Global Tea Festivals, Seminars and Expos, 2019

2019 Global Tea Festivals, Seminars and Expos

For U.S. and Canada festivals, please check out the post on January 24, 2019.

Here are a sampling of festivals that I found doing a little research on the internet. Perhaps you'll find some of interest to you!

Mar 1-3. Bologna Te Festival, Bologna Italy, www.in-te.it

Mar 13-15. Russian Coffee & Tea Epo.

Mar 21-23. International Coffee & Tea Expo, Singapore.

Mar 28-29. Thailand Coffee & Tea Expo with bakery goods, ice cream, coffee, tea.

April. Netherlands Tea Festival. Utrecht, Netherlands. www,festeaval.nl

Apr 4-6. Bangladesh Tea & Coffee Expo, Dhaka Bangladesh

April 27-30. Beijing Tea Expo, Beijing China. www.teaexpo.org.cn

May 20. Melbourne Tea Fest. Melbourne Australia. www.melbourneteafestival.com.au

June 20-23. Busan International Tea & Craft Fair. Busan South Korea. www.teafair.co.kr

July 3-5. Japan Intl Tea Show. Tokyo Japan. www.teashow.jp

Aug 13-17. Hong Kong Intl Tea Fair. Hong Kong. www.event.hktdc.con

Aug 18. Sydney Tea Festival. Sydney Australia.  www.sydneyteafestival.com.au

Sept 7-8. Australian Tea Cultural Seminar. Tasmania Australia.  www.austcs.org

Sept 27-28. Tea & Coffee Festival. Yerevan Armenia. On Facebook.

Oct 7-10. Moscow Coffee & Tea Expo. Moscow Russia.  www.pirexpo.com

Oct 13. Great British Tea Festival. Derby UK.  www.greatbritishteafestival.co.uk

Nov 21-23. World Tea & Coffee Expo. Mumbai India.  www.worldteacoffeeexpo.com

Dec 4-6. Dubai Intl Coffee & Tea Festival. Dubai United Arab Emirates. 






 

2019 Tea Seminars and Festivals, U.S. & Canada

After attending the Global Tea Initiative's tea seminar, I became interested in finding other workshops and festivals. After spending some time researching,  I thought it might be useful for you if I shared my results here. I haven't been to any of these festivals before, so these are not recommendations nor  is this a complete list, but it's a start. If you have ones to add, let me know.

In Canada and the United States:

↠ Toronto Tea Festival. February 1-3, 2019. Toronto, Ontario Canada. www.teafestivaltoronto.com


↠ Coffee & Tea Festival. March 23-24, 2019. New York City, New York. www.coffeeandteafestival.com/nyc

↠ Festival du The Quebec. April 19-20, 2019. Quebec Canada. FestivalDuTheQuebec.com

↠ SacTeaFest. April 27, 2019. Sacramento, California. . 30+ vendors, 20+ workshops. www.SacTeaFest.com

↠ World Tea Expo. June 10-13, 2019,  Las Vegas, Nevada. www.WorldTeaExpo,com

↠Tea Fest PDX. July 20, 2019. Portland, Oregon. www.TeaFestPDX.com

↠ Sip for Peace. September 2019. World Peace, One Cup at a Time. 30 days of Tea & Peace. www.TeaSipperSociety.com

↠ Midwest Tea Festival. September 7&8, 2019. Kansas City, Missouri. www.midwestteafest.com

↠ Northwest Tea Festival. September 28 & 29, 2019. Seattle, Washington. www.nwteafestival.com

 ↠ Pennsylvania Tea Festival. September 28 & 29, 2019. Mechanicsburg, PA. www.teafestpa.com

↠ Chicago International Tea Festival. November 1-3, 2019. www.citfest.com

↠ SF International Tea Festival. November 2019. San Francisco, California. www.ssitf.co


For festivals outside of Canada and the U.S: watch for future blog post...

Global Tea Institute seminar

Well, there has been the teeniest tiniest break since my last post (6-1/2 years ago!!!) but I just went to a seminar today at the Global Tea Institute at the University of California, Davis and wanted to tell you about it. It was a 1-day, free seminar focusing on the body, mind and spirit effects of tea. Leading scientists spoke about their latest research findings on the health benefits of tea consumption. There were also lots of tea samples. I'm including a picture of the agenda for you and some photos of the tea samples. Enjoy!

