We’re pretty excited right now down in Atlanta. TeaSource has just won first place at the Taster’s Choice Awards at the World Tea East Exposition in the Black Tea category for our Golden Dragon tea. World Tea East is a gathering of tea professionals from around the world and part of the World Tea Expo, the largest tea exposition/convention in the world.

All teas that placed in the North American Tea Competition are lined up for dozens of tea professionals to evaluate and then vote for the best tea. It’s actually pretty cool. The people evaluating are tea growers, tea brokers, tea-tasters, tea scientists, tea merchants, and tea journalists, from India, China, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Europe, and more. Some of these folks are the people I admire and respect most in this crazy industry I’m in. And Golden Dragon knocked their socks off! The leaves of this tea are golden, thick, luscious, and downy with a rich aroma. The steeped liquor is deep, complex, very sweet, with tremendous mouth-feel.  This is an incredibly high-grade tea, almost never seen outside China. After winning, of course, I had to deal with all the glam and glitter of being a tea champion; the paparazzi, the all night parties with all the adoring tea groupies and over-the-top debauched behavior. It’s a wild life we tea people live. Thanks to all the people who voted for us. -Bill

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Why Taiwan tea?  If you had to ask the question, you haven’t tried them.  Taiwan has tens of thousands of small tea growers, many of them family operations, and the industry is almost synonymous with oolong.

 

Making Taiwanese oolongs is a long process and requires a lot of experience to get it right.  After witnessing how oolong is made on a trip to Taiwan in 2011, I realized I am a very lazy and impatient person.  I also realized I’m really bad at tea producing skills such as “rolling” and “withering” (which involves staring at the leaves for about 14 hours – it takes forever).  Though few of my instructors spoke English, they knew how to yell “No” just like my father, and show me again how to do it right.  To know when the leaves are done withering, they simply pick them up and smell them – and I couldn’t tell the difference at 6 hours, 10 hours, or 14 hours – which is when they said it was ready.

 

But I did learn a couple things while I was there.  The first thing I learned was an immense respect for the wisdom and discipline to master what is essentially an art form.  I also learned that when I was not ruining their tea leaves, the Taiwanese are otherwise very nice and welcoming people.  I was amazed at their patience with my lack of Chinese speaking skills and their inclusiveness of total strangers.  I also learned a little bit about the basic styles of Taiwanese teas, and what to look for. 

 

Here are a couple of my notes:

 

 

Pouchong or Bao Zhong (translation: scented variety) – loosely defined as a lightly oxidized oolong with long, twisted, emerald green leaves, typically from Wenshan in northern Taiwan.  The Chin Shin cultivar is commonly used to highlight the very fragrant nature of this tea.  Look for a spectrum of sweet, strong-floral tones on top and bright, but subtle vegetal flavors underneath.  The complexities of pouchongs will fade quickly once exposed to air so buy vacuum sealed if possible and store airtight. 

 

 

 

Tung Ting or Dong Ding (translation: frozen peaks) – Though Mount Tung Ting is covered with tea plants, modern usage of “Tung Ting” often refers to a style of tea grown in Nantou county by which the leaves are rolled and compressed into “semi-ball” or “bead” style rather than the long twisted leaves of pouchong.  These teas are often distinguished by what mountain they were grown on, which cultivar was used, and what degree of baking they went through (note that not all teas of this style will be referred to as Tung Ting – yes, it’s confusing to me too).

Tung Ting styles that are lightly oxidized are often referred to as “Jade Oolongs” for the bright green color.  Other times the tea may be “baked” at the end of the process to deepen the character.  The flavor profiles of these teas will vary widely depending on any of the above mentioned factors, ranging from soft and floral to deep and toasty.  

 

 

 

Oriental Beauty, also know as Bai Hao Oolong or Silvertip Oolong, is one of Taiwan’s most famous (and expensive) teas.   The tea is made only in mid-summer when the “Green Leaf Hopper” arrives to feed on the new growth tea leaves, which are then immediately harvested.  This “feeding” causes a chemical reaction in the plant meant to drive the insect away,  but it is also responsible for the sweet honey notes of a great Oriental Beauty. 

When buying an Oriental Beauty I look for teas with sparkling, floral, apricot notes on top; and honey-woodsy-spicy notes in the bass.  The leaves should have a stunning contrast of bright silver tips over twisted bronze leaves.  It is called Oriental Beauty for good reason. 

I could go on forever (I already have).  This only scratches the surface.  All I’ve learned so far is that I have a lot to learn, and besides the tea itself, that’s the best part.

