The Tea Association of the USA, the Tea Council of the … of The Tea Association of the USA, the Tea Council of the USA & the Specialty Tea Institute gxtU|àá Volume 14 Issue 2 Summer

Newsletter of The Tea Association of the USA, the Tea Council of the USA & the Specialty Tea Institute

gxtU|àá Volume 14 Issue 2 Summer Issue 2007

2007 International Tea Gathering

Inside this issue:

International Tea Gathering Page 1 Thank You To Sponsors Page 2 World Tea Expo Page 3 Cooks Shop Here Page 3 Antioxidants in Demand Page 4 Mark Your Calendar Page 4 Four Fine Teas… Page 5 NYC Tea Tours Page 6 Tea In The City: Paris Page 7 Member Press Releases Page 8 Calendar Of Events Page 9

June 7-8, 2007 – tea industry professionals from across the globe gathered to share in-sight, provide trade related updates, and share views on the global tea industry. With downtown Atlanta as their backdrop, Tea As-sociation members and friends joined each other for two days of fun and networking.

Held in conjunction with the World Tea Expo, the International Tea Gathering jump-started with a lovely Welcome Reception atop the Westin Hotel’s Sun Dial Room on Thursday evening. Attendees enjoyed a delicious array of hors d’oeuvres and specially mixed Mar-TEA-Ni’s while taking in the amazing view of downtown Atlanta from 73 stories high. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow members in a relaxed and exhilarating environment. On Friday the festivities continued with a golf outing at Crystal Lake

Golf & Country Club along with a very informative 3 1/2 Producing Country/Importer/Retailer briefing. Presenters at the briefing included Mr. Joseph Simrany (Tea Association of the U.S.A., Inc.), Louise Roberge (Tea Asso-ciation of Canada), Lalith Hettiarachchi (Sri Lanka Tea Board), Bhushan Subba (Nepal Tea/WI), and Charles Mbui (Kenya Tea Develop-

ment Agency). The day came to an end with a reception and dinner at the world famous Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Old friendships were renewed while several new ones took shape. Thank you to all the attendees and sponsors for participating in this special occasion.

Top: (left to right) Joseph Simrany (Tea Association of the USA, Inc.), Joseph Wertheim (Tea Importers, Inc.). Center: Leslie Atkinson, Citi Tea, Nyakio Mwirigi, Nyokabi Kiarie-Warobi, Lawrence Kamau & Kithinji Mwirigi (The Amali Group). Bottom: Lori Bigelow (R.C. Bigelow), Richard Enticott (Plantextrakt), Carlos Tschirsch (Koch Tschirsch S.A.C.I.e.I), & Bachan Gyawali (Jun Chiyabari Tea Garden)

Each cup of tea represents an imaginary voyage.

~ Catherine Douzel

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The Tea Association of the USA would like to thank the following Member Companies for their generous sponsorship contributions toward the International Tea Gathering:

ghursday, June 7th

Tea & Cookies at the Reception Desk: American Instants

KEIKO – Top Taste Imports

Yriday, June 8th Refreshments at the Producers/Retailers/Importers Briefing

Redco Foods Universal Commodities (Tea) Trade, Inc.

Motor Coach Transportation: Henry P. Thomson, Inc.