Top 10 Tea Producing Countries

The results are in!  The top 10 tea producing countries in 2011 were:

1. China, 1.6 million tonnes
2. India, 1.0 million tonnes
3. Kenya, .4 million tonnes
4. Sri Lanka, .3 million tonnes
5. Turkey, .2 million tonnes
6. Vietnam, .2 million tonnes
7. Iran, .2 million tonnes
8. Indonesia, .1 million tonnes
9. Argentina, .1 million tonnes
10. Japan, .1 million tonnes

For those who like their measurements in pounds, a tonne is 2,200 pounds.  So, China and India combined produced 5.7 BILLION pounds of tea last year.  Holy Hot Beverage, Batman!

The top 10 country rankings are the same as they were in 2010 but Brazil dropped off the top 25 list and was replaced by Cameroon.  I don't know if Brazil's output declined, but African output is increasing  because its tea bushes are reaching the age of optimal production, says the Food & Ag Organization of the United Nations.

Data sources: FAOSTAT.com .

Pesticides in Chinese Tea

Would you like a little sugar with your tea?  Honey?  A splash of hazardous pesticides?

A 2012 Greenpeace report found the "massive use of chemical pesticides" in samples of Chinese tea.

Greenpeace tested 18 medium grade oolong, jasmine and green teas from 9 major Chinese tea companies.  All of the samples were found to contain multiple pesticides and most contained hazardous, banned pesticides.

The report indicated that the Chinese government has a 5-year plan to reduce the use of pesticides by 20 percent.  Greenpeace is urging a "drastic reduction."


What's a tea drinker to do?  Dirty Harry would say you have to ask yourself, "Do I feel lucky?  Well, do ya, punk?

Having said all that, is chinese tea is more or less safe than tea from other countries?  The report may not change my tea drinking habits a lot but I'll probably reach more for certified organic versions.

Tea Clipper Ships

"Thermopylae" clipper ship. Chromolithograph by M. Reilly (19th century)

It's exhilarating to imagine being a captain of a clipper ship.  My long, sleek boat skimming atop the waves as a stiff wind snaps the canvas sails into billowing clouds.  What a rush!

The heyday of the clipper ships was in the mid 1800's when American and British shipbuilders competed to build the fastest designs for bringing fresh tea from China.  Tea lovers on both sides of the Atlantic wagered on which boats would arrive first and captains commanding the fastest ships would win public acclaim and  monetary rewards.

Many ships names evoked images of speed and beauty:  Flying Cloud, Champion of the Seas, Hurricane, Flying Fish, Snow Squall, Stag Hound and Lightning.

The clippers could travel at speeds of 20 knots per hour and cover 400 miles in a 24-hour period.  By comparison, cargo ships of the time traveled at 4 knots per hour.  The route went around Cape Horn and took about 107 days.

The clipper ship era ended around 1869 when the Suez Canal opened and steamships made the trip in 50 days.

I'd like to someday see the last surviving clipper ship, the Cutty Sark.  For the last 6 years, it has been under renovation but was re-opened in April 2012 by Her Majesty the Queen.  The ship's home is at the Royal Museums Greenwich, London.

Tea Review: Numi Tea Breakfast Blend

One of my favorite bagged teas in the morning is Numi's Breakfast Blend.  The tea blends four Fair Trade organic black teas:  Assam, Ceylon, Darjeeling and Keemun.  The blend combines the best of the four types into a flavorful and pleasing brew; strong flavored yet mild.

Numi Tea was founded in 1999 by brother and sister team Reem and Ahmed Rahim and is based in Oakland, CA. All of Numi's teas are USDA Certified Organic.

And now, the details of my review:

Liquor - a caramel reddish/coffee appearance

Aroma - raisins and toast

Astringency - mild astringency, dry finish

Body/texture - nice body, has substance to it

Taste - Roasted quality.  Hearty but mild.  Not overpowering.

Aftertaste - slight tannin flavor

I like to save my Breakfast Blend for days that I can savor it and start the day off right!

In an upcoming blog, I'll be tasting the individual black teas that go into the blend and seeing what they add to the flavor and quality.

Tea and Art: Mary Cassatt

Five O'Clock Tea, also known as The Tea, (oil on canvas) was painted in 1880 by American artist Mary Cassatt.  She was known for her impressionistic works that tended to feature women and children in everyday settings.

