2024 Presenters

Noah became infatuated with Chinese tea at a young age, and after sourcing and teaching for various tea companies met Shiuwen at Floating Leaves in 2012. During their first meeting, Shiuwen brewed a charcoal roasted Dong Ding oolong that changed Noah’s path forever. It was a real ‘I didn’t know tea could do that’ moment. From then on Noah has been obsessed with understanding the true capacity of what tea can do, especially through the art of roasting oolong tea.

Phil and Mengjiao Cyr founded Old Ways Tea in 2017 to share the teas of Wuyishan with the western world. Old Ways Tea is an online tea shop with a narrow focus on the oolong and black teas grown by Mengjiao's friends and family. Phil brings a depth of experience from time spent on farms, in factories, loading trucks, driving through the mountains, and simply sitting around sipping tea.

Friday Elliott (she/her) is a tea witch, writer, chef and polysynesthete. Raised by herbalists, and agriculture scientists and with an educational background in Environmental Economics & Policy, she was always destined to craft tasty teas for thirsty nerds! Her born gift of Lexical-Gustatory Synesthesia (the innate ability to taste words, feelings & ideas as literal flavors in her mouth) combined with a lifelong passion for ethical, experimental, small-scale agriculture has led her on a heartful and whimsical path to the creation of Friday Afternoon Tea, one of the world's first fandom tea companies, and the first fandom tea company to specialize in high-end whole leaf sourced farm-direct. Friday lives just north of Seattle, WA with her two super sweet kids, brilliant partner, and three very silly cats (one of whom is technically a dog).

Roberta Fuhr is founder/owner of Experience Tea Studio in Issaquah where, as she always will tell you “I teach tea and sell (really good) tea”. She loves to help people discover true tea and thoroughly enjoys teaching her fun and educational tea classes, inviting all ages to participate. Roberta is professionally trained by some of the most notable tea importers in the country, and, has traveled to many tea producing countries to learn from growers themselves. Connecting people to the breadth of tea, and tea cultures is at the heart of her business. Experience Tea offers over 180 high quality teas and herbals that have been carefully selected and/or blended by Roberta and she enjoys helping people find teas for themselves, family and friends. Tea lovers may also order online at www.experience-tea.com. The Studio is celebrating 13 years in historic downtown Issaquah at 195 Front Street N. 

Holly Furen has been a passionate curator of loose leaf teas for over 20 years, dedicating decades to exploring the rich world of herbs and teas. As the owner of My Necessitea, LLC, she has added custom blends as well as flavors by request to her growing collection of quality selected teas. Holly selects teas that she has discovered while always searching for the best blends the world tea community offers. Holly opened her tea room in 2022 in West Seattle. She offers tea for purchase, hot tea to sit in or to go, tea events (including a full afternoon tea service), room rental, and mobile tea service. Holly is a rich source of knowledge about tea as a self proclaimed tea nerd and enthusiast. The tea room is open Monday through Saturday from 12:00 - 2:00pm. Located at 3237B California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116. Or visit the website at www.mynecessitea.com.

Neldon Hamblin is a 25-year-old tea enthusiast and blogger from Northern Utah. With over a decade of tea-drinking experience and 4 years in the tea industry, Neldon has been an active figure in the tea blogging world since 2021, being a certified Chinese Tea Specialist with extensive expertise in education, product reviews, and investigative reporting within the tea industry, as well as experience working with some of the largest brands in China to expand to a Western audience. Through his platform, Tea With Neldon, he engages 5,000 to 8,000 readers monthly, providing expert analysis and consulting services that enhance industry knowledge and consumer understanding of the popular beverage. Among his notable achievements is an investigative report on the Vietnamese tea sector, which uncovered critical issues of external market manipulation. His research into North American tea consumption patterns offers valuable insights into market trends and consumer behavior. Neldon is committed to advancing sustainability, addressing climate change, and promoting transparency in the tea trade.

Gabriel is the founder of Tea Dive, a small company in Bellingham Washington focused on tea events and education. He was a wine professional for about two decades before accidentally stumbling into the tea world where he has remained ever since. Gabriel’s professional experience as a wine salesman gives him a unique perspective on what it means to be a tea drinker in the USA, and has a hopeful vision of what tea culture could become in the future.

Elyse Petersen is a Global Tea Ambassador with the International Tea Farms Alliance. She has spent time working with tea farmers in Wazuka, Kyoto, Japan. This experience has inspired her to help tea culture across the U.S. and around the world. Petersen is an experienced international development worker in the area of food security, natural resource management, and sustainable food preservation, having served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger, West Africa and Antigua and Barbuda, Eastern Caribbean.

Elyse graduated from Shidler College of Business with a Japan-focused M.B.A and from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona with a B.S. in Food Science and Technology. You can learn about Elyse's passion for collaboration in this talk she gave at TEDx Honolulu: A Mango in the Sun.

Growing up in a family with 40 years of experience in the tea industry, I never thought I'd want to be part of it. Life has a way of bringing you back to your roots, and despite resisting at first, I ventured into a corporate career after earning my finance degree. However, in 2016, the allure of the tea world proved irresistible, and I started working on my venture, Nepal Tea Collective. The connection between my birth on International Tea Day and my deep dive into the tea industry feels almost serendipitous. I'm Pratik, a third-generation tea producer and the co-founder/COO of Nepal Tea Collective. For the past six years, I've been dedicated to creating an identity for Nepali teas and supporting farmers and producers in the North American market, while also using tea as a catalyst for social change.

