Thursday is News, History & Culture Day

Welcome to the first news post here on Tea-Guy. Every week you’ll get a healthy dose of interesting news and tidbits or a note about tea history or cultural insights.

1. Fang Tea is having a tasting in New York City this weekend. You should go if you’ll be in the area!
2. According to World Tea News, Science Direct has published a study indicatinga possible link between green tea and weight loss. While I believe all weight loss should be combined with a well balanced diet and exercise, a little green tea couldn’t hurt.
3. Indulge Tea is a new online tea store based in Virginia.
4. The Examiner has an interesting collection of recycling options for tea.

Here are the Winners of this year’s World Tea Championships

Hot Tea Class

Assam: 1st Place, Assam Ditchu by Teas Etc.; 2nd Place, Assam Marangi by TeaGschwendner USA; 3rd Place, Satrupa SFTGFOP1 by Qtrade Teas & Herbs

Black

• General: 1st Place, Zhenghe Golden Monkey (Special) by PeLi Teas; 2nd Place, #510 Golden Monkey (Fujian) by SpecialTeas Inc.; 3rd Place, New Vithanakande Classic by Qtrade Teas & Herbs
• Blended/ Flavored: 1st Place, Pineapple Mango by TeaGschwendner USA; 2nd Place, Pangaea Extra Special by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 3rd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Lemongrass Black by Rishi Tea

Breakfast Blend: 1st Place, Organic/ Fair Trade China Breakfast by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Smooth Breakfast by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 3rd Place, English Breakfast by TeaGschwendner USA

Ceylon: 1st Place, Ceylon OP1 by Teas Etc.; 2nd Place, New Vithanakande FBOPF Extra Special by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 3rd Place, Ceylon Uva Highlands by TeaGschwendner USA

Chai: 1st Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Masala Chai by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Sewpur Assam (Organic) Masala Chai by Chamong; 3rd Place, Indian Chai by TeaGschwendner USA

Darjeeling: 1st Place, Jungpana Choice by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 2nd Place, Darjeeling Risheehat 2nd Flush SFTGFOP1 by TeaGschwendner USA; 3rd Place, Darjeeling Lingia 1st Flush SFTGFOP1   TeaGschwendner USA

Dragonwell: 1st Place, Dragon Well Qingming by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Dragon Well Mingqian by Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Spring Dragonwell by Qtrade Teas & Herbs

Earl Grey: 1st Place, Earl Grey No 69 by TeaGschwendner USA; 2nd Place, Earl Grey Grand by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 3rd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Earl Grey Supreme by Rishi Tea

Green

• Blended/ Flavored: 1st Place, Sencha Yuzu by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Goji/Blueberry/Pomegranate by Dethlefsen & Balk; 3rd Place, Genmai Cha by Sugimoto USA, Inc (SA Japanese Green Tea)
• Dry-Fired:  1st Place (Tie), Wuyang Chunyu by Qtrade Teas & Herbs and Ilrohyang of Sulloc Premium Tea by Amorepacific Corporation; 3rd Place, Zhejiang Green Needle Tea by PeLi Teas
• Steamed: 1st Place, Yame Hon-Gyokuro by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 2nd Place, GyoKuro by Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Organic Kukicha by Rishi Tea

Herbal

• 1st Place, Tartary Buckwheat by Puripan Inc.; 2nd Place, Organic/ Wild Schisandra Berry by Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Mulberry Leaf by Puripan Inc.
• Blended/ Flavored: 1st Place, Organic Cinnamon Plum by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Summer Romance by TeaGschwendner USA; 3rd Place, Organic Unity by Rishi Tea

Jasmine: 1st Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Jasmine Green Tea by Rishi Tea

Keemun: 1st Place, Sechrna by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 2nd Place, Keemun Hao Ya by PeLi Teas; 3rd Place, Keemun Needle by PeLi Teas

Matcha: 1st Place, Matcha Rishi by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Ceremonial Matcha by AIYA America Inc.; 3rd Place, Matcha Supreme by AOI Tea Company

Oolong

• Blended/ Flavored: 1st Place, Lychee Green Oolong by Naivetea; 2nd Place, Plum Oolong by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 3rd Place, Plum Oolong by Rishi Tea
• Dark, Medium Oxidized: 1st Place, Fenghuang Dancong (Super) by PeLi Teas; 2nd Place, Formosa Superior Choice by TeaGschwendner USA; 3rd Place, Fenghuang Dancong (Special) by PeLi Teas
• Green, Lightly Oxidized: 1st Place, Jade Oolong (Golden Leaf Selections) by Barnes & Watson Fine Teas; 2nd Place, Ti Quan Yin (Super) by PeLi Teas; 3rd Place, Jade Oolong by Rishi Tea

