Note: Entry deadline extended for this competition. North American Tea Championship (NATC) brings its 3rd year of Packaged Single-Service Tea Class competition to Las Vegas, Nevada November 6-7, 2014. The competition is held at the World Tea Media headquarters as a private competition to determine the industry’s elite within the Packaged Single-Service market. This Class Competition includes popular tea types pre-portioned and packaged for single-service (i.e. teabags, sachets, instant, etc.) Each tea type is evaluated in-line with its sub-category, which is determined by pack size. Entries are still being accepted for this competition through October 24 Deadline extended to October 30, hurry! If you would like to learn more about the North American Tea Championship, or to enter your tea submissions into next month’s competition visit: www.teachampionship.com pack 1NATC, holds four competitions annually to showcase the best teas in their categories. The Hot Tea Class is evaluated twice a year: July for spring teas, and February for fall teas. The Iced Tea Class is evaluated once a year in May. Judges for the competition, evaluate each of the tea submissions blindly through an organoleptic analysis of characteristics such as: brewed color, brewed aroma, brewed flavor, brewed mouth-feel, and brewed harmony. For the annual Packaged Single-Service Tea competition, teas are brewed using one single-serve pack (teabag, sachet, portion pack, etc.) and steeped in an eight ounce serving cup. The water temperature and steep time for each category is according to a specific Brew Plan chart. Then, an overall numerical value on a 100-point scale is then calculated based on the ratings of each characteristic above. First, second, and third place winning teas are determined by rank. To see who won the 2013 North American Tea Championship Packaged Single-Service Class Competition, click here. Some of the benefits of entering the competition include: * Professional evaluation and written feedback from a group of professional cuppers, representing companies such as: G.S. Haly Company, Eastrise Trading Corporation, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Smith Tea Maker and Walker Tea. * Winning companies will have an opportunity to showcase their teas at the annual World Tea Expo, the premier trade event for the industry, in the North American Tea Championship Tasting Winners’ Circle if exhibiting. NATC14_Plain_loaward2011a* Access to North American Tea Championship seal  to use on marketing collateral promotions as well as packaging. * Winners are awarded a prestigious award trophy to showcase at their headquarters, tea-related events and more. As the Tea industry continues to grow and the market saturates, it is particularly important for companies to stand out from their competitors with award recognition. Research firm Packaged Facts, released a report earlier this year that highlighted that growth in the tea market is projected to reach $25 billion by the end of 2014, with roughly $6.2bn projected to come from retail sales and the rest from foodservice., according to the report titled “Tea and Ready-to-Drink Tea in the U.S.”. Household penetration of tea is strong, at about 77 percent, and growing—up 1.9% between 2008 and 2013* (*Source: Food Navigator – USA)