Hooty Tea Travels – 2019 World Tea Expo Highlights

  2019 World Tea Expo Trends | 2019 World Tea Expo Haul 

The 2019 World Tea Expo was in the Las Vegas Convention Center from June 11 to 13. If you are unfamiliar, the World Tea Expo is the biggest tea industry tradeshow in North America. The World Tea Expo is the place to check out the newest tea gadgets, trends, and teas. This is the place to network and learn about tea. This is my 6th World Tea Expo, so I’m no stranger to the three day tea bender in the desert.

I took a lot of Instagram Story videos while I was at the World Tea Expo. They are collected together on my profile if you want to check them out.

2019 World Tea Expo Show Floor

Some of these items are wholesale only or not yet available, so ask your favorite tea vendor if they could carry them.

My first round of vendors are all matcha ones. When I first hit the show floor, I am low energy and low on tea. I cannot function without a couple of matchas in me, so matcha was the first thing I looked for at the World Tea Expo.

Yum Matcha makes single serve instant matcha mixes and ready to drink teas. I very much enjoyed their flavours as they had creative ones like Peach Lavender, Mint Mojito, Citron Lemongrass, and Strawberry Basil. My favorite was the Peach Lavender.

Ito En / Matcha Love – Ito En also jumped on the single-serve flavored matcha train, but below I am showing their tea bags and instant packets. Their flavors are Apple Ginger, Lemon Verbena Peppermint, and Turmeric Yuzu. The Turmeric Yuzu flavoring was well done as it had a spice citrus vibe that was refreshing.

Illumintea’s Matcha Pistachio Creme Spread – This company has the coolest name and style. Their product was like a matcha Nutella but with pistachio. It was delightfully sinful tasting and if I had a jar my weight cut would be over forever.

Le Food Company’s Chia Bubble Tea – This sad owl hasn’t had bubble tea in a while as it is just too many calories, however, chia seeds sounds like a great alternative. If you haven’t had chia seeds in drinkers, they are a bit crunchy, but still has that satisfying chewy texture to them. They sell mixes for their bubble tea, a Matcha and Oriental Beauty. 10/10 that Oriental Beauty Tea Latte was the best. Forget black tea, Oriental Beauty lattes have the depth but also the floral that makes for a killer drink.

Smile Tea – I actually reviewed Smile Tea’s matcha before. I was able to drink more of their matcha and they had the really good stuff there.

Sara’s Tea Caddy is a legendary Japanese Green tea importer and distributor. I’ve heard about them a few times but never got close to the booth as it was busy, and in general Japanese Green teas are not high on my list. I was able to sit and try a few of their teas – an Imperial Gyokuro, Japanese White leaf tea Kiraka, Genmai Kukicha, and their most expensive matcha. I’m sure everyone there said the Gyokuro was the best, but I am on team matcha for maximum twitchy energy. That matcha was earth-shatteringly green, thick, creamy, and umami. However, the session of the white leaf kiraka was an adventure!


Now for the stuff Owl likes. If you are a long time reader, oolongs, puer, and white tea get my feathers tingling.

Zuo Wang Tea – These guys are in Portland and they’ve been to a few festivals I’ve attended in the area. They have a great presentation with their teas and inviting nature, so most people just camp at their booth and I never get the chance to get close. World Tea Expo I had 3 days to catch them not surrounded and had some exceptional white teas with high warm energy to them. I was tempted to purchase some, but flying home with a crushing full suitcase was a recipe for disaster with luscious white tea leaves. If you are in Seattle and Portland be sure to check them out.

Teagather – The power of Fu Brick is real. Teagather’s approach is making instant dark tea including golden flower Fu brick and lacing it into foods. You can have an entire day meal with Fu brick in your breakfast oatmeal, lunch cornbread, and dinner roast chicken. With the tea being instant or bagged, it takes no time to brew some up. The world is doomed. DOOMED.

