2013 World Tea Expo

The World Tea Expo is the leading trade show and conference for the specialty tea industry. It opens today in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will extend through the 9th.  It is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and this year is co-locating with the first ever Healthy Beverage Expo.

The Expo focuses 100% on premium teas and related products.  There are three days of focused buying, selling, and education.  This year 37 educational classes are being offered.

I have attended two World Tea Expos - The very first one held in 2003 [which was called "Take Me 2 Tea"], and the 2007 Expo in Atlanta, Georgia.  Both were very educational and worthwhile.  

My girlfriend and me on the showroom floor.

Tea vendors come from all over the world, and attendees have the opportunity to taste their teas, and see their products on the showroom floor.

[Photo Courtesy of World Tea Expo]

[Photo Courtesy of World Tea Expo]

This year more than 200 new products will be introduced.  One that intrigued me, is Tea Pops Frozen Treats by Dee Bees.   Doesn't it look refreshing for summer?

[Photo Courtesy of World Tea Expo]

I read in an E-mail from Glenburn Tea Estate that they are sending representatives from their tea estate in Darjeeling, India to conduct a focused tea tasting at the Expo.

[Photo Courtesy of Glenburn Tea Estate]

According to World Tea Expo, consumer thirst for tea is hot, and getting hotter [pun intended]! Tea is an $8 billion industry in the United States, and is expected to grow an additional $7 billion by 2015.

Wishing the Expo much success as it opens today, and a great experience for every attendee.   

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Enjoy a donut with your cuppa today.  It's is National Donut Day!

[Internet Photo]

Always a Student of Tea

As time progressed, it became evident that opening a tea room was  not going to be a reality for me, so I began focusing my attention on other possibilities, continually striving to find my niche  in the tea world, and having fun along the way.

I have come to realize, the more I learn about tea, the more there is to learn!   I will never reach the point where I've learned everything on the subject.  It will be a life-long pursuit and I'll always be a student of tea.   The adage is, learning is fun at any age!

In March 2003 I headed off to Las Vegas, Nevada for the first Take Me 2 Tea  Expo, which was later renamed World Tea Expo.   During the three day expo, I signed up for several classes and it was a wonderful learning experience.

Shirley [my tea room mentor and also a Magnolia & Ivy alumni] and I enjoyed seeing Kay and Terri again. They taught some of the class offerings, and introduced their new tea product line, Tiara Teas, in the expo show room.   What fun seeing all the booths of tea products!  The expo was a huge success and just completed its ten year anniversary earlier this month.   Later, an extension was added  to the Las Vegas Expo - World Tea East,  [currently being held in Philadelphia, PA in the fall] to accommodate tea enthusiasts from that geographic area.  

L-R:  Kay, Phyllis [me], Shirley and Terri

There was a M & I alumni meet-up.

It was nice seeing Mr. John Harney [of Harney Teas] again, and having our picture taken with him. 

Author and speaker, Elizabeth Knight.

 TEA A Magazine Editor, Pearl Dexter

There just happened to be a tea room in Las Vegas!  Tricia's Teas was located in an antique mall, and we made reservations for Afternoon Tea.    It has since closed, but I'm told another lovely tea room has opened.

Tricia had hats galore to try on.

L-R  Linda, Shirley and Me

In the fall of 2003 I enrolled in Dawnya Sasse's five week, in-depth,  on-line tea course, Start A Tea Business [possibilities beyond owning a tea room].  I was in her very first class, and her course is still being taught today.   With every conference or course I take, my tea horizons  expand a little farther.

Tea journey continued...