Tea Knowledge

Deconstructing Famous Traditional Grocery Store Blends

Skill Building Workshop 

Friday, June 1, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Saturday, June 2, 8:30 - 11:30 a.m.

The tea section at grocery stores remains where mainstream America buys their tea. In this hands-on blending workshop, you will use some of the famous traditional blends as inspiration and foundation in creating your own best-selling loose leaf teas. 
Speaker: Victor Jara, Purchasing & Regulatory Affairs, Sungarden Tea

Understanding Puer Tea

Focused Tasting

Friday, June 1, 11:00 - 12:30 p.m.

This fascinating session will explore the history and manufacture of Puer teas from China’s Yunnan province. Attendees will taste 5 different Puerh teas made by different processes from young bushes and from ancient trees and aged for just a few years or for many years. To add a truly Chinese flavor, the session will conclude with a performance of the Puer Tea Ceremony by Di Liu. 
Speaker: Jane Pettigrew, International Tea Consultant and Writer, with Professor Kanzo Sakata, Kyoto University, and Performance by Di Liu

What is Brisk?  SOLD OUT

Skill Building Workshop

Friday, June 1, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Better yet, what is Astringency? During this active hands-on session you will cup teas and accurately match sensations with professional tasting terms. You will build vocabulary and deepen your understanding of professional terminology. Moreover, you will develop your ability to objectively assess and describe the taste profile of a cup of tea, without superimposing personal biases. 
Speaker: Aaron Vick, The G.S. Haly Company with Suzette Hammond, Adagio Teas and Mo Sardella, The G.S. Haly Company

From Earl Grey to Da Hong Pao: Improving Your Customer's Palate

Saturday, June 2, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

As culinary knowledge and sophistication rise, how do we take our customers from mainstream teas to better quality teas? How do we map a path to those very teas that have been the subject of focused tastings at the World Tea Expo all these years? 
Speaker: Lydia Kung, Buyer, Eastrise Trading Corp.

Taste the Difference - Different Cups for Different Teas

Focused Tasting

Saturday, June 2, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

Wine connoisseurs know that the shape of the glass totally changes the taste of wine but do tea drinkers consider the effects of the bowl, cup or glass on flavour? In this fascinating session, we'll be tasting 6 different teas in 3 different shapes. Can you taste the difference? 
Speaker: Jane Pettigrew, International Tea Consultant and Writer, with Peter Ting, Owner, 1660 London

A New, Exciting Dawn for Japanese Tea!

Saturday, June 2, 9:45 - 10:45 a.m.

Following a turbulent 2011 harvest year filled with much confusion and misinformation regarding radiation contamination, Japan is poised to resume its growing presence in the tea industry. 2012 Japanese harvests brings a new dawn, and you will need to be prepared! It is an era to be excited, opportunities are brewing! 
Speaker: Chip Creitz, Program Developer/Coordinator, Tastings Coordinator, Moderator, TeaChat.com

Daoist and Buddhist (Zen) Tea Culture

Saturday, June 2, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

In China, Daoists and Buddhists built temples on sacred mountains that were ideal environments for tea cultivation. Today, they still produce tea and promote tea culture, including a new Buddhist ritual, the "Wu-Wo" (not-self) ceremony, which ritually expresses group equality, and encourages participants to to forget differences in wealth and appearance. 
Speaker: Jean DeBernardi, Professor, Anthropolgy Department,  University of Alberta

How to Put Together a Comparative Tea and Wine Tasting

Focused Tasting

Saturday, June 2, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Wine and tea professionals share many similar techniques when tasting their beverage of choice. By examining the similarities between these two beverages, a team of Master Sommeliers and Certified Tea Specialists has designed a wine and tea tasting that uses commonly available products. Several pairings will illustrate the concepts presented. 
Speaker: Kyle Stewart, Owner, The Cultured Cup with James Tidwell, Beverage Manager and Master Sommelier, Four Seasons Resort and Club, and Suzette Hammond, Adagio Teas

Tea Lattes

Focused Tasting

Sunday, June 3, 8:00 - 9:30 a.m.

With tea being the hottest thing in the coffee industry, coffee shops are introducing new specialty tea beverages to bridge the gap for the dark cup loyalist. Learn the tricks of the trade for making tea-based lattes to lure the coffee customer into your store and win them over.
Speaker: Mim Enck, President, East Indies Coffee and Tea Company

Savoring - and Saving - China's Artisan Teas

Sunday, June 3, 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. 

I will introduce the concept of local, artisan teas, as opposed to widely cultivated generic varieties. I will explain how isolated communities develop teas with unique characteristics, giving numerous examples of heirloom teas I have encountered. I will explain the need to preserve artisan teas before they are lost. 
Speaker: Jean Alberti, Founder/President, Wild & Bare Co.

An Introduction to Yixing Clay Teapots

Sunday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

In this introduction to Yixing clay teapots will learn about the history and classifications of Yixing teapots. Learn to appreciate the artistic value of Yixing teapots. Learn how Yixing clay is unique, its classification and production processes. The session will conclude with an authentic Chinese Tea Ceremony performed using Yixing teaware. 
Speaker: Fei Wu, Senior Designer, Jingxi Pottery Studio, China

How to Brew Tea Without a Chart

Sunday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

Pouring hot water over tea leaves unleashes a world of variables more complex than any chart can express - a matrix of tea leaf, time and temperature. After looking at the principles of extraction and solution, we'll examine how the physical characteristics of the tea leaf itself hold the secret. 
Speaker: Donna Fellman, Director, Tea Education Alliance

Bubble Tea: What is it and is it for You?

Focused Tasting

Sunday, June 3, 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Learn about the Taiwanese dessert drink called Bubble Tea. We will talk about its origin, how it is made, what it actually has to do with tea, and how to add it to your product offering. 
Speaker: Nick Nguyen, CEO, Steepery Tea Bar