News

Teas honored for excellence

Fourteen teas took first-place awards in key categories during the North American Tea Championship's (NATC) evaluation of spring-harvest 2014 hot teas.

August 13, 2014

Fourteen teas took first-place awards in key categories during the North American Tea Championship's (NATC) evaluation of spring-harvest 2014 hot teas.

The competition was held July 24 – 25 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the headquarters of The Beverage Group, a division of F+W, organizer of NATC. Some of the winning companies will be featured at the World Tea Expo (#WorldTeaExpo and #WTE15), May 6 - 8, 2015 at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center in Long Beach, Calif.

"If we can all agree that elevating the quality of teas we – as retailers, packers, importers, etc. – present to consumers is a shared goal, then an event like the North American Tea Championship does an excellent job of turning the spotlight squarely on quality, on features that constitute high quality in many tea and botanical categories, rather than on just what may be trendy and marketable at the moment," said Lydia Kung, an NATC evaluator, tea buyer and expert with Eastrise Trading Corp./VeriLeaf LLC in Monrovia, Calif., in a company press release.

During the competition, NATC evaluators reviewed every submission via blind and organoleptic analysis, including dry leaf, brewed flavor, brewed color, brewed aroma, brewed mouth feel and brewed harmony. An overall numerical value on a 100-point scale was then calculated based on the ratings of each characteristic, and winning teas were determined by rank.

NATC's Spring Hot Tea Class evaluation first-place winners include the following (Company/Location/Website, Winning Tea Name and Category):

• Aiya America, Torrance, Calif. (Aiya-America.com), Matcha Infused Genmaicha – Blended Green Tea
• QTrade Teas & Herbs, Cerritos, Calif. (QTradeTeas.com), Ceylon Sapphire – Ceylon
• Florapharm Tea USA LP, Hinesville, Ga. (FlorapharmTeaUSA.com), Organic Darjeeling Jungpana Wonder Muscatel, 2nd flush – Darjeeling
• QTrade Teas & Herbs, Cerritos, Calif. (QTradeTeas.com), Dragonwell's Gold – Dragonwell
• QTrade Teas & Herbs, Cerritos, Calif. (QTradeTeas.com), Garcina Corvina – Flavored Fruit Blend
• Dethlefsen & Balk Inc., Aurora, Ill. (Dethlefsen-Balk.us), Mango/Mirabelle – Flavored Green Tea
• QTrade Teas & Herbs, Cerritos, Calif. (QTradeTeas.com), O.M.G (Orange Mango Ginger) – Flavored Herbal Blends
• Waterfall Tea Company, Pico Rivera, Calif. (WaterfallTeas.com), Organic Orange Ginger White Tea – Flavored White Tea
• Aiya America, Torrance, Calif. (Aiya-America.com), Premium Matcha – Matcha
• Amorepacific Osulloc, New York City, (AmorePacific.com), Illohyang – Pan-Fired Green Tea
• International Tea Importers, Pico Rivera, Calif. (TeaVendor.com), Sencha Supreme (Arihara) – Sencha
• Aiya America, Torrance, Calif. (Aiya-America.com), Premium Gyokuro – Steamed Green Tea
• Florapharm Tea USA LP, Hinesville, Ga. (FlorapharmTeaUSA.com), Refreshment – Unflavored Herbal Blends
• Dewdrop Tea, Naperville, Ill. (DewdropTea.com), White Peony by Fang Shoulong – White Tea