Cured Leaves Tea Company is a socially conscious business designed in layers of wellness that connects people and communities, promotes wellness, and influences mindful tea culture. Tea is a habit. We have seen how effective tea can be, so we want to extend that sensation and experience to as many people as possible. During our early stages of development, we fell in love with the purity and artistry of tea. We saw tea served as a resource rather than a commodity, and this idea of tea as a service is now a part of our vision. Our tea lines are designed around the entire experience of self-awareness, wellness, and the expansion that you feel from each cup. We use our products and services to encourage you and to invoke every single sense (touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste) through our premium loose-leaf teas. We want your tea experience to be a spiritual one which entraps all your senses. We chose to source from Africa because of the rich soil and endless resources that the land provides. It allows us to enhance and empower our partners, workers, and customers while serving as a bridge between all our communities. The teas at Cured Leaves Tea Company connect you first to yourself and your senses, then to everything and everyone around you. We want you to be as expansive and lively as you can be, but first tea.

Cured Leaves Tea Company is a socially conscious business designed in layers of wellness that connects people and communities, promotes wellness, and influences mindful tea culture. Tea is a habit. We have seen how effective tea can be, so we want to extend that sensation and experience to as many people as possible. During our early stages of development, we fell in love with the purity and artistry of tea. We saw tea served as a resource rather than a commodity, and this idea of tea as a service is now a part of our vision. Our tea lines are designed around the entire experience of self-awareness, wellness, and the expansion that you feel from each cup. We use our products and services to encourage you and to invoke every single sense (touch, smell, sight, sound, and taste) through our premium loose-leaf teas. We want your tea experience to be a spiritual one which entraps all your senses. We chose to source from Africa because of the rich soil and endless resources that the land provides. It allows us to enhance and empower our partners, workers, and customers while serving as a bridge between all our communities. The teas at Cured Leaves Tea Company connect you first to yourself and your senses, then to everything and everyone around you. We want you to be as expansive and lively as you can be, but first tea.

Thomas Shu, a third-generation tea specialist from Taiwan, co-founders of JT & Tea, the first American brand to focus on the world’s finest Oolong-style specialty teas. In 2007 Thomas was given the honorary title ‘Ambassador of Taiwan Tea’ by the Taiwan Tea Manufacturers’ Association in recognition of his many contributions to the tea industry. With his proficient expertise and extensive knowledge of ‘all things tea’, Thomas has become a popular educator and speaker at the trade shows, tea festivals, and many other international venues. Mr. Shu is serving Strategic Technical Advisor for World Tea Academy. Thomas orchestrates and team up with Josephine Pan to manage the renowned TOST (Taiwan Oolongs Study Tours) program for tea professionals on educational tours of Taiwanese tea gardens and factories each year, since 2008.

Kyohei Sugimoto is the 3rd generation in a family of Japanese tea producers. After moving to the US in 2004, he noticed how difficult it was to find high-quality Japanese tea and how he had taken it for granted his entire life. He became a certified Japanese Tea Advisor and opened the US branch of his family's company, Sugimoto Tea Company, as a means to bring authentic Japanese tea to the American public and beyond.

We have been a premium tea wholesale seller for 11 years. NWRoyal worked with our partner tea gardens and processing facilities in China's Zhejiang, Anhui, and Yunan Provinces. We selected 50 types of teas from over 2000 tea gardens. The tea gardens and facility have organic certificates from the EU, Japan, USDA, and Rainforest Organic certificates and hold ISO22000 for food safety.

We offer high-quality organic green tea, Pu-erh tea, white tea, yellow tea, Sencha, Jasmine, Tieguanyin, rosebud, barley, Oolong, and black tea. I serve as the President of the US Region. Our teas won more than a hundred awards in the past 30 years.

Anna is a longtime tea educator, the founder and owner of Anna Ye Tea, and an advocate for lesser known tea cultures.

In 2021, Anna came across a series of incredible teas from Việt Nam and realized how little mention there was in the specialty tea world. The major lack of accessibility and representation of single origin Vietnamese teas in the U.S. and beyond inspired her to begin sourcing Vietnamese teas.

Anna Ye Tea specialty Vietnamese tea company based in New York. They are proud to be exclusively sourcing premium loose leaf teas from Việt Nam. Their small batch teas are made by producers from different ethnic communities, each reflecting the country’s unique terroir and local techniques. Through their teas and efforts, they hope to illuminate the country’s vibrant tea heritage and uplift the overall profile of Vietnamese tea in the U.S. and beyond.

• National Senior Tea Evaluator, China
• National First-Class Tea Art Specialist, China
• Founder, TeaFairy Culture & Art Center, USA
• Founder, North American Tea Academy
• Promoter of Chinese Tea Culture
• Enthusiast of Traditional Culture and Aesthetics

Ms. Zuo is a Master Teacher of Chinese tea culture and traditional aesthetics for more than two decades; founder of Teafairy Culture & Art Center and North America Tea Academy, offering diverse programs and events for tea enthusiasts to delve into the world of Chinese tea, explore its production, serving techniques, and cultural heritage. These platforms serve as uplifting spaces for individuals to immerse themselves in the beauty of Chinese tea culture and connect with fellow tea lovers.