#worldteapodcast

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World Tea Podcast, EP.33: Setting Sail for Tea

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Welcome to the World Tea Podcast! A Podcast about tea's culture and technology!

This week we talk to several tea "beginners" a title I've grown to dislke after conducting my research. You'll learn why in the podcast, but suffice it to say that just like the ocean, there are plenty of things we simple don't know or pass by.

I had the pleasure of servig tea with the sister of a long time friend and to join a Toronto Tea Group while researching for this episode. Hearing there stories of tea, how they learned about it, got into it, and where they are headed was a fascinating listen. 

It was something we all went through. And it is something I beleive we should all reflect upon. These are the customers tea retailers sell to and the people who set the trends with their dollar. It's a diverse group of individuals. But we all share that first sip. And from that moment on the sail is hoisted and our boats launch from the dock into an ocean of majest-tea.

So listen into this tea podcast and see how you relate to up and coming tea drinkers. The horizon is looking bright.

 LEEET'S BREW IT!!!!

 All music for this episode was made possible by BENSOUND MUSIC. I highly recommend you check them out for any music needs. 

http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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World Tea Podcast, EP.32: An Abdication of 2 Kings

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Welcome to the World Tea Podcast! A podcast about tea's culture and technology.

 This week on the podcast I bring an important message, the closure of the Tea Kings as an online tea store. If you browse the store you'll see some amazing deals on our remaining inventory. And if you are paying in US dollars you're in for an even better deal as everything is priced in Canadian currency. To accommodate for future changes, all the tea and teaware must go! 

While I can't get into specifics, suffice it to say that other opportunities have presented themselves and while Robert and I loved offering an array of great teas for all you lovely folk, the time commitment, expenses, and direction were ultimately too much to juggle along with our daily lives.

But all is not lost, Robert and I are not bidding a farewell to the tea industry. We simply love it too much. At the time of this posting, Robert should be flying over Western Canada on his way to Taiwan. There he will be looking for tea stories, interesting brews, and furthering his Daoism. Myself, I plan on switching my efforts to growing this very podcast into something better. Plans are in the works and all is explained in the podcast.

By the end of August the TeaKings.com will be closed. Off course you can always find the World Tea Podcast at the worldteapodcast.com as well as iTunes.

 LEEET'S BREW IT!!!

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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WTP @ The 2015 World Tea Expo: Android for Oolong, iOS for Pu'er

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Welcome to the World Tea Podcast! A podcast about tea's culture and technology! This week we hit the exhibition floor of the World Tea Expo 2015 to see what was happening, who was present, and what was selling!

If you haven't already, I recommend you jump back in time to listen to a previous podcast, "Rise of the Machines". Last year proved very interesting as we looked at the technology making its way to market. Much progres has been made in the realm of "single serving" coffee machines. Many of you are probably already familiar with Keurig, Nespresso, and Tassimo. Would it surprise you that tea is doing the same?

Today we take a look into the technology behind three mechanical brewers and discuss their benefits, contributions, disappointments, and changes they bring to a growing industry and beloved drink.

For better or worse, these machines are sparking to life and downloading themselves to cafes near you. It'll be an exciting few years to come. As coffee made "waves" into the market, so do many industry leaders expect tea to do the same. 

We have so much to gain......but what do we stand to lose? Tune in to the podcast and find out!

LEEET'S BREW IT!!!

 Check out your new Mechanical Overlords here:

BKON

Alpha Dominche - Steampunk

Sharp - Tea-Cere

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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WTP, EP.28: On Meetup.com, Cultural Exchange, and Tips on Hosting a Tea Event

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Get ready to brew some tea as we pour ourselves into another episode of The World Tea Podcast!This week we take a break from the World Tea Expo 2015 Series and explore our most recent event, the Toronto Tea Tasters Japanese Tea Tasting!

This podcast episode explores the benefits of MeetUp.com, how to host a tea tasting event, and what to consider when it comes to tea and culture. A full half hour to be sure, so make sure you have plenty of tea on hand!

This was all made possible from some very amazing friends and my esteemed business partner. Of course the Japanese Independent News Network prompted it all and I was more than glad to host them for a night of Japanese Tea Tasting as they explored "Japanese Tea in Canada". It was tea that brought two cultures together, and us Torontonians together for a night of exploring and learning.

So listen in and find out what went down in Toronto on June 5th, 2015!

If you are listening to this and live in or around Toronto, we have decided to continue the Toronto Tea Tasters MeetUp.com group as a monthly activity. Join us in July for a taste of Taiwan!

Special Thanks goes to:

Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, Sergio Shidomi for the amazing Matcha and Sakura Truffles

Zoologist, Brian Millward of Earth Unfiltered for your time as Canadian Ambassador to the Japanese

And to all the amazing attendees who made this happen!

LEEET'S BREW IT!!!

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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WTP @ The 2015 World Tea Expo: Tea Bloggers, The Glue of the Community

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And Welcome to the World Tea Podcast! A Podcast all about Tea's Culture and Technology! This week we continue our tour of the 2015 World Tea Expo with the World Tea Podcast @ The World Tea Expo Series!

This week we jump into another highly anticipated conference: Amplifying Your Business Voice Through Tea Bloggers!