Puer: 1st Place, Puer Tea (Special) by PeLi Teas; 2nd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Puer Classic by Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Ancient Puer Palace by Rishi Tea

Sencha: 1st Place, Sencha Spirit by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 2nd Place, Sencha Superior Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Organic Sencha by Rishi Tea

Treasure, Flowering: 1st Place, L.T. Grade A Collection by Tea Beyond; 2nd Place, Royal Lily by Fujian Guang Fu Tea Co., Ltd; 3rd Place, China Yin Zhen Flowering by TeaGschwendner USA

White

• Any category: 1st Place, Organic Silver Needle by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Organic Silver Needle by Two Hills Tea Ltd.; 3rd Place, Silver Needle by Fujian Guang Fu Tea Co., Ltd
• Blended/ Flavored: 1st Place, Organic Silver Needle Jasmine by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Organic Silver Needle Osthmanthus by Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Island Dreams by Qtrade Teas & Herbs
• Yunnan: 1st Place, Dian Hong (Special) by PeLi Teas; 2nd Place, Golden Monkey Organic by Teas Etc.; 3rd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Yunnan Golden Buds           by Rishi Tea

Iced Tea Class

READY TO DRINK (RTD)

• Best Packaging: 1st Place, KimBees Lemon-Raspberry Gourmet by KimBees Gourmet Sweet Tea
• Black, Flavored: 1st Place, MarketSpice Signature Blend by MarketSpice; 2nd Place, Pomegranate Splash by MarketSpice; 3rd Place, TEAS’ TEA Naturally Sweet-Citrus Black by ITO EN
• Black, Unflavored: 1st Place, Anteadote Organic Black Teaby Adagio Teas; 2nd Place, Just Tea – Black (Manufactured by ITO EN), by Wegmans
• Green, Flavored: 1st Place, Jasmine Green Tea by ITO EN; 2nd Place, Just Tea – Green Jasmine (Manufactured by ITO EN), by Wegmans
• Green, Sweetened: 1st Place, Tazo Organic Iced Green by Tazo Tea; 2nd Place, KimBees Lemon-Raspberry Gourmet by KimBees Gourmet Sweet Tea; 3rd Place, KimBees Almond Gourmet Sweet by KimBees Gourmet Sweet Tea
• Green, Unflavored: 1st Place, Oi Ocha Dark by ITO EN; 2nd Place, Just Tea – Green (Manufactured by ITO EN) by Wegmans; 3rd Place, La Crème 100% Organic Unsweetened Green Tea by La Crème Coffee & Tea
• Oolong, Unflavored: 1st Place, Oolong Shot    by Ito En; 2nd Place, Just Tea – Oolong (Manufactured by ITO EN) by Wegmans; 3rd Place, Anteadote Organic Oolong Tea by Adagio Teas

FREESTYLE

• Tea: 1st Place, Iron Buddha and the Flower by Barnes & Watson Fine Teas; 2nd Place, Black Tea Pre-Mix by AIYA America Inc.
• Best Presentation: 1st Place, Tea in a Jar – Aloe Vera by Puripan Inc.
• Herbal: 1st Place, Tea In A Jar – Aloe Vera by Puripan Inc.; 2nd Place, Rosa de Jamaica by Qtrade Teas & Herbs; 3rd Place, Tea In A Jar – Ginger by Puripan Inc.
• Herbal, Flavored: 1st Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Tropical Crimson by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Organic Berry White Iced Tea by Sungarden Specialty Tea; 3rd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Blueberry Red by Rishi Tea

FOODSERVICE

• Best Value: 1st Place, Walters Bay Black Iced Tea by Walters Bay Bogawantalawa Estates
• Black, Flavored:1st Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Summer Lemon by Rishi Tea; 2nd Place, Passion Fruit Jasmine Art of Tea; 3rd Place, Porganic Maple Caramel Iced Tea byShangri La Tea Company
• Black, Unflavored: 1st Place, Natural Organic Black Iced Tea by Shangri La Tea Company; 2nd Place, 100% Nilgiri Ice Tea Blend by International Tea Importers; 3rd Place, Walters Bay Black Iced Tea by Walters Bay Bogawantalawa Estates
• Green, Flavored: 1st Place (Tie), Organic Ambrosia Green Iced Tea by Shangri La Tea Company and Organic Serene Green Citrus Iced Tea by Sungarden Specialty Tea; 2nd Place, Organic/ Fair Trade Citron Green by Rishi Tea; 3rd Place, Walters Bay Mint Green Iced Tea by Walters Bay Bogawantalawa Estates
• Green, Unflavored: 1st Place, Natural Organic Green Iced Tea by Shangri La Tea Company; 2nd Place, Liquid Jade by Art of Tea, LLC; 3rd Place, Walters Bay Green Iced Tea by Walters Bay Bogawantalawa Estates

Help a good cause: CharityWater.org

Monday is Teahouse/Tea Room, Accessory and Brand Review Day!

