The New York Coffee and Tea Festival is one of my most favorite events in the tri-state area. The growth of tea in the United States is really evident in the growth of this event. Every year there have been more vendors as well as a noticeable increase in attendees. This year was very crowded, almost a little too much so. The organizers should definitely think about finding a larger space for next year. There were a lot of newer companies focusing primarily on matcha. I gathered plenty of samples as I made my rounds and picked up a few really interesting things like jelly made from jasmine tea.
One of the highlights for me is always the Korean Tea Ceremony performed by Teamaster Yoon Hee Kim. It was super crowded, the audio system was having technical difficulties and someone brought some rather obnoxiously stinky food into the room so I didn’t stay long but it was an enjoyable presentation nonetheless.
Rumor has it that there may soon be a festival in Philadelphia. I’ll definitely be hopping the megabus to attend that event as well.