Hole In One: Nichols Wire Incorporated

Reception & Dinner @ Ruth’s Chris: Plantextrakt

Entertainment @ Ruth’s Chris

Kentea Limited

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The World Tea Expo Wraps Up Most Successful Show to Date Las Vegas, June 28, 2007—The World Tea Expo--the world’s largest trade show dedicated to tea and tea-related products—wrapped up its most successful year ever this June at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The Expo hosted 280 exhibiting companies from 15 different countries in an exhibit space totaling 31,350 net square feet. Over three days, the World Tea Expo welcomed a total of 4,456 visi-tors through its doors. A full 75% of the attendees were buyers authorized to make purchasing decisions for their companies, and 49.6% came with the specific goal of placing orders at the Expo while nearly 80% plan on making future purchases based on information gathered at the show. As always, one of the highlights of the show was the Iced Tea Shake-Off competition, the event that sets the standard for iced tea in three categories: Commercially Brewed (Foodservice), Ready-to-Drink (RTD), and Freestyle. The competition was especially pertinent as June is National Iced Tea Month. This year’s Shake-Off enjoyed a record number of entries, exceeding 60 different iced concoctions. All entries were judged blind by a panel of tea industry movers and shakers. This year’s Expo reflects a number of significant changes. The World Tea Expo management changed the show date from March to June, the venue from Las Vegas to Atlanta, and the days of the show to Saturday through Monday. All were very pleased with the results. The change of month allowed a significant increase in exhibitor participation due to previous scheduling conflicts in March. The new location allowed the show to draw in a large number of first-time attendees, with 28.7% of buyers coming from the South Atlantic region. The day pattern helped spread the traffic over the three days with many corporate buyers and foodservice professionals coming on Monday, the final day. Whereas most events that leave Las Vegas show a drop in attendance, the World Tea Expo was happy to see a modest 8% growth. Returning to Las Vegas in 2008, May 30 - June 1 at the Mandalay Bay Conven-tion Center, the Expo expects to return to double-digit attendance growth.

For photos, interviews with tea experts and other media inquiries:

Jennifer Anderson or Stephanie Teuwen, Teuwen One Image: 212-244-0622

[email protected], [email protected] For more information about the World Tea Expo:

Kim Jage, VP – Sales & Marketing: 702-253-1893 [email protected]

Mary Lou and Bob Heiss are thrilled to be hosting a 2008 Tea Trek - Asian Tea Traditions cruise in southeast Asia. In alliance with Silversea Cruises, this six-star ultra-luxury all-inclusive cruise features all ocean view accommodations on the Silver Whisper for a maximum of just 382 guests. Departing February 28th 2008 from Singapore and arriving March 8th in Hong Kong, this cruise includes five port stops along the coast of Vietnam, providing ample time for shore excursions that

will add flavor and excitement to this trip. Additionally, Mary Lou and Bob are offering a two-day exten-sion in Hong Kong for Tea Association members interested in immersing themselves in the rich and celebrated tea culture and cuisine of Hong Kong. For more details and to secure reservations, contact Patty at Luxury Culinary Cruises at Montrose Travel – 800-301-9673- or visit the Heisses’ website – www.CooksShopHere.com.

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Tea Association of the U.S.A.

Holiday Dinner

Monday December 3rd, 2007

Full details coming soon.

8/07/07 Food Business News

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Four Fine Teas With Steep Steeping Needs Three minutes at 180 degrees Fahrenheit for green.

Five minutes at 212 degrees for black. Three minutes at 180 degrees for white (longer if preferred).

These numbers will serve you well for most of your tea brewing. But beyond these steeping basics is a range of exceptions, nuance, and opportunities for personal expression. Here are four teas to whet your appetite for unconventional steeping.

1. Gyokuro Gyokuro is a premium green tea from Japan, often asserted as the finest tea produced on the island. With this choice pedigree, it comes as no surprise that Gyokuro demands some deviations from our green tea steeping formula: Double the amount of tea for the water (e.g. two teaspoons per cup) Steep with cooler water (130 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit) Steep for 2-3 Minutes The cooler water and shorter steeping time, combined with the greater volume of tea, allow for more complex flavor to emerge in the liquor, ensuring that the infusion is sweet and mild. 2. Black Jungpana and other “light” black teas Jungpana, from India, is one black tea where it behooves you to adjust your regular steeping habits. These lighter black teas don't stand up to the regular length of steeping with-

