Yesterday was the first day of the World Tea Expo here in Las Vegas. As pureblooded Minnesotans, going from 65 degree weather in Minneapolis to 100 degree weather here was a bit of a shock to the system. We're expecting a high of 111 degrees on Saturday, 40 degrees warmer than the expected high in Minneapolis. Luckily, we're inside a huge convention center with air conditioning, so we've managed to remain cool.
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Golden Dragon, China[/caption]
TeaSource, however, is HOT. Bill spent Friday morning teaching a class on the reality of opening a brand new tea shop (with most of the class based on opening our Eden Prairie store). While Bill was teaching, Michael and I readied the booth for the day which meant brewing 4 different teas and adjusting the final details of our display.
As I said, our booth was popular, and day one of the Expo was one of the busiest days we've ever had at a trade show. The show opened officially at 11am, but we had people stopping by as early as 10 to say hello, and the rush didn't let up until 5:30 when the show closed for the day. We met hundreds of people from all over the world and were excited to share our knowledge and passion with everyone who stopped by.
We are sampling a variety of teas at our booth, focusing on 100 Taels Dark Tea Cake, Dark Rose Tea, and Blue Beauty Oolong (which recently took home 2nd place in the North American Tea Championships). We we are also featuring a rotating Taiwanese tea at the top of every hour, which meant people came back every hour to try a different tea. Bill also stepped out for an hour to feature Golden Dragon and our 1999 Green Puerh Cake at the North American Tea Championships Winner's Tasting Circle. No shortage of tea samples from us!
We have also made a big splash with our brand new Taste Tea Cupping Journal. I came up with the idea for the cupping journal after my first World Tea Expo last year. I wanted a tool for myself to help me keep track of the teas I tried, but it has probed to be a useful tool for others as well. Already there are almost 200 cupping journals making their way around the Expo floor! I couldn't be more proud of our cupping journal.
If you're at the World Tea Expo, stop by Booth #400 to sample our teas and pick up you're own Taste Tea Cupping Journal (if you haven't already grabbed one). Bill, Michael, and I are looking forward to meeting you! If you're not in Las Vegas, we'll make sure we enjoy the hot weather for you, though we're secretly looking forward to more mild temperatures. Check back tomorrow morning for a recap of Saturday's fun!
-Timothy Otte
Assistant Wholesale Manager
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