Event Review: Coffee and Tea Festival NYC (Brooklyn), March 19-20, 2016

Disclaimer: In exchange for an event review, I was offered one entry ticket.

The 11th annual Coffee and Tea Festival NYC occurred at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, New York from March 19-20.  Unlike some previous shows that I have attended, this drink-heavy event is open to the public (this also means that vendors are able to sell their goods on-site).  Knowing that the emphasis is on coffee and tea, you may want to start queuing for the restroom now. (Yes, there was food, too.)

Don’t fret if you missed this one, for Philly will be hosting its own this year.

Full disclosure, I drink tea everyday, but coffee is for when I need to be woken up during the day, or after a flight.

How many of you like cream in your coffee?  Why not butter?  It already seems to be a fad in California, and ButterBuzz would like to introduce this Tibetan-inspired idea to those on the East Coast.  I liked it, but I don’t think this is what we need more of in our average US diet…fyi, if you’re in NYC and want to try Tibetan butter tea, head to Jackson Heights in Queens.

Oh, and I’ve taken to cold-brewed coffee, though I always wish a slice of tiramisu came with a glass.

Big Island Tea from Hawaii were brewing one green tea and one black tea.  I’ve never had a more nuanced black tea than theirs (ask me what it tasted like in the comments section).

A book I’d actually make my way through. *By the way, camellia sinensis is the plant that gives us tea.

Ippodo is a centuries-old Kyoto, Japan-based company specializing in green tea and matcha, or powdered green tea.  They have one location in Manhattan as well, and in the back, a Japanese Buddhist vegetarian restaurant.

The Korean corner.  For completing a short interview with them, they offered a goodie bag of health drink powders with varying benefits, red ginseng juice and candies, and two types of teas.  Korea, I know your banchan and main dishes quite well, but when it comes to sweets, besides hotteok, sujeonghwa, and shikkye, I’m lost.  Consider this post, my acceptance of your challenge.

Finally Ginger is a Cleveland, Ohio-based cookie company emphasizing the spicy yet versatile root in its baked goods.  They currently have five year-round flavors – original, orange, oatmeal cranberry, chocolate chunk, and lemon – but sometimes introduce holiday-themed types.  To me, ginger is not used enough, both in savory and sweet instances, so I’m all for it.

Haute Chocolate Brooklyn produces a quality bar of semisweet chocolate, though I have to say, I enjoyed even more their rosemary and early grey bars.  Suggestive packaging too…it makes you wonder what shelf they’d be on at a US bookstore.  Gluten-free, too, so gain as much weight as you can, just don’t bother your digestive tract.

Whether or not you think dandelions are weeds, you may not have known about their nutritional vigor.  Vitamins, minerals and fiber are all present in the humble plant, though their use to treat specific ailments and diseases is still being researched.  Either way, Dandy Lion Tea believes that there’s a future in drinking dandelions mixed with fruit juice, and as long as there’s no sugar added, I’m on board with this Long Island, New York-based team.

---

Thinking about the Philadelphia show already…

Advertisement