World Tea Expo’s ‘World Tea Awards’ to Honor Contributors to Specialty Tea Industry Growth, Innovation, Education

by Aaron Kiel

World Tea Expo, the leading trade show focused on advancing the business of tea, will present the World Tea Awards (#TeaAwards) from 6 to 8:30 p.m. June 14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas. The awards program takes place during the B2B conference and exposition, which will be held June 13–15 (with a pre-conference program on June 12).

The World Tea Awards honors some of the best and the brightest from the tea industry, including Best Tea Industry Innovation, Best Specialty Tea Brand and Best Tea Brewing Device, among numerous other categories.

In addition, World Tea Expo and the World Tea Awards will present the Country of Origin Award and the John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award. The Country of Origin Award will go to the Sri Lanka Tea Board, to celebrate 150 Years of Ceylon Tea. And The John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced.

The 2017 World Tea Awards finalists include (winners to be announced at World Tea Expo):

Best Tea Industry Innovation

• ITO EN Research and Development
• Owl’s Brew
• Kenyan Purple Tea
• Teabox
• Infuse Cafe with Their Use of a BKON Vacuum Press

 Best Specialty Tea Brand

• Adagio
• David’s Tea
• Harney & Sons
• Numi Organic Tea
• Camellia Sinensis

 Best Tea Brewing Device

• Breville Tea Maker
• Teforia
• Qi Aerista Smart Tea Brewer
• Rishi Simple Brew
• Zojirushi Water Boiler

 Best Tea Brewing Device (Non-Electric)

• Bonavita Glass Tea Pot
• ForLife’s Dew Teapot
• Tea Traveler by Teas Etc.
• T-sac
• Going Gongfu Tea Set by The Tea Spot

 Best Retail Tea Shop, Café, Bar

• Chado Tea House
• David’sTea
• American Tea Room
• Mariage Frères Paris
• Samovar Tea Lounge

 Best Tea Accessory

• Cuisinart Variable Temperature Electric Kettle
• Zojirushi Thermos
• Ingenuitea by Adagio Teas
• Breville Kettle
• Finum Strainer Basket

 Best Consumer-oriented Marketing Campaign/Promotion

• #DrinkTea Campaign (Created by Gail Gastelu for the Tea Council of the U.S.A.)
• #Tealovers
• T by Daniel
• #LaCulturaDelTe by El Club Del Té
• #VocêSabia by Moncloa Tea Boutique

 Best Tea Community-level Campaign

• #DrinkTea Campaign
• Steepster
• Numi’s Together for Hope
• Tealet
• The Tea Bloggers Roundtable

 Best Tea Health Advocate

• Tea Council of the U.S.A./Tea Association of the U.S.A.
• Jane Pettigrew
• Maria Uspenski, The Tea Spot
• TeaSource
• Babette Donaldson

 Best Tea Publication

• The TEA Book by Linda Gaylard
• Tea Journey Magazine
• Cancer Hates Tea by Maria Uspenski
• Tea Sommelier Handbook by Australian Tea Masters
• Fresh Cup Magazine

 Best E-commerce Tea (or Accoutrements) Website

• Harney & Sons
• American Tea Room
• David’s Tea
• Adagio
• Camellia Sinensis

 Best Tea Trade Website (Wholesale)

• Camellia Sinensis
• Upton Tea Imports
• Tea Source
• American Tea Room
• El Club Del Té

 Best Tea Social Media Campaign

• The Tea House Times
• Campaign to Crowdfund Tea Journey Magazine by Publisher Dan Bolton
• American Tea Room on Instagram
• Harney & Sons
• Nicole Martin’s Tea for Me Please Blog

 Best Tea Blog

• Camellia Sinensis’ Taster’s Blog
• Tealet
• Nicole Martin Tea for Me Please
• The Tea House Times’ Blogs
• My Japanese Green Tea Blog by Ricardo Caicedo

 Best Tea Educator

• James Norwood Pratt
• Jane Pettigrew
• Bruce Richardson, Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and Benjamin Press
• Tony Gebely, World of Tea
• Babette Donaldson

‘Congratulations to All the Nominees’
Tea industry leaders Kevin Gascoyne and Bruce Richardson will emcee the World Tea Awards at World Tea Expo. Gascoyne is a British tea taster/buyer, one of four owners of Camellia Sinensis with headquarters in Montreal and co-author of Tea, History, Terroirs, Varieties. Richardson, owner of Elmwood Inn Fine Teas and Benjamin Press, is a tea blender, author of a dozen books on tea and frequent speaker at tea events.

 “The World Tea Awards is a perfect arena for us to highlight the accomplishments, developments and key personalities of the past year in tea,” said Gascoyne. “An occasion for us to express appreciation and respect for our peers is great for the tea community and the perfect excuse for a party. I am proud to be dusting off my tuxedo again and looking forward to another celebration of the precious camaraderie we share in the tea industry. Congratulations to all the nominees, and we will see you in Las Vegas.”

 Richardson added, “I’ve been present for every World Tea Expo since its inception, and I’ve seen it grow from a few hundred tea enthusiasts to an energetic gathering of tea professionals from across the globe. I consider it an honor to be a part of the event’s World Tea Awards ceremony that spotlights our industry’s leaders.”