On the panel where:

Jo Johnson - Scandalous Tea

Nicole Martin - Tea For Me Please

Geoff Norman - Steep Stories of the Lazy Literatus

A great crew to be sure, with well over a decade of tea drinking experience between them!

This conference had a straightforward message:

Businesses, for the love of all that is holy and sacred, make use of tea bloggers.

The online tea community is enormous. Teachat, Steepster, and Reddit are tantamount to the interest and dedication to this delicious beverage. And who is the glue that keeps all these communities together. You guessed it, Tea Bloggers. Those people who spend all there time and money building up websites, educating themselves, and creating content to spark discussion and inform the masses. You think people just meander over to your website and make a purchase? Heck no! They visit their favourite blogger(s) and gather as much information to make an informed choice for their hard earned dollars. It is a wise businessman who acknowledges this and works with them.

An ever-growing resource to communicate your teas. A trusted and respected third party. That is who tea bloggers are. That is who you, as a business, need to appreciate and look towards.

As for you tea drinkers and enthusiasts. Go forth and read the blogs! Retweet your favourite! Repin ALL the posts! Hashtang till your thumbs bleed! Do good for the community.

If this passionate dialogue has moved you, just wait till you hear the podcast!

 LEEET'S BREW IT!!! 

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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WTP @ THE 2015 WORLD TEA EXPO: The Tea Equation

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Alright Tea peeps, jump onto the Tea train as we head full steam ahead into the World Tea Expo 2015 Conference Review! Over the course of the next few Monday's I'll be uploading podcasts discussing the conferences I attended while at this year's Expo.

Today we begin with what was one of my favourite discussions, Tea By Intuition! 

Hosted by Donna Fellman of The World Tea Academy and Suzette Hammond of Paper & Tea in Berlin, this conference was incredibly informative. Donna and Suzette jumped right in to the hard science of brewing tea, expressing the process as the following equation:

Solute + Solvent + Temperature + Time = Tea

With this in mind it presents the brewer with the ability to manipulate and better the end result through the variables. An amazing concept which I believe is often glanced over by many people who assign themselves to the view of a rigid brewing instruction for each tea they come across.

As the discussion progressed, samples of teas were sent around the classroom of 70 or so people to allow for a comparative glance of similar teas. Gunpowder vs. Sencha, Dragonwell vs. Bancha, Ball-Rolled Oolong vs. Gunpowder, First Flush Darjeeling vs. Bai Mu Dan, and Silver Needle vs. Golden Needle were all examined for similarities and differences. When given the time to closely inspect the teas side-by-side, it was enlightening to notice what the size, shape, colour, and part of the leaf were telling you about how to brew.

The emphasis remained with the tea leaves, the solute, and little time was given the possibilities of manipulating the water, temperature, and time. Alas, an hour is simply not enough time to cover all the material and it is much easier to play with the leaves.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed. This was exactly the conference I was hoping for and will be delighted if a similar discussion presents itself next year. I strongly encourage any serious tea drinker to listen to the podcast and read the notes via the link below.

 LEEET'S BREW IT!!!

 You can see the entire slide show of Tea By Intuition here.

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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WTP @ The 2015 World Tea Expo: 3 Days in 30 Minutes

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My friends and family were all curious on how my vacation to the Expo was. My response remains firm:

An Expo is not a Vacation.

Long days, frequent talks, networking, research, tweeting, recording, long nights, early mornings. I have been back a week and am still trying to get back into my routine. Exciting, eventful, and amazing are accurate adjectives to describe meeting everyone and the trip. But a vacation it was not.

I'd do it all again in a heart beat. Hell, I even got to go to the beach this time! I was baptised in tea and the Pacific.

This weeks podcast breaks down my entire trip. Rather than jumping into a specific event or coference I'm going to begin this years Expo with a quick half hour breakdown of everything I did. The weeks following today will then showcase indivual conferences, talks, and showcases that I encountered and mention today. Think of it as Table of Contents of sorts!

So listen in and enjoy!

LEEET'S BREW IT!!!

 PS. We are searching for a new Intro and Outro for the World Tea Podcast! If you or anyone you know is interested in submitting a short 15-30 second piece we are more than happy to hear it! We are offering $100 worth of teaware and tea to the winner! Simply send an .mp3 format sample to [email protected] and we'll be in touch!

 More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!

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WTP, EP:26: An Observation on Tea Psychographics

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It's The World Tea Podcast!

This week we go on the road and ramble on about the Psychographics of Tea! Why do people drink tea? What's in it for them? What are they looking for? Why do the seek it out? 

Of course this is by no means emipirical, all of this come from my first-hand observations from Tea Expos, Shows, Events, and Day-to-Day business dealings. It's a fascinating topic and is key to a superior and efficient client/merchant relationship. After all, how can we properly sell if we don't know what our customers want? Alternatively, hows do our clients order if they don't know what we sell?

It's a two way street with many turns, twist, dead-ends, and full stops! Make sense? Listen in and perhaps you'll find some!  

I apologise in advance for the background noise! I've yet to purchase a headset. 

LEEET'S BREW IT!!!

More episodes of the World Tea Podcast here!