out becoming bitter and unpalatable. But if you moderate the brewing, you're in for a remarkable treat: a well-rounded black tea with intricate floral notes, light on the palate and slightly sweet, but still retaining pronounced black tea qualities. Here's a formula for guaranteed success: Use the regular amount (one teaspoon per cup) Bring water to a slight boil, consider allowing brief cooling before you steep (~200 degrees) Steep for four minutes 3. Oolongs The steeping of oolong teas is a realm where your personal preference and experimentation will yield you the best possible results. The standard method for brewing oolongs is When steeping in a larger pot—16 oz or so, Steep for five minutes in water you've boiled (212 degrees) In smaller pots or gaiwans, you'll want to adjust the steeping time to 50 seconds for your first steeping, and ten additional seconds for each subsequent steeping. Most oolongs will yield four to eight flavorful pots when brewed this way. With oolong, though, it pays to be creative and discover your own brewing preference. Tea Grotto owner Rebecca Sheeran prefers an initial steeping of only 30-40 seconds, yielding a light floral taste and less thickness. With infinite possible variations on the oolong formula, it is wise to play with steeping and discover your own favorite method. 4. Matcha Matcha is not the liquor of steeped tea leaves, but the leaves themselves. Premium green tea leaves are ground into a fine powder, spooned into a matcha bowl with a chasaku (bamboo scoop), and whisked into a frothy brew with a bamboo whisk. This bright green beverage is often served traditionally with sweets to counterbalance the tannin in a great example of Wabi-Sabi aesthetic; the Japanese analogize it to “having the sweetness in life before the bitter.” When you get the opportunity to try this wonderful tea, I recommend three tall scoops to a quarter-cup of water. The traditional formula is two scoops to two and a half sips of water. To try these and other fine teas, and to read ruminations on the world of tea, visit our websites at www.tea-grotto.com and blog.tea-grotto.com.

-Rebecca Sheeran and Jeremy Wilkins, tea-grotto.com

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Author, Elizabeth Knight hosts Tours for Tea Lovers Internationally acclaimed tea expert and author Elizabeth Knight launches guided walking tours of New York’s unique places to sip and shop. Knight who lived in London and has visited tea plantations around the world, will discuss tea brewing and dining traditions, focusing on “Tea the Drink” and “Tea the Meal.” Attendees will shop one-of-a-kind stores, learn where to buy quality tea, antique and contempo-rary tea wares and sample tea-flavored sweets and savories. The 2 hour tour includes tasting samples, a formal, full sit-down afternoon tea and a signed copy of her latest book. Elizabeth, author of “Tea with Friends” and “Tea in the City: New York,” is a certified English Tea

Master, was the tea sommelier for the historic St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan, and conducts tea tours in New York City. She has appeared on the Home Shopping Network representing Royal Doulton china; taken tea with Samantha Brown on the Discovery Channel, and will soon be featured on Real Simple TV. Contact Elizabeth Knight Toll Free at 201-222-1154 for information and reservations.

ADDITIONAL INFO. Leave Your Passport At Home! New York Is The World In A Teacup. • Love tea? • New to New York? • Looking for something new to do? • Planning a Mother-Daughter Day out, a weekend with old friends? • Need to entertain a client? • Celebrating a birthday, anniversary, or hosting a special event? • Want to know where buy to quality tea, fine and vintage tea wares? • Want to learn about the multi-cultural history of tea in New York?

Manhattan might have a cocktail named after it, but tea was the city’s first fashionable tipple. Tea In The City tours are a fun, fresh way for locals and tourists to explore New York. Tea aficionados will relish the opportunity to learn more about their favorite beverage while sipping and shopping. Although an English-style afternoon tea is among the oldest of the city’s tea traditions, it is but one way to enjoy a fragrant cup. Today in the East Village neighborhood once home to Peter Stuyvesant’s farm, it is possible to sip Japanese matcha, Moroccan mint, Tibetan bocha, and Taiwanese bubble tea. Leave your passport at home; New York is the world in a teacup! Join author and tea sommelier Elizabeth Knight for private seminars and guided walking tours of New York’s unique places to sip and shop. Learn about multi-cultural tea traditions, shop one-of-a-kind stores for tea wares, and sample bubble tea, chai, and green tea ice cream. Fun and fascinating, entertaining and educational, all tours, classes and seminars are personally hosted by Elizabeth who has known and loved New York for over 20 years. A certified English tea master, Knight served as the tea sommelier at the city’s historic St. Regis Hotel. Her book, “Tea In The City: New York – A tea-lover’s guide to sipping and shopping in the city” was published by Benjamin Press, www.BenjaminPress.com, in Spring 2006. ENDORSEMENTS: "I travel a lot and stay away from guided tours. However, the NYC tea tour with Elizabeth was thoroughly enjoyable, informative, and delicious. She knows her subject and provides interesting historical facts, as well as current bits of fun trivia. The tour included an antique shop and a Parisian tea stop, culminating in a lovely afternoon tea in downtown. It was perfect." — Judith L., NJ