The woman on the left is probably the hostess since she's the one not wearing a hat.  I'm wondering why her cup looks as if she never poured any tea for herself - perhaps she's anxious for her guest to be on her way.  The guest is sipping what I imagine to be a lovely tea from China brought by steamship to America.  The guest might be wishing for some sugar but the absence of spoons or tongs in the tea set suggests that she won't be getting any.  Perhaps it's another subtle ploy of the hostess to move her along.

World Tea Expo: New Tea Product Awards

The World Tea Expo is a huge trade show for tea professionals and enthusiasts.  The 10th annual expo wrapped up yesterday - it was held June 1-3, in Las Vegas.  I haven't been to one yet, but maybe next year...

At the show new tea products were showcased and awards given to winners in a variety of categories.

Here are a few of the more interesting products that might be fun to check out.  

A winner in the Innovation category is the Slim Steeper.  Put loose tea in it, place it into your water bottle and do a cold brew steep.

Or, how about this magic mushroom spice rub from Indie Tea?  It's made with Yerba Mate tea, porcini mushrooms and spices for spreading on your steak.

These are tea-themed greeting cards with vintage images and an enclosed tea bag.

You can see more new products at the expo website http://www.worldteaexpo.com/index.php/new-products

White Tea Review: Snow Buds

We had a lovely cup of Snow Buds white tea today at Temple Coffee & Tea in Sacramento.  Temple mostly sources its own tea, meaning they buy directly from a producer.

Snow Buds tea leaves are from the Fujian province of China and are picked when the leave and buds are new.

We steeped the tea for the recommended 3 minutes and found it a delightful and gentle brew.  Here are a few tasting notes:

Liquor  - a clear golden-yellow

Aroma  - vegetal/grassy 

Astringency - a noticeable but light astringency

Body/Texture - clean with a bit of fullness

Taste - surprisingly, the first tastes did not match the aroma.  The tea was clean and bright with a grounding undertone of nuttiness. After a few minutes, a grassy flavor became more prominent.

Tea and Music: The Kinks

The Kinks

Have a Cuppa Tea

I recently discovered the 1971 song "Have a Cuppa Tea".  It's worth noting since it's rare that a song is all about tea.  The song was written by Ray Davies of the Kinks and recorded on their Muswell Hillbillies album.  In the song, the British-bred band "honors" England's love affair with tea.  It's a rather odd song that credits tea for curing all ailments.

"Take granny's stand-by potion
For any old cough or wheeze.
It's a cure for hepatitis, it's a cure for chronic insomnia,
It's a cure for tonsillitis and for water on the knee."
 
If you're intrigued, you can find postings on youtube of the Kinks performing the song.

Top 5 Tea Producing Countries

     

Which countries produce the most tea?  In 2010, the top 5 tea producing countries were China, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.  China and India combined accounted for 56% of all tea produced by the top 20 countries.  Although China is now in the lead with 1.5 million tons, it wasn't always this way.  India had top honors until 2005, when China took over the title.

Although not shown in the chart, Japan and Argentina have been in a battle for 9th and 10th place.  Japan had the higher spot in 2009 but Argentina increased their production by 24% in 2010 and moved into 9th place over Japan.

I compiled these interesting facts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. If you're a data wonk like me, you might want to turn your analytical gaze to the FAO website at  http://faostat.fao.org

Topiary Teapot

I just love this topiary teapot.  I've seen photos of other topiary teapots, but this one isn't just a garden-grown teapot, it's an entire tea set!  For true tea lovers.

The topiary set is located at the Priory Mill in the town of Lechlade, UK. Lechlade is in the Cotswold area on the River Thames.

The photo was taken by Collin West. You can see other photos of his at panoramio.com.  This photo is copyrighted, but Collin graciously gave me permission to use it in my blog.  It's a lovely photo indeed and many thanks to Collin.

I can only fantasize about what kind of delicious and aromatic tea fills the big pot.

Tea and Art: Claude Monet

Tea is so universally loved that it appears in many artistic forms in the world.  Here is a painting by the French artist Claude Monet (1840-1926).  This painting is called "The Tea Service" and was completed in 1872.  It is oil on canvas and the original is in a private collection in Dallas, Texas.

