Posted on August 28, 2010
In any tasting session, brief or more time-intensive, I generally try to taste teas that belong to one subgroup.
Usually the range is narrower, but sometimes the exigencies of having to decide on one over another in preparing an order, or just plain eagerness to taste an unusual looking tea make for a grouping of teas [...]
Posted on June 17, 2010
Last month (May) I gave a tea talk at UCLA along with a tasting that was part of the school’s annual “Asia in LA 2010″ day-long program.
Most of the material I presented has been covered in various earlier posts, but I provide here the teas that I brought for the tasting and my reasoning for [...]
Posted on August 16, 2009
One is not likely to go hungry at the NASFT Fancy Food Show (held in NYC on June 28-30 of this year). At this event an attendee is not limited to cold sandwiches and salads at the usual food concessions. Exhibitors offer enough samples to sate the appetite, even if they don’t quite make a [...]
Posted on August 10, 2009
When I worked as a tea buyer, I and some colleagues tasted tea samples almost on a daily basis. It seemed there were always more samples waiting than we had time for.
It helped, of course, to have support: assistants who set up the rows of teas, mugs, and bowls, and who cleaned up afterwards, with careful [...]
Posted on August 10, 2009
In November 2008 there were tea trade shows in Taipei and in Guangzhou that were held during the same week. The timing presented quite a challenge for small businesses exhibiting at both. The Taiwan show was broader in reach, including coffee and wines in addition to tea (Taipei Tea, Coffee, & Wine Expo) while the [...]