-Michael Lannier
TeaSource Manager

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China has 55 recognized “ethnic minorities.”  25 of them are found in Yunnan province.  So this Puer Festival was also a festival of the various ethnic minorities of Yunnan, many who have been making puer teas of their own traditions for hundreds of years. We were treated to performances, exhibitions, and meetings with members of many of these ethnic groups. One night, at an outside banquet, members of these different ethnic groups were performing.  This video shows a group of young folks from the “Bai” people (excuse me if I make an error, we met a lot of folks from different ethnic groups over a short period, and I am afraid I may make a mistake on one of the group’s names). One of the wonderful things about these people is that singing (along with tea) is one of the most important activities in their culture: for them singing is a social bond, it builds community, they sing all day and evening as they work, visit, etc.  It is almost impossible to overstate how vital singing is to their lives.  There will be some more videos of these folks later one.  These people touched my heart as much as anything did this entire trip.  -Bill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta_q3oBeLj8&feature=youtu.be

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[caption id="attachment_142" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Me in the meeting place (very fancy)[/caption] About 2 hours after arriving in the city of Puer the leader of the U.S. trade delegation asked if I would participate in a meeting with Chinese trade representatives about selling more China tea, particularly puer, overseas. I went to this meeting with three other Americans and two Canadians.  It turned out the meeting was not with Chinese trade representatives.   It was with the very recently retired Vice-Chairman of the People’s Republic of China National Congress, Xu Jialu.  Mr. Xu has also been the national congressman from Beijing for the last thirty years.  To give you some perspective, his counterpart in the U.S. would be Nancy Pelosi or Tip O’Neil.  So the meeting was with this one man, and his retinue which included translators, advisors, gophers, and what looked like bodyguards.  There was no mistaking, this was HIS meeting. He was very gracious and explained that since his retirement he had devoted himself to helping educate the rest of the world about China, Chinese tea culture and puer tea culture, which was his great love. Since we westerners had come all the way to Yunnan, for puer, he wanted to talk to us and, in particular, pick our brains.  He spoke a bit about puer and puer culture and its importance in all aspects of Chinese life.  He mentioned that they were planning to do a puer tea culture demonstration in NYC with Yunnan tea masters within the next 12-18 months.  He then said he would like to hear from each of us some ideas to educate our countries about puer and the beauty and benefits of Chinese tea culture (something I am an advocate of). Throughout his remarks I’m thinking, “No pressure, no pressure.  Remember this guy is only Nancy Pelosi/Tip O’Neil.” [caption id="attachment_146" align="alignright" width="300"]

Me, second to left, and Mr. Xu, in the foreground/right[/caption] Thank goodness I was the third person, so I had a few minutes to think about (and even jot down some notes) about what I would say.  I would compliment them on the idea of a puer tea and culture demonstration in NYC.  But, I would suggest strongly that this should just be a first step.  They should also think about taking that puer tea and culture demonstration on a road show thru the U.S.  After all, most of the expense was getting to North America.  Don’t just do NYC.  Do the west coast.  Do some interior cities.  I was going to ensure them that even in the interior of the U.S. there could be great interest and success in offering this demonstration. As evidence I was going to recount how just 3 weeks earlier I had brought into Minneapolis, not a large city, an international tea master to do a series of workshops, tea tastings, and demonstrations.  We had reached literally hundreds of very enthusiastic and receptive attendees.  (For those of you who don’t remember, in May I brought Thomas Shu to Minneapolis from Taiwan to teach). And, of course, I was going to say “international tea master”, not Taiwanese tea master.  Mainland China considers Taiwan a runaway/rebellious province (illegally supported by the U.S.A.  This is a very touchy subject). I even wrote down the phrase “international tea master.” I think you can see where this is going. My turn came.  I thanked Mr. Xu for his kind words and welcome and for sharing his thoughts.  I then mentioned I loved the idea of a demonstration in NYC, but they should think about doing this throughout America.  Even in mid-sized cities, like my own Minneapolis, tea education can be very successful.  Why just last month I brought to Minneapolis to teach some workshops, “an international tea master…from Taiwan…” When I heard the word “Taiwan” leave my lips my first reaction was utter shock and I thought, “Who the heck said, ‘Taiwan?” My next reaction was to reach out and try to snatch the word out of the air, like an old time cartoon character snatching a word bubble off the page. Next I tried to look at the translator to try to gesture to him to not translate “Taiwan.” But then I noticed Mr. Xu had definitely come to attention upon hearing “Taiwan.” “Oh crap.” I thought.  I could also see the leader of the U.S. trade delegation turning a lighter shade of pale. Mr. Xu listened to the entire translation of my comments.  Then, rather than making vague nice receptive noises, he turned, looked me squarely in the eye, and directed his comments to me personally. He thanked me for my comments, particularly for my frankness.  (I’m starting to sweat bullets at this point.)  He said he appreciated that I liked the idea of a tea culture demonstration and he liked the idea of doing multiple presentations throughout North America.  Perhaps when they do this, if I thought it was a good idea, they could bring a tea master from Puer, Hong Kong, ….. and Taiwan to do the demonstrations.  His eyes were slightly twinkling at this point, and he had a soft smile on his face.  He thanked me again for my comments and gave me a slight nod. [caption id="attachment_148" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Mr. Xu in the white shirt in the center, with the leader of the U.S. trade delegation firmly planted between me and Mr. Xu[/caption] I felt like a lake trout that had been cleanly hooked, netted, and dumped into the bottom of the boat, gasping for breath; at which point the kindly, old, Chinese fisherman picked me up and gently and graciously placed me back in the water and allowed me to swim away with dignity. After the meeting I wanted to say hello and thank Mr. Xu for his time, kindness, and graciousness, but the leader of the U.S. trade delegation was going out of his way to make sure that I, and the foot protruding from my mouth, got nowhere near Mr. Xu. An interesting way to spend an afternoon when you’re exhausted, jet-lagged, and startled in a pressure situation. The good news is Mr. Xu knows who I am and might even remember me.  Who knows, Minneapolis may be hosting a Chinese / puer tea culture demonstration sometime in the near future. -Bill