 

Before everyone runs at the word “instant”, Teagather’s instant dark tea is really flipping good. This is the best instant fermented tea I’ve had. I dragged every person I befriended to Teagather to try it and most were surprised. Teagather’s instant dark tea has a rich smooth flavor without any strange notes or instant taste. Their bagged golden flower teadrunked me up BAD.
I had some instant Fu brick just before my Tea Blogger Roundtable panel and I was slurring beforehand and was more rambling and talkative than usual.

The more I tried their oatmeal and cookies, the more the dark tea sunk into my system holding down the introverted Owl.

Bitaco Colombian Tea – Bitaco keeps surprising me with their teas getting better and better. I tried their newest white tea, a baimudan style, as well as a special commissioned white tea aged in eucalyptus wood.

Justea / Tumoi Teas – Keeping with awesome white teas, this Kenyan White Rhino was stunning at the Winners Tasting Circle.

Optimal Tea – This company sellers other teas including puer, but they came to the World Tea Expo showing their ground Camellia Flower tea. Long time readers of Oolong Owl are likely giggling at the instant God of Night Sweats tea. It was quite good when brewed strong.


These next teas and items are so smart that I wish I thought of that first.

Guizhou Green Tea Technology Development – This company made what I can best describe as tea ramune bottle. It is a bottle of water with tea leaves trapped in the lid. Open the lid and the leaves drop into the bottle. There is a simple filter so you don’t eat leaf while you drink. They use a “secret special” green tea that cold brews fast so you can drink it right away. I was an idiot and let mine cold brew overnight which made it well oversteeped. The bottle design is amazing and SO SMART WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT! /rips out feathers.

Zens Lifestyle had an awesome display of beautiful travel teaware. I love their Pi Travel cup as it is incredibly convenient.

The Mobile Moon has the cutest bag!

Their clay teaware sets are luxurious with silver filters and smart folding tea tables.

Chá Smart Tea / Tea Buddy – Chá Smart Tea shows off the T-Master Smart Teapot Set and T-Nova Smart stainless vacuum bottle. The T-Master Smart Teapot set is a 200ml vessel. It has an app preloaded/customizable for gongfu style. It tells you what to do – add water (and knows water level), it tells you when to rinse. How long to steep. It lights up and plays music. It will talk to you. I heard it say something along the lines of “pour out the rinse.”

T-Nova Smart stainless vacuum bottle is a travel tea version that gravity pours. It doesn’t light up but vibrates to you when it is done steeping.

If this isn’t enough, you can have multiple devices on an app and share information with friends via code. HAS TECHNOLOGY GONE TOO FAR?! Of all the crazy crazy tea gadgets, this one I did want purely for science. I’m good enough at brewing, but this would be fun to play with. If you are new to gongfu and forever alone drinking, this tech will be valuable.

Avocado Leaf Tea – When I lived in Long Beach, CA I had an avocado tree (until it died). I never thought you could drink the leaves, I was more into the guac that came from the tree.
The idea is just incredibly weird. I’m down to try anything and discovered Avocado Leaf tea is good. The flavor is grassy smooth and refreshing. It’s better than the other “tea off random plant” teas so far.


Here are a collection of fun tea sights. Some of the tea sellers here I couldn’t find links for.

Sankoen Tea featured some unusual herbal teas grown in Japan. I tried the whole line and my favorite was the Wasabi and Violet Shiso leaf. The wasabi tea was NOT spicy.

Vietnam Avata Clean Agricultural Company / The Lover Tea from Northern Vietnam

Elephant Origins – Elephant Friendly Tea movement and farm resource.

Myanmar Puer! I got some tea off them last year.

This is ultra realistic matcha ice cream that was not real.

Tai ping hou kui the size of a plate.

Dafu Ironwear’s Cast iron teapot with cute bird lids!

Korean Tea wonders!

Silver teaware! Sadly none for sale, just vendors using them.

Glenburn Tea Estate’s beautiful pressed leaf art.

 2019 World Tea Expo Trends | 2019 World Tea Expo Haul

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