World Tea Expo: Day Three

Today began with a focused tasting of Sri Lankan teas. Even though Sri Lanka is a small country, it has an enormous range of elevation and climate, so it has a good range of flavors in its teas. The format of the tasting wasn't the best (there wasn't much focus on the taste of the teas in the lecture, the tastings themselves were very rushed, and we didn't get to see the dry or wet leaves), but it was good to learn more about Sri Lanka and taste some teas I hadn't tried before. Overall, it was an OK class.

My second class of the day (and final class of the conference) was a focused tasting of teas from Zhejiang, China. Of the tastings, this one had the best range of flavors and types. Also, they served a wonderfully complex Keemun, which I loved. The speaker was quite nervous, but very knowledgeable and well-organized. The teas and information were great, but I hope the speaker gains confidence from her feedback and returns more self-assured next year. I'd recommend the class if it's offered again.

Before I left for the airport, I got visit the exhibit hall to say goodbye to my new (and old) friends at Ito En, Red and Green, ITI, Adagio, Keiko, Urbana Cityspa and Teabar, the Tea Board of India, and more. Over the last few days, I have met some amazing people, tried some incredible teas and tea products, seen many beautiful things, and had a wonderful time. I'm already looking forward to next year's convention, even though it's in Vegas (NOT my favorite city in the world). If you read this and you plan on going, drop me a line--I'd love to meet you!

I'm off to NYC this evening. Tomorrow, I leave for San Francisco . . . but that's a whole different story!

World Tea Expo: Mary Mac's Tearoom

Atlanta has a number of up-and-coming restaurants vying for the status and attention afforded to NYC's culinary attractions. While some of them are quite good and much easier on the wallet than NYC restaurants, one of my favorites is an old Atlanta institution called Mary Mac's Tearoom. It's been around since 1945, when it was opened by (you guessed it) a woman named Mary Mac. In that regard, the name is fitting. However, you may be surprised to learn that Mary Mac's Tearoom is NOT a tearoom. In fact, the only serve four types of tea: sweet (a.k.a. "Southern Table Wine"), "unsweet" (iced, no sugar), hot (black, with or without sugar and milk), and herbal (I dare not guess which kind). "Mary Mac's Restaurant and Bar" would be a much better name NOW, but when it opened in 1945, very few things (not just businesses, but houses, pieces of land, etc.) were owned by women. To soften the blow of opening a woman-owned business, Mary Mac decided to call it a "Tearoom," because tea was deemed ladylike in the South at the time.

Despite the misleading name, I love Mary Mac's and I visit whenever I visit Atlanta. They provide me with the necessary dose of friend morsels and sweet tea for a southern expatriate visiting the South. This evening, I decided to allow myself every indulgence, and to forego the traditional meal structure in favor of sweet tea, bread, an appetizer, and dessert. This is a decision I do not regret in the least. I started with the sweet tea, which was in perfect southern style--flavorful, powerfully sweet, icy cold, and served with a large wedge of lemon. Next I sampled from a basket of breads: tiny yeast rolls (soft, flaky, and mildly sweet on the inside, firm, buttery, and salty on the outside), a mini-muffin of cornbread (mildly sweet and mealy), and a small sticky bun (cinnamon-honey deliciousness spiraled in soft, doughy goodness . . . with pecans). Then I had the fried green tomatoes, which are a southern staple. They were crunchy and savory on the outside and delicate and perfectly done on the inside. I wasn't a fan of the mayo-based horseradish sauce (despite my southern heritage, I despise mayo), so I opted for their homemade pepper vinegar instead. Delicious! I finished with the peach cobbler and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Between that and the sweet tea, I'll probably be on a sugar high for the next two hours. It was great, though, in that overly-sweet southern-cookin' way--exactly what I needed from my southern food fix.

If you're in Atlanta and you want to know how things are done down South, this is definitely the place to go. It's at 224 Ponce de Lyon (right across from the hostel) and it's open from 11-9 daily.

Between the classes and the exhibits, it's been a long day. I'm going out on the town for a bit, but as soon as my sugar high is over, I'm going to sleep!

World Tea Expo: Keynote Address and 11:11

The first day is over and I am wiped out. I want to sleep for about a day and a half. However, I'll be getting up at 6 AM again for another early class. Not that I can complain too much--I'm having an amazing time here!

The keynote address was very informative and entertaining. It was all about market trends. I found it interesting that a large segment of the presentation was about age demographics and, though various age groups were asked to stand, the youngest generation asked to stand was still older than me. I guess I'm one of the babies of the group. Other major areas of the speech covered perceptions of what is healthy, what types of tea people prefer to buy, how often they buy tea and other products, and how the internet and other technologies play roles in people's purchasing habits and styles.

After the keynote address was over, I was welcomed into a really cool place called 11:11 Teahouse with one of the other "babies" of the conference, Christine Rillo of Adagio Tea. I was thrilled to meet the owner, Penney Sue Balmes, a strong and intelligent entrepreneur just a bit older than myself. She serves and sells a wide array of tisanes, which was of particular interest to me because I am working on a series of articles about tisanes right now. The place is very laid-back and the tisanes and food are phenomenal. I hope to return the next time I head down South!

In Atlanta

I just arrived at my hostel in Atlanta. My flight was delayed by 7 hours. (LaGuardia: great mayor, terrible airport.) I'm exhausted and I need to be up at 6 AM to go to my first class (a focused tasting of Nepalese teas), so I'm off to sleep now!

Off to Atlanta!

My voice has finally returned and I'm about to leave my apartment for my 3-ish flight to Atlanta. I'm so excited about the World Tea Expo!!! I can't wait to meet new people, reconnect with friends, try new products, take classes, visit some of ATL's tearooms, and learn as much as I can about tea while I'm there. I'll tell you all about it over the next few days, so stay tuned!

World Tea Expo

The World Tea Expo starts this weekend. I can't wait!!!

While I'm there, I will:

Attend four intensive tea tastings
Learn about tea & chocolate pairing
Learn more about tea folklore and culture
Visit some of Atlanta's top tearooms with some of my colleagues
Check out tons of companies booths and products
Talk with loads of tea professionals
Go out to dinner at my favorite tapas restaurant with the owners of Urbana Cityspa & Teabar
AND
Start a new, yet-to-be-announced dimension of Vee Tea

Exciting!!! More news later.