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.

Thomas Shu Sings Hakka Tea Song!

Thomas Shu Teaches Taiwan Hakka Tea Song!

I first encountered Thomas’ penchant and talent for singing these Taiwanese Hakka tea songs at the 2010 World Tea Expo while waiting in the Las Vegas Hilton lobby with a group of individuals coming down from the pool where an expo related networking event was being held.

If you search for Tea Hakka on YouTube you’re sure to find other videos of Thomas singing!

It is for this purpose that beginning in August, accessory and product reviews will be swapping with news, culture and history.

You can thus expect to see the following items reviewed on Thursdays moving forward:

• Books
• Software
• Infusers
• Kettles
• Water Warmers
• Cozies
• Tea Houses/Tea Rooms
• Tea Storage containers

Moving forward you can expect the following to appear on Mondays

• News
• Culture
• History
• Event coverage
• Announcements
• Updates
• New feature introductions
• Interviews with tea industry experts and entrepreneurs.

I believe this new schedule will jive better with you as my audience and certainly hope it will help drive traffic in a more predicatable manner.

Help a good cause: CharityWater.org

Tea-Guy Redesign

I’ve been looking forward to bringing you a completely new layout and design here at Tea-Guy complete with new branding and a much improved design flow. I am in talks with a number of designers and design-firms to get this dream to become a reality by the end of August or September.

I think you’ll like what we’re cooking up so we can bring you even better content and reviews while improving your overall experience.

Brand Pages

One of my earliest noted new features is absent from the site. Brand Pages were announced back in March and I continue to work on bringing this unique feature your way. I’ve decided to hold off on the introduction of Brand Pages until after the redesign of the site. Not only will it provide me with a clean slate with which to work the new content into the site… but I can ensure the Brand Pages represent the brands in the best light possible.

The Project

I’ve grown from a single project to multiple projects. That list includes the complete redesign of Tea-Guy.com. I continue to work toward the eventual opening of my own tea house. This would be the culmination of so much effort and energy. I’ve pushed back the opening of the tea house for at least a couple of years until the economy improves enough to warrant opening a new retail food business. I am considering online tea sales.

Another project is a bit more secretive. All I will say is that it involves your web browser, the iPhone and the iPod Touch. I’ll try and lay out more details some time in the future.

These updates are why I’ve missed a lot of posts recently. Well, and some health and car troubles. It’s a funny but continually exciting world to be in right now!

Help a good cause: CharityWater.org