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And with that, the 2013 World Tea Expo has come to a close. Bill, Michael, and I are all back in Minnesota, the booth has been torn down and packed away, and we're all looking forward to a really good night's sleep and to see our families again. That's not to say we didn't have a great time, and we certainly managed to make sure our last day was eventful. As mentioned in yesterday's post, Bill taught a two day course on tea processing using freshly plucked tea leaves flown in just for the class. Not only were the participants satisfied with their experience, but other WTE attendees were impressed with the logistics of getting fresh tea to Las Vegas and producing it in a convention center room. Quite the experience for everyone! Michael and I spent a little time walking the show floor and chatting with some of the other exhibitors before the Expo opened for the day. The variety of teas and tea accessories available on the market today is impressive, and it was nice to have a chance to talk to people about the growing tea markets all over the country.

The big event of the day, however, happened at our booth. Bill brought along a portable, variable-speed bandsaw and a log of 100 Taels Dark tea which was cut into pieces right on the Expo floor. After a short talk about Dark Tea, we pulled names from a basket and gave the pieces to the winners (we were in Las Vegas, after all). About 50 people crowded around our booth, clogging the isles and generally creating a scene. It was an experience I'm not likely to forget! We didn't have time to take too many pictures while we were here, but we did get a few and we'll post them on Facebook [and the blog] in the next few days. We're already looking forward to our next trade show, so be sure to check Beyond the Leaf often to catch all of our updates! -Timothy Otte Assistant Wholesale Manager

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At the end of Day Two of the World Tea Expo I didn't feel quite as exhausted as I did after the first day. We started settling in a bit, and were able to spend some time with some of the new people who were stopping by, as well as give a little time to some of the folks who came back after saying hello on the first day. Our booth was busy all day again, but we were able to take some time to sit down and enjoy a few cups of tea before the Expo opened. Michael and I were fortunate enough to spend some time with a the producers of our new Tung Ting, Light Roast who shared some of their new and unique teas, some of which were only plucked in mid-May. It was an excellent, relaxing way to start out the day. While Michael and I relaxed, Bill was busy teaching once again. Yesterday was the first day of a two part class on tea processing. The class is an experiential lab that Bill is co-teaching with Donna Fellman, the Online Education Manager for World Tea Media. They have flown freshly plucked tea leaves that about 60 participants are using to make 5 different types of tea–white, green, yellow, oolong, and black. Today, the last day of the Expo, the participants will be finishing their tea and tasting their handiwork. Our booth was busy, but less frantic than the first day, so we were able to spend a little more time talking to people, answering questions, and sampling teas. Once again, Bill snuck off to the North American Tea Championships Winner’s Tasting Circle to feature Big Red Robe Supreme, a beautiful strip-style oolong. We're very excited about all of our teas that were honored by the judges! Today is shaping up to be another busy day here in Las Vegas! Not only will we still have a rotating selection of Taiwanese teas to sample alongside our featured teas, but we'll be making a bit of a scene on the show floor. If you're here at the Expo, stop by our booth at 1:30 for a talk on Dark Tea, as well as a rare opportunity to see a log of Dark Tea cut into cakes (don't worry, we have safety glasses). We'll be raffling off the pieces and you must be present to win. If you don't win, however, we do sell the cakes pre-cut! We'll have one final post from Las Vegas tomorrow morning after the show has ended and we're on our way home, so stop by Beyond the Leaf again tomorrow! -Timothy Otte Assistant Wholesale manager

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