I haven't been in writing mode AT ALL lately. In fact I haven't had such a long writing slump in over a decade. Now I can't blame the winter, because it was one of the warmest ones on record. Anyway, I'm trying now to rise above the block, and thought I'd get started by posting a few pics from last month's Coffee and Tea Festival.
I'd left a three year hiatus between festivals, basically because it doesn't change much. This year it was on 34th Street, which was different, and I'd gotten a half-off discount via the Daily News (so this post is almost an Adventure in Grouponing,) so I figured why not?
Crowds are daunting, and this event was no exception. I was almost intimidated when I came in, because the people checking our tickets on the ground floor were really tetchy. I've worked trade shows in the past, and I know you're supposed to be a bit more hospitable, but I clenched my teeth and headed upstairs. Thankfully on the event floor people were friendlier, but boy were they in abundance! So this introvert made a decision to focus only on the tea promoters. Coffee's been doing a number on my system lately, and this way I wouldn't find myself in the middle of a barista competition. I mean, I like a well made cup of anything, but it's not exactly a sport! But I'm grumpily digressing.
The lectures were in a separate area, but they were too crowded too. This narrowed things down quite well for me, and I found myself finally enjoying myself as I sampled many kinds of cookies, biscotti, cheeses (thanks Cabot!) and of course teas. I tasted tea from the Azores, which I'd never heard of before. The closest I got to a coffee tasting was from teabean, who bakes coffee beans and infuses them with tea. Weird, but not bad. My favorite tea, I'd have to say, was from Best International Tea. They had an English Breakfast tea that was just perfect - buttery and delicious, strong but didn't need milk.
So, not a bad time, but not something I need to do every year. It took me nearly two months to write about it, but there it is. Maybe it's the kickstart I need (besides a good cup of tea.)
I'd left a three year hiatus between festivals, basically because it doesn't change much. This year it was on 34th Street, which was different, and I'd gotten a half-off discount via the Daily News (so this post is almost an Adventure in Grouponing,) so I figured why not?
Crowds are daunting, and this event was no exception. I was almost intimidated when I came in, because the people checking our tickets on the ground floor were really tetchy. I've worked trade shows in the past, and I know you're supposed to be a bit more hospitable, but I clenched my teeth and headed upstairs. Thankfully on the event floor people were friendlier, but boy were they in abundance! So this introvert made a decision to focus only on the tea promoters. Coffee's been doing a number on my system lately, and this way I wouldn't find myself in the middle of a barista competition. I mean, I like a well made cup of anything, but it's not exactly a sport! But I'm grumpily digressing.
The lectures were in a separate area, but they were too crowded too. This narrowed things down quite well for me, and I found myself finally enjoying myself as I sampled many kinds of cookies, biscotti, cheeses (thanks Cabot!) and of course teas. I tasted tea from the Azores, which I'd never heard of before. The closest I got to a coffee tasting was from teabean, who bakes coffee beans and infuses them with tea. Weird, but not bad. My favorite tea, I'd have to say, was from Best International Tea. They had an English Breakfast tea that was just perfect - buttery and delicious, strong but didn't need milk.
So, not a bad time, but not something I need to do every year. It took me nearly two months to write about it, but there it is. Maybe it's the kickstart I need (besides a good cup of tea.)
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