2. Head back to check out Day 1 or check out Day 3.

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.