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PERRYVILLE, Ky. – Look out, London! Paris is the latest city to become infused in the tea rage that is quickly spreading across the globe. Parisians began drinking tea 20 years before their friends across the channel and they continue to outpace the British in their love for beautiful and rare teas from exotic locations. The Brits may love their Earl Grey and PG Tips, but Parisians are brewing expensive oolongs, fruity tisanes and aged puerhs.

The guide to all this tea excitement has been chronicled and photographed by veteran tea writers Jane Pettigrew and Bruce Richardson in their latest book “Tea in the City: Paris.”

In Paris today, the selection of tea rooms and tea shops is unequalled. Many venues offer teas from just about every growing region or country in the world. And the variety of tea rooms reflects the mixture of influences that make Paris so colorful and interesting.

From the grand salons in the Place du Madeleine, where you might spy a poodle wearing a sweater and nibbling macaroons in the arms of her owner, to offbeat bohemian tea rooms on the Left Bank, beautiful teas are matched with elegant pastries in settings that can only be described as “très bien!”

With French colonial history in Indo-China, it is not surprising to find so many Vietnamese and Chinese who have settled there. The Japanese, as well, seem to love the refined side of Paris life and have added their own style to create a fascinating fusion of Oriental and European design, tea and food. There are Russian links too, still evident in names that date back to the days when influential Russians spoke French and spent as much time in Paris as they did in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

So when you visit Paris, don’t expect to only drink tea ‘French style’. There are over one hundred tea rooms, tea salons and tea shops to explore. Discover the diversity of personality, the varying cultural influences and the international flavor of tea that continues to steep there. Pace yourself. Like any delicacy, “The City of Lights” should be savored in petite bites. Be careful to not overwhelm your senses, there will be more tea salons to see during a future visit. They’ve been doing tea here for 375 years, and you know it’s only going to get better!

Book Description This handy guide will allow you to visit Paris with tea on your mind. The 120 page book contains 100 listings of tea

rooms, tea shops, museum teas, tea salons, hotel teas and cafe teas. The venues are arranged by arrondisement with maps and Metro stops included. You will find your way through the city like a pro. Plus, over 150 color photo-

graphs allow you to visit at home even if you can’t travel there in person. Other volumes include Tea in the City: New York and Tea in the City: London.

About the Authors No one has more first hand knowledge of the European tea scene than Jane Pettigrew. She became involved in the world of tea after opening her teashop in southwest London in 1983. Since then she has written a dozen books on tea and one on coffee, including The New Tea Companion. She served as editor of Tea International and the tea editor for Tea and Coffee International. She speaks regularly around the world at professional tea conferences and

has consulted with many of the fine hotels of London for their afternoon tea service. She is also the author of Tea in the City: London.

Bruce Richardson serves as producer and photographer for the Tea in the City travel guides. He is the author of 11 books on tea including The Great Tea Rooms of America and Looking Deeply into Tea. Bruce travels to London an-nually to update his Great Tea Rooms of Britain book and writes about the world tea scene for Fresh Cup and Tea-Time magazines. His tea photographs have appeared in numerous publications, including The Smithsonian Maga-zine. He served on the Advisory Board for the Specialty Tea Institute and is a frequent speaker at tea events across

America.

Tea in the City: Paris and all Benjamin Press publications are available through www.benjaminpress.com, Amazon.com, select bookstores, or by calling 800-765-2139. Images of the cover and authors are available online at www.benjaminpress.com

TEA IN THE CITY: PARIS TEA INFUSES PARISIAN LIFE LIKE NO OTHER EUROPEAN CITY

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Tea Experience™ Digest launches first ever tea magazine blog!

