Tasting Teas This Morning at the World Tea Expo
A few Waterfall teas were available for tasting
In the lobby at the Long Beach Convention Center this morning, there were three tables set-up for tastings of teas at the World Tea Expo. So, I obliged by tasting a dozen different teas to begin my tea education.
Teas etc offered several teas for tasting
I started with International Tea Importers‘ table, where they were serving Waterfall teas from a pot and pouring into plastic shot cups. I started off with Waterfall’s Orange Ginger White, which was pleasant, then had the Passion Fruit Oolong, which had a lovely nose, and then finished off with English Breakfast, which is a black tea and was noticeably strong.
Black currant tea by Teas etc in nifty tea leaves holder in cup
I then moved on to Teas, etc‘s booth, which featured a nice set-up with the tea leaves in little holders that fit greatly into cups wherein one poured boiling water and could easily toss away the holder when one was done steeping. I started off with the Tahitian Vanilla Rose, which was an Oolong tea and was very soft, especially effected by the rose flavor in it. Next, I had the incredibly gorgeously-nosed Black Currant, which was a black tea, and, while it did not taste quite like its nose, it was certainly enjoyable. Next up, I tried the Shui Xian Organic, which is an Oolong, although not my style (perhaps it was very earthy?). Finally, I had the Chocolate, which was a Pu-erh, and had a smooth chocolatey-ness to it. Nevertheless, the Black Currant was definitely my favorite amongst their offerings. Also of note was that Teas etc utilized a nifty holder for the tea leaves that was easily removable and that did not fall in so easily. That was pretty neat.
The Tea Spot was offering ten different teas for tasting
Finally, I visited the The Tea Spot‘s table, where they were offering tasting of ten of their teas. Since that seemed quite daunting to try all of them, I tried half of them. I started off with Meditative Mind, which is a white tea sprinkled with rosebuds and jasmine; I found it to be pleasant. I then went in a very different direction next with Bolder Breakfast, a Pu’erh tea blend with chocolate. I am just beginning to learn about this particular style, which takes getting used to, due to its earthiness. After that, I went to a calmer tea with their Blood Orange, which was a creamy blend of red rooibos & orange peel and I found it to be a nice calm after the Bolder Breakfast. I then finished off with two quite caffeinated teas, beginning with Climber’s High, a blend of black, green and white teas with chai spices, which I found to be good and enjoyable for a tea. I then ended my tea drinking with their Earl of Grey, a sweet twist on the traditional black tea blend, using licorice root (no, it did not taste like anise); I quite enjoyed this tea and was glad to end my tea-tasting this morning with that taste in my mouth.
Looking forward to tasting more teas tomorrow morning as the World Tea Expo continues.
