NYC Coffee & Tea Festival

I've just spent the day steeping in coffee, teas, tisanes at the NYC Coffee & Tea Festival.  What a fun day!

The event was definitely not large enough to warrant attending both days, unless you really wanted to see all of the presentations.  Though it's on from 11am-5pm, we were ready to leave after the last presentation finished at 3:30.  I'll report the highlights for now.

Upon entering we received a goodie bag full of fun samples and coupons. With Mum being the coffee-drinker she is, I thought we should stop in for the first presentation of the day, given by Anne Nylander of TampTamp, Inc.  She was explaining how to get the most out of your brew, your method, and also listing some of the best coffee places in NYC... many of them right in my own neighborhood! That's right, the East Village now seems to be epicenter for good coffee in the city.  One of the places she mentioned is right across the street from my apartment! Will have to take Mum on a neighborhood coffee tour soon.

Later, at TampTamp's table, we were able to try a brew from Dallis Coffee, based out of Ozone Park, NY!  It seems that Hole Fools (not a typo) carries this brand... I wouldn't know, since I am not a regular coffee consumer.  I'm pretty sure the one we tried was the Nossa Senhora Aperacida Peaberry linked above.  I quite liked it.  It was brewed in a Chemex, and tasted light and slightly fruity.  I think it would be great iced, so I definitely want to seek some out. (When I do drink coffee, it's always black, and mostly iced.)

At noon, Tea Master Yoon Hee Kim performed an abridged Korean tea ceremony.  It was hard to understand fully, since normally there would be more participants--a host and a preparer/server, from what I gathered, as well as guests--but in this example Kim was acting as both the preparer and host.  In short, graceful movements she made a process many of us "perform" every day into something lavish, ceremonial, and beautiful.  The rest of the ritual is quite structured.  If you are ever invited to a Korean tea ceremony, you could end up making a fool of yourself, or worse! Study up first. 

Afterward we came across Hancha Tea's post, one of Yoon Hee Kim's tea companies.  There were many herbal "teas" ready to try.   I first tried the Persimmon Leaf, which had a bright, pungent green flavor that I liked.  I came away with packages of Sweet Indulgence (Hydrangea leaves) and Mulberry Leaf, both stunners.

At 3pm, Chris Cason, tea sommelier of Tavalon made a short presentation on tea-infused cocktails.  He made an Earl Grey-infused vodka, and used it to make an Earl Grey martini.  He poured samples, but the line was more than I could handle.  Mum and I decided we'd go back to my apartment and make our own tea-infused vodka.

In the interim I tried Turkish coffee, which I've had before, and several people marveled that I'd finished my cup as fast as I did.  I actually enjoy the sweetish chalky-sludge that is Turkish coffee, what can I say!

We also came across Deborah's Kitchen,  purveyor of spreadable fruit and relishes in an abundance of flavors... I liked her savory-spicy ones best and got a jar of Hot Hot Cranberry (cranberry with chili pepper).  Mum got a small jar of Mango Sunshine (mango, peach, ginger). 

I look forward to attending next year, even though it seemed low on exhibitors.  I would have liked to see some mate represented, too! In my next posts I'll share impressions on the lovely teas I came away with.