Sweet and Stellar at the World Tea Expo 2014

Last weekend I had the pleasure of touring the convention floor at the 2014 World Tea Expo in Long Beach, CA.  There were all kinds of wonderful products related to tea – tea pots, packaging, books, cozies, porcelain tea sets, tea brewing machines, and of course a huge variety of teas.  One sweet idea and one stellar idea caught my attention.

 

The sweet idea was literally icing on the cake.  Just about every celebration includes a cake. How about decorating it with tea inspired icing flavors?  That’s what the folks at ModernTea Girl do with their Matcha Latte, Lady Earl Grey, and Chocolate Chai and more.

 

Then there’s the stellar new concept from JusTea.  Their tea star is a cluster of oolong tea leaves tied to a string and dried in the shape of a star.  Such a clever way to provide loose leaf tea that’s as convenient as a tea bag!  It’s so pretty I think it could double as a Christmas ornament.  It certainly brings attention to their orthodox handcrafted teas from Kenya. I bought some to try at home and found the tea stars make a wonderful cup of tea rich with complex flavors.