Editor-in-chief, Susan Yachiye McKeen says the July 3rd launch of http://teaexperiencedigest.blogspot.com means "we're embracing 21st Century media and technology." She acknowl-edges it took a lot of convincing before she would agree to become a

blogger. Now she enjoys the opportunity to post. "It is a forum for us to deliver useful information. It is even more exciting that we are the FIRST tea magazine of any kind to launch a blog." Recent posts in-clude 2007 Reader's Choice Awards for best tea places in the nation, and The Facts about Decaffeinated Tea. Read more at http://teaexperiencedigest.blogspot.com.

Susan McKeen www.teaexperience.com

Southern Association of Tea Businesses

Fried green tomatoes, shrimp and grits, pecan tartlets and a cold glass of iced tea was the fare for the Southern Association of Tea Businesses, Inc. evening of Southern Hospital-i-TEA. The event was held at the renowned Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 2007 to kick off the World Tea Expo and benefit the Sara Blakely Foundation. The founding members of the SATB were honored at the affair. The Southern Association of Tea Businesses, Inc. was able to donate $400 to the Foundation. The Foun-dation helps women globally through education and business training by finding the future female entre-preneurs and leaders of the world and giving them a “leg up.”

Paula Winchester, owner of Twelve Winds Tea Company™, has announced a partner-ship with the Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music. In recognition of the Friends of Chamber Music’s slogan “The Intimate Voice of Classical Music,” she will be creating an intimate prelude during the hour before each concert. She will be serving a variety of her loose-leaf teas from China. Twelve Winds Tea Company offers white, black, green and oolong teas, and aged pu-erh (pronounced pooh-air) tea from the Yunnan Province. To complement her tea offerings, Paula’s teas will be accompanied by catered delicacies

and chocolates from a local chocolatier.

The Friends of Chamber Music is Kansas City’s pre-eminent presenter of early classical music. For over 30 years, The Friends of Chamber Music has presented the world’s finest chamber music performers to Kansas City audiences. Their 2007-2008 season runs from October 2007 to April 2008.

Additionally, Twelve Winds Tea Company is now being offered in Kansas City’s famous McGonigle’s Market. The full line of loose-leaf teas -- white, black, green, oolong, plus aged pu-erh teas and one yellow tea -- as well as three herbal infusions and a variety of tea accessories are for sale. Twelve Winds Tea Company products can also be purchased in the produce departments of 12 area Hen House groceries.

Recently, Paula appeared on local Kansas City chef Jasper Mirabile, Mr.’s radio show, where she discussed the many benefits of tea drinking, how to brew the best cup of tea and her passion to bring specialty teas to Kansas City, as well as her progress in achieving certification through the Specialty Tea Institute in New York.

For more information, contact Paula Winchester of Twelve Winds Tea Company and Herb Gathering at 816-523-2653 or by email at [email protected] 8

Calendar of Events

4th Annual Scientific Symposium Washington D.C: September 18, 2007

Tea Association of Canada Annual Convention: September 25 - 27, 2007

STI Tea Retreat - Chicago: September 26 - 28, 2007

2007 Tea Association Holiday Dinner: December 3, 2007

Editor’s Corner:

Thank you for taking the time to read this issue of TeaBits. As always, we appreciate your feedback and invite you to write us. Please contact us with any information including tips you’d like to share, on going dilemmas or general suggestions you would like to contribute to future issues of our newsletter.

All comments are openly welcomed.

Sincerely, láxâÄà _ÉÜáx|ÄÄx Editor [email protected] Phone: (212) 986-9415 Fax: (212) 697-8658

NEWSLETTER OF THE TEA ASSOCIATION OF THE USA,

THE TEA COUNCIL OF THE USA, AND THE SPECIALTY TEA INSTITUTE

362 Fifth Avenue Suite 801

New York, NY 10001

www.teausa.org

The Tea Association of the USA is pleased to announce its hiring of a new Office Administrator and Bioterrorism

Agent Specialist effective August 20, 2007. her name is Priscilla Obeada and

she comes highly recommended and experienced in office administration.

Please join us in welcoming Priscilla to the Tea Association, Tea Council, and

STI. You may reach her at 212-986-9415 or [email protected].

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