About the Town 6-29-11

It only starts with tea leaves (Camellia Sinensis).  Where it ends has yet to be discovered, like the mathematical digits in pi.  It’s a good thing that tea and pi go well together and the 2011 World Tea Expo* once again posed the question – what doesn’t?
From June 24 - 26, the Expo poured itself into the lower level of the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.  Attendees were greeted with the sight of a mammoth tea pot; although it had the handle and spout, it could hardly call itself little, short or stout.

If you wanted to compress the vast world of tea, its varieties, manufacturing procedures, accoutrements, sales, advertisements, magazines, paraphernalia, accompanying treats, and regional histories into four walls bursting with information and steeped with flavor, this would be the place.  Tea is big business.

Tea has an enormous constellation of topics, trends, harvesting techniques, storage options, along with a kettle full of information regarding its growth, processing and consumption.  Throwing a teabag into hot water is the end result of a product that has many beginnings and mid-points.

Each year the Expo showcases new products and events, several of which are listed below for your brewing pleasure:

New Products, Trends, and Standouts:

Aiya - Tea Smoothies made of powdered green matcha and crushed ice were offered up in refreshing samples from Aiya’s charming (and tall) representative.  Matcha, the ceremonial Japanese green tea has been called the Queen of Tea, but she’s let her hair down with this refreshingly fun beverage, packaged in one tablespoon measurements for fool-proof American enjoyment.

AOI Tea Company - Super Fine Matcha was one of the new products highlighted at the Expo.  It has a smoother texture and brighter color, and its mouth-feel is creamier.  It seems the Matcha world has an even finer Queen in its region.

Kitchen T.L.C. – The initials stand for Tea – Life – Chocolate. That means tea infused chocolates; need I say more?  I will, because until you taste these delectable treats, you wouldn’t know how compatible tea and chocolate can be.  Enjoyable with or without a cup of tea – either way, you get the tea experience, and this one melts in your mouth.

Petali Teas - This artisanal company featured  tea blends, fine porcelain tea pots and brewing systems, glass teapots, agave nectar, tea sugars, crystallized flowers…and compostable to go cups, lids and straws.  Made of either corn or plant sugars, the containers look like any other paper product, except THEY don’t hang around in landfills for centuries.  They will help you enjoy your tea knowing that you’re doing one more green act for the planet.

Squeezmo - Think of it as a little silicone pitcher just for your used teabag.  The brightly colored little product is so handy, so useful, and so sanitary, not to mention aesthetic, that you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life. Its flexible design squeezes the essence and moisture from a tea bag into your cup with gentle compression, and it promotes the drip-less use of a bag to brew multiple cups of tea.  The handy little Squeezmo is dishwasher safe, and will soon have little cloth carrying cases available for easy portability.

Stash/Chanakara - This tea company continues to astound each year with the sheer number of its varieties of tea, blends, and tisanes (herbals).  With flavors like Coconut Mango, Chocolate Mint, Goji Berry, Ginger Peach, Licorice Spice, Meyer Lemon, and Blueberry Superfruit in addition to black, oolong, green, white and decaf (Stash), the company also produces a new line of teas inspired by the seven chakras (Chanakara).  The seven teas include Dragonfruit, Blue Ginger, and White Lotus. An eighth box carries the whole assortment for a total tea/body experience.