"This is the most exciting exhibition I have ever attended," said Ho Kian Leong, from The Art of Tea Magazine, based in Taipei City, Taiwan. He added that the event made even avid tea drinkers "open their eyes widely."

Bucking trends in a tough climate for tradeshows, World Tea Expo drew 4,632 attendees and 284 exhibiting companies, approximately four percent more than
last year in Atlanta. By the end of the show, nearly two-thirds of the space reserved for next year had been booked by exhibitors.

Among the show's highlights were two new educational components: a two-day intensive for new and aspiring tea business owners, and an executive and technical track for large consumer products companies. On the show floor, a new cupping pavilion, where exhibiting tea companies could conduct tastings with prospective buyers, joined popular returning events, such as Cooking With Tea demonstrations by celebrity chefs and Japanese, Chinese and Korean tea ceremonies. 

But by far the most talked-about addition to the Expo was the World Tea Championship, an extensive, independently judged competition which resulted not only in prizes in dozens of categories, but also in the world's first rating system for tea.

"While this year's Expo showed our smallest increases in attendance and exhibit space, it was highly successful in light of current economic conditions and in terms of the quality of buyers present," said George Jage, president of SFG Group, which produces the World Tea Expo and World Tea Championship (as well as World Tea News). "This is a testament to the strength and vitality of the tea industry in North America."

For a full list of winners in the Championship, click here.

For more on events, products and other highlights from the Expo, or to register for next year, click here.