READER PICKS » Iced Tea Time

More than 2,600 of the world's most-renowned tea experts and aficionados gathered to increase their tea knowledge by performing for each other, networking, cooking, testing new equipment, and discovering unusual varieties of the world's most popular drink--second only to water.

And back by demand, the festive Iced Tea Shake-off, held in partnership with the Tea Association of the U.S.A., showcased iced tea from 40 companies. A huge growth area, eight new companies came on board just in the past year, according to George Jage, president of the World Tea Expo.

"Sixty percent of the U.S. tea market is iced tea," says Jage. And the strongest iced tea trends, he says, are "herbals, such as the increasingly popular antioxidant-rich South African Rooibos tea; exotic tropical flavors, like mango; caffeine- free; and energy tea drinks, which are showing up more and more in hotel mini-bars...and there's a big interest in children's tea drinks."

Servingware and garnishes for iced tea are getting attention, too. The year-round drink may, for example, come in a martini glass, pint glass, champagne flute, have a sugared rim, or be packaged like wine. Lemons and oranges are still favorites for garnishes--but so are cinnamon sticks, pineapple, sugar sticks, and drink umbrellas.

At the Iced Tea Shake-off, industry judges, such as Craig Min of Sun Garden Teas; Pearl Dexter, editor of Tea A Magazine; and raconteur and tea enthusiast Robin Leach, evaluated competitors on taste, beverage presentation, technique, personal, presentation, and creativity. The contest was divided into three categories: Ready to Drink, Commercially Brewed Foodservice, and Freestyle.

"The Freestyle competition, in particular, attracted a lot of attention," says Nate Arkash of the World Tea Expo. "It was a perfect opportunity for companies to exhibit cutting-edge aspects of iced tea." Over-the-top marketing presentations, such as Eastern Shore Tea's introduction of Night Vision, a sleep-inducing tea, and stories told through music and fashion--a harmonica performance and a vest made of teabags, for example--caused excitement and made lasting impressions.

Also creating a stir was Ito En's Southampton blend, which won the Commercially Brewed category for "best flavored." This loose tea, a blend of Dimbula black tea and fresh apricot, was inspired by memories of hot muggy New York nights forcing residents to escape to Southampton Beaches and relax with a refreshing glass of iced tea. Other new Ito En loose teas include green blends of yuzu, a Japanese citrus fruit, and another using shiso, a Japanese basil leaf. For best results, it's recommend to brew these green teas overnight in a glass container (similar to Sun Tea) in room-temperature spring or mineral water. --MRC

THE WINNERS

READY TO DRINK

Best taste--Tie between MarketSpice and Tea Tech

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ARTICLE CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME George Jage	PHONE 702-253-1893	WEB www.worldteaexpo.com