It’s been a week since the end of the World Tea Expo in Las Vegas and I’m still a little heady from the experience. Here’s a recap of my time at the Expo and my takeaway from the event.

Like most people, I don’t work in the tea industry. I make my living doing something else. For me it’s in technology in one form or another (I get around). For others it might be banking or retail work. Regardless of our backgrounds we all have limits on the time we can spend away from the office. You can imagine the general level trepidation I had in spending half my yearly vacation allotment (not to mention the monetary costs) to attend this industry only event almost an entire continent away!

Let me start by stating that Las Vegas has never been my kind of town. No offense to those who enjoy it. I’m not one for gambling, unless I’m starting a business… which is a gamble all its own. And while I can certainly get into pretty lights… all the sex advertising is overkill for me. So Vegas is clearly a bit absurd for me. But I follow the tea… and there the tea went.

Although the expo started on Saturday, I spent Thursday travelling to Vegas. This would give me time to rest up before the expo and explore the town a bit more than I’d had on my only previous visit to Vegas. I spent Friday walking up and down the strip photographing the architecture and window shopping in the stores. There’s plenty to see, even if you’re not out for the gambling or the gratuitous nudity everywhere.

Friday night I picked up my badge and packet for the expo to avoid the morning lines. I missed the opening ceremonies Saturday morning… something I’ve never really enjoyed much at other gatherings. I hear there was a very good breakfast there, and that would have been appreciated versus the $9.70 I ended up paying for a bowl of fruit and some yogurt at the Red White & Blue restaurant in the Mandalay Bay hotel where the expo was held.

Right off the bat I had a session Saturday morning. The first was held by James Norwood Pratt on the Myths & Legends of Tea. Of the six sessions I had at this year’s expo this was probably my favorite. Mr. Norwood clearly and entertainingly discussed the real world drawbacks of concentrating too heavily on the oft complicated and confusing (not to mention long and growing) list of health benefits of tea. Also covering modern societies’ general loss of the ability to tell and listen to stories, Mr. Pratt was captivating and educating all at once. If you have the opportunity to read one of his myriad of books, I highly recommend it.

Also on Saturday I had a panel called “Educating Your Customer,” hosted by Michael Harney of Harney & Sons. If you frequent this site you’ll note a number of Harney & Sons reviews here for both hot and iced teas. After Mr. Pratt’s amazing presentation I had very high standards for this followup. However, as much as I admire Mr. Harney and what he and his family’s company have done for the industry over the years, he needs some improvement in the presentation skills arena. Looking past lots of “umms” and “ahhs” flowing through the presentation, Michael Harney gave a good presentation discussing the intricacies of staff training and engaging customers in their education process.

I hit the show floor after this and spent a whole lot of time (6+ hours) networking and meeting people. I’m a bit of a talker, so I got stuck at several booths discussing their teas, company histories and other things along the way. You would think so much time would have allowed me to meet lots of people, but I don’t think I even finished a full row of booths on Saturday out of the seven or eight total rows.

I ended up visiting with ITI (International Tea Importers) right through the door, then moving on to the Harney & Sons booth and speaking with both Michael and John Harney. Both gentlement are uniquely and fantastically knowledgeable about tea and I had been very much looking forward to interacting with them. I also ran into Tea Escapade, another blogger, while at this booth.

I also met with Rona Tison of ITO EN and learned they have been recycling their used plastic bottles and used tea leaves to make other goods. While I found making their business cards of these materials to be a natural extension of things… they also fashion pens, park benches and vending machines out of the plastics and tea leaves! Completely fascinating!

Saturday evening brought the World Tea Championships out. Far and away Rishi Tea took the most awards… walking away with NINE (9) first place wins and numerous runner up positions across multiple categories. I was most excited to see a relative newcommer with Puripan taking away a win. I’ve long been upset at the seemingly clear bias against Korean teas in the industry. I’m very excited to these teas to receive recognition!

Saturday brought many new relationships into my life… but Sunday and Monday were yet to come. Visit back next Monday for a recap of the final two days of my time at the World Tea Expo (WTE).

Help a good cause: CharityWater.org