‘World Tea on the Road’ 2015 in Chicago, Nov. 7 – 8, Features a ‘World Origin Tasting Tour’

Tea Learning Experience Offers Insightful Tea Education Tracks, Exploration and Tasting of Seven Tea Origin Countries World Tea on the Road – from the organizer of World Tea Expo, World Tea Academy and the North American Tea Championship – is headed to Chicago, Nov. 7 – 8 at the Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront, and one conference highlight is the informative and educational World Origin Tasting Tour – a virtual tea tour around the globe. Attendees will make “stops” at seven major countries/regions of origin, while tasting teas and cultivating a better understanding of the culture. The tour’s countries of origin include: China, India, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. World Tea on the Road is an immersive tea event taught by tea’s foremost experts, and the conference and tasting tour is open to anyone who wants to learn about tea or grow in the tea industry – even those who are new to tea. Registration and more information can be found at WorldTeaontheRoad.com. WTR-WOTT-MapBOS ‘Tour’ Educators Offer Insights Bill Waddington, founder of TeaSource in Roseville, Minn., says, “If you’re serious about tea, you have to experience the teas. And one of the best, most intense ways to do that is through the World Origin Tasting Tour during the upcoming World Tea on the Road conference. It’s like visiting seven tea countries in just two days.” WTR-0943Waddington, one of the presenters at World Tea on the Road, will cover Sri Lankan teas during the Tasting Tour. “The most under-appreciated teas are from Sri Lanka. I love Sri Lankan teas, and they are some of the best tea bargains in the world. And if you’ve never been to a Sri Lankan tea estate, the World Origin Tasting Tour at World Tea on the Road in Chicago is the next best thing.” Maria Uspenski, CEO of The Tea Spot in Boulder, Colo., also a presenter at World Tea on the Road, says, “Tea is an agricultural product with a most exciting and almost overwhelming range of flavors and tastes. The finished tea product is all about the production methods used to make it, and the terroir, which is influenced by soil, terrain, climate and culture. Developing an understanding of the basic tea origins is essential to being able to work effectively with tea as a product.” Uspenski will cover Japan and its teas during the World Origin Tasting Tour. “I’ll give an overview of the Japanese tea tradition, its impact on the culture, and ultimately on the history, production and characteristics of the primary Japanese teas we see today,” she says. Also joining the line-up of renowned tea experts, presenters at World Tea on the Road include: Donna Fellman, program director, World Tea Academy; Suzette Hammond, director of training and product communication, Paper & Tea; Beth Johnston, founder and CEO, Teas Etc; and Dan Robertson, founder and owner, The Tea House & World Tea Tours. More Education at World Tea on the Road In addition to the World Origin Tasting Tour, the World Tea on the Road conference offers two distinct education tracks – the Tea Business Boot Camp and World Tea Academy Live!. Tea Business Boot Camp – This education series is designed for entrepreneurs who are starting a tea retail business. Sessions include: Tea 101; Staff Training; Marketing & Capturing Customers; How to Source & Select Teas; and Financial Management Considerations for the New Tea Businesses. Participation in this track also includes the World Origin Tasting Tour. For Ravi Jerome Pillai, tea quality manager at DAVIDsTEA, Montreal, Canada, World Tea Academy was a perfectly blended learning and career-enhancing experience. “The structure of World Tea Academy was excellently laid out, featured great educational content and informative teaching material,” shared Pillai, who has worked in the tea industry since 1984. World Tea Academy Live! This track is a first step to achieving industry certification and future success in the world of tea. Session highlights include: Tea Processing; Intro to the Six Types of Tea; Cupping Green & Yellow Teas; White and Oolong Teas; Black and Dark Teas; a Tea Q&A; and World Tea Academy Test Preparation and Testing. World Tea Academy is the leading online tea education and certification program, and World Tea Academy LIVE! is in-person instruction based on the online program. Participation in this track also includes the World Origin Tasting Tour. Learn Everything About Tea World Tea on the Road in Chicago offers in-depth business and career-building lessons in tea. The conference, based on the comprehensive education of World Tea Expo and World Tea Academy, will enhance attendees’ understanding of tea and the business of tea over just one weekend. The event is ideal for tea retailers and entrepreneurs, new tea professionals, tea enthusiasts, chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice specialists, among others who want to gain knowledge about tea. To register for World Tea on the Road in Chicago, Nov. 7 – 8, visit WorldTeaontheRoad.com. Also watch WorldTeaExpo.com for details on World Tea Expo, scheduled for June 15 – 17, 2016 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (#WTE16). World Tea Expo is the leading annual tradeshow focused 100 percent on premium teas and related products.