World Tea Expo Names Finalists in the 2018 World Tea Awards

Awards Program to Recognize the Best from the Tea Community; Ceremony to Take Place June 12 at World Tea Expo in Las Vegas  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 p.m. Tuesday, June 12, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas. The awards program takes place during the B2B conference and exposition, which will be held June 12–14 (with a preconference program June 10-11). The World Tea Awards honors some of the best and the brightest from the tea industry, including Best Tea Health Advocate, Best Tea Brewing Device (both electric/battery powered and non-electric), Best Tea Accessory and Best Specialty Tea Brand, among numerous other categories. In addition, World Tea Expo will present the John Harney Lifetime Achievement Award (recipient to be announced) at the awards program. “World Tea Expo is thrilled to celebrate the tea industry through its annual World Tea Awards,” said Samantha Hammer Mitchell, the World Tea Expo event director and World Tea brand leader. “This year’s finalists represent some of the best and brightest in the industry, and we look forward to recognizing these leaders and naming the winners at the 2018 awards ceremony in Las Vegas.” The 2018 World Tea Awards finalists include (winners to be announced at World Tea Expo): Best Tea Health Advocate

• Rob McCaleb, Herb Research Foundation
• Dr. Katharine Burnett, Ph.D., U.C. Davis
• Dr. Jeffrey B. Blumberg, Ph.D., Tufts University
• Dr. Mary Hardy, M.D., Cedars Sinai Medical Center

Best Consumer-oriented Tea Marketing Campaign & Promotion

• International Tea Sippers – Sip for Peace
• Smith Teamaker – 3-Finger Black
• Adagio Tea – #AdagioFlavorInvention
• ITO EN – Art of Haiku Contest

Best Tea Brewing Device (Electric, Battery Powered)

• Steampunk by Alpha Dominche
• Single Cup Craft Brewer by BKON
• GTC8000 Fusion Tea Loose Leaf Tea Maker by Gourmia
• One-Touch Tea Maker by Breville
• 1.0L Digital Variable Temperature Gooseneck Kettle by Bonavita

Best Tea Brewing Device (Non-electric)

• Mountain Tea Tumbler by The Tea Spot
• 1 Ltr. Griffin Glass Teapot with Strainer by Five Mountains
• BeeHouse Teapots with Infuser by Bee House Teapots
• Smacha Signature Auto-Tea Brewer by City & Country Fine Tea
• Travel Zita Multi Functional Tumbler by Finum
• D1080 Delicha Automatic Tea Maker by Dalla Piazza

Best Retail Tea Shop, Café, Bar (Single Unit or Multi-unit Tea Chains)

• The Tao of Tea, Portland, Ore.
• Samovar Tea Lounge, San Francisco, Calif.
• TeBella Tea Company, Tampa, Fla.
• Miro Tea, Seattle, Wash.
• The Tea House, Santa Fe, N.M.
• Camelia Sinensis, Montreal, Canada

Best Tea Accessory (Cups, Tongs, Infusers, Tins, etc.)

• Celadon Matcha Whisk Holder by Aoi Tea Company
• Folding Handle Tea Infuser by FORLIFE Designs
• Tea Tangent Designs by Tea Tangent
• Double Walled Glass Cups, Pavina Design 12 oz. Tea for One by Bodum
• Universal Brewer by Finum

Best Tea Publication, Book or Magazine

• Fresh Cup Magazine – Jan Weigel
• Camellia Sinensis: Tea, History, Terroirs, Varieties – Kevin Gascoyne
• Tea Journey Magazine – Dan Bolton
• Global Tea Hut (Tea and Tao Magazine) – Aaron Fisher (Wu De)
• Tea: A User's Guide - Tony Gebely
• The New Tea Companion (A Guide to Teas throughout the World) – Jane Pettigrew

Best Consumer E-commerce Tea Website (or Tea Accoutrements Website)

• Rishi Tea
• Paper and Tea
• Bellocq Tea Atelier
• Camellia Sinensis
• Adagio

Best Tea Trade Website (Wholesale)

• International Tea Importers
• The G.S. Haly Co.
• QTrade Teas & Herbs
• Tradecraft Ltd.
• The Metropolitan Tea Company, Inc.

Best Specialty Tea Brand

• East India Tea Company London
• Bellocq Tea Atelier
• The Tao of Tea
• Steven Smith Teamaker
• AOI Matcha

Best Tea Sustainability Initiative

• Young Mountain Tea – Global Tea Exchange in India & Nepal
• Bitaco Tea – Environmental Sustainability Initiatives & Community Outreach in Colombia
• Teatulia Tea – Supporting Women in Bangladesh
• Bigelow Tea – Greening, Wellness, Community
• Rajah Banerjee (Makaibari) – Organic, fair trade and biodynamic (Makaibari's corporate social responsibility agenda)
• Kunikazu Mochitani – Leaf-Solar.com (Solar Powered Tea Farms in Japan)
• Jalinga Tea in Kolkotta, India for Carbon Neutral Project  CO2 Neutral Certified

Best Tea Blog

• teaformeplease.com – Tea for Me Please by Nicole Martin
• tea-happiness.com – Tea Happiness by Sara Shacket
• teageek.net/blog – Tea Geek by Michael Coffey
• marshaln.com – A Tea Addict's Journal by Lawrence Zhang (MarshalN)
• worldoftea.org – World of Tea by Tony Gebely and Jordan Hardin

Best Tea Educator - Individual

• Suzette Hammond, Being Tea
• Mo Sardella, The G.S. Haly Co.
• Nigel Melican, Teacraft
• Bill Waddington, TeaSource
• Kyle Stewart , The Cultured Cup
• Thomas Shu, JT & Tea

Best Grassroots Tea Education Campaign

• NorthWest Tea Festival – Seattle/World Tea Series
• International Tea Sippers Society – Sip for Peace
• Spirit Tea & Marco Beverage Systems – The Spirit of Tea Tour
• Tea School by Camellia Sinensis Montreal – Kevin Gascoyne

Winners are selected by World Tea Expo attendees and exhibitors. Get the 2018 World Tea Awards voting rules and instructions here. Voting closes June 1.