Monet was a leader in the Impressionism art movement.  He mostly painted landscapes; "The Tea Service" is a rare still life.

The painting includes elements from several cultures, Japanese teacups, Chinese bowl and Brazilian plant on a French tablecloth.

To me, the blending of these cultures in the painting celebrates the worldwide enjoyment and appreciation of tea.

Tea meaning

 "One drinks tea to forget the world's noises".  Tien Yi-heng

Sharon W sent me a collection of tea quotes and this one is my favorite.  Although there are innumerable good reasons to drink tea, uppermost for me is taking those precious few seconds to set aside daily demands, breathe in the moist, earthy tea scent, and be delightfully present in the moment.

Tea Tasting Class

My partner and I stepped into the inner sanctum of Temple Coffee & Tea in Sacramento where a quiet ritual was about to take place: a Tea Processing and Tasting class.  Several tall tables with cups of labeled tea leaves, water, cup placement mats and note paper stood at the ready.  The din from the outer café faded as the ten initiates waited to hear the word from our tea guide Leslie Fraser.  “It’s time.  Let’s start.”

As Leslie asked us about our favorite teas, our wide disparity in knowledge became immediately evident.  One man in the class talked about his specialty Sencha green tea air-shipped from Japan directly to him in vacuum-sealed bags.  Others were hard-pressed to identify what type of tea they liked best (white, green, oolong or black).  I refrained from mentioning that I most often drank store-bought teabags, because it might label me as hopelessly uncool.  It’s not that I don’t drink the finer loose leaf teas on occasion, but I don’t know a lot about what’s available or what I like.  Plus, I’m often in a rush and teabags are so much easier.

Leslie talked a bit about the background and processing of tea (I’ll share similar information in future blogs) and then we moved into the experiential component of the class.  Leslie prepared the teas using filtered water heated to around 200 degrees and then cooled to the right temperature for each tea.  She poured each of us a white tea and a green tea to compare and then an oolong and a black.  She noted that having two different teas to compare side-by-side makes it easier to sense the differences.  

We touched and sniffed the dry leaves and buds, admired the color and aroma of the poured “liquor” in our cups and tasted the brews.  I could see, smell and taste the differences, but had trouble finding words to describe them.  Was it chocolaty?  Plastic-tasting?  Like something dripping from the drain pipe or the sweetest nectar of the gods?   Classmates described, as best they could, the body, flavor, astringency and finish of each sample.   “Subtle, strong, woody, apricot-like, smooth” for the Silver Needle white and “Seaweed, grassy, pale green, subtle, astringent in the finish” for the Jade Cloud green. 

The reactions to the teas were as varied as the tasters themselves.  The Wuyi oolong was described as “unsmoked tobacco” but also contrastingly as “floral, dry, raisin-like sweetness on the tip of the tongue”.   The Darjeeling 2^nd Flush black tea was “dark amber, smooth and caramel-like” but also “perfume-y, complex and bright”.   

I gave up on finding the right words and instead focused on whether I enjoyed it or not.   I loved the white tea for its gentleness and the black for its sweet boldness.  The Jade Cloud green tea didn’t make me a convert to green teas.

Our tasting ended with a tisane, in this case a tangerine-ginger herbal blend.  This brew made me recoil with its unnaturally bright blood-orange color and overpowering aroma and flavor.  It was a quality blend, but it felt so artificial and strong compared to the lovely real teas.  Fortunately, the tea barista offered to bring out another white tea, so I was able to leave the class with a pleasant taste in my mouth.

French Press for Tea

At a recent tea tasting class we attended, a few folks mentioned that they use a French Press to make their tea.  I was intrigued by the notion and decided to buy one.  I justified the expense by claiming that I need the very best tools available to aid me in my tea education.

Not being a coffee drinker, I had only the vaguest notions of how a French Press works.  Undaunted, I made the purchase and brought one home.  The instructions for the press were helpfully written in 13 languages but only pertained to coffee, not tea.   Also, the little instructional drawings in the booklet neglected to show how and when the press part is plunged, so again, not so useful.

From the comfort of a recliner, my coffee-drinking, French-press experienced partner walked me through the steps.  First, I collected the water.  It should have been filtered, but I skipped that part.  I brought the water to a boil and actually went to the trouble to stick a thermometer in the water and waited until the temperature came down to the recommended 180 degrees for the Ancient Moonlight White tea leaves.

It was a beautiful sight to behold as the tea leaves danced in the water and began to release their light toffee-tan color.  I was quite enchanted by the view and took a photo to capture the moment.

After a recommended 5 minutes of steeping, I was told by the now lounging french-press expert to push the press slowly and steadily to the bottom.  I did so and then the tea was ready to pour.  At that moment, I realized that we needed to buy new teacups that would show off the beautiful “liquor”, because all we had were our cracked and stained utility mugs.  It was not quite the refined and elegant experience I had imagined, but it wouldn’t affect the taste.

It was time to sit and taste the results.  Oh my.  Oh my. What a light and luscious aroma.  What a perfect drinking temperature.  What a gentle, toffee-honey flavor.   Like meditation-in-a-cup.

I don’t know how the results might have differed if I hadn’t used the French Press – I suppose I should try it and see, but I don't want to waste one precious Ancient Moonlight white leaf or bud in what could be an inferior brewing method.  Oh, what have I wrought?

Green vs. Black Tea Throwdown

I enjoy both green and black tea, but wondered what makes them different, especially considering that both varieties of tea are from the same exact plant, the Camellia sinensis.  For that matter, oolong and white teas are also from the same plant.

The difference between green and black teas is all in the curing.  Green tea is steamed shortly after picking to prevent it from fermenting.  Black tea is allowed to dry and ferment which changes its color and taste.  The leaves of both types are rolled so that their flavorful juices can mingle and release when brewed.

These are fascinating facts, but what does it all mean to me when I’m trying to decide on a tea?  There was only one way to find out.  I decided to do a Green vs. Black Tea Throwdown!  This seemed like an excellent excuse to sample high quality teas at a local tea café (and a few muffins too).  

Although there are hundreds of different types of tea within the green and black categories, I randomly selected two green teas (Sencha Superior and Dragon Well) and two black teas (China Breakfast and Darjeeling 1^st Flush); each with different flavor profiles.

My tea-drinking companion and I chose a table in a corner of the café.  I’m sure the tea baristas were wondering why two people needed four pots of different teas, but they seemed happy to oblige.  We delighted in seeing our small table completely covered with teapots, cups, saucers, strainers and, of course, the teas.   We admired the array of tea colors, breathed in the distinct aromas and studied leaf shapes before tasting the samples.  I’m tempted here to review each of the teas sampled, but I’ll save that for a future blog.  I need to focus on the task before me - to determine the winner in the green vs. black challenge.

And the winner is?  Well, it’s not that simple.  Turns out, there is no best tea type – the beauty is in the mouth of the beholder.  My companion prefers the green teas for their grassy, sharper flavors.  She likened them to the pale, meadowy taste of a sauvignon blanc wine.  She appreciated the strong, complex green tea flavors and the pleasing light green hues.   

I prefer the black teas.  To me, the black teas taste sweeter, smoother and richer.   Granted, black teas are a daily staple for me and I’m more familiar with them, but after the taste test, I didn’t feel compelled to switch green for black in my regular routine.  I find the amber colors of the black teas appealing and the taste more satisfying, even though I enjoyed experiencing the green teas.  We both agreed that the black tea seems like the better choice for the morning when you need something hearty to get your day started.

So, the Green vs. Black Tea Throwdown resulted in a tie.  If you have an opinion as to the “better” type, leave a comment – I’m interested to hear others weigh in on the subject.

Welcome to Tea Panorama

Hi, I’m Nancy.  Welcome to my blog about tea.  I love tea and I nearly always have a cup of it at hand.   Although I’m a big fan, I’m no tea snob - I’m just as happy sipping a cheap, grocery-store teabag brew as I am a specialty tea.

Tea is so versatile.  It can be an energizing wake-up drink or a calming end-of-the-day beverage.  It’s also pervasive and I’m intrigued by learning about tea in its many aspects.  In my blog, I’ll share my discoveries about tea basics, such as varieties, growing regions and tea consumption.  I’ll also look into tea’s broader influence by exploring tea culture, tea art and music, tea and food, tea rituals and much more.

You’re welcome to come along with me on my panoramic view into of the world of tea.  I hope you’ll add your ideas for further exploration as we go along. 

So, select your favorite tea leaves, get some water boiling